NFL Injury Reports Explained for Bettors

NFL injury reports can be extremely useful for bettors. The reports highlight which players are unavailable for upcoming games, giving bettors a significant edge.

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How do NFL injury reports work? When are the reports released? What are the pros and cons of NFL injury reports? Read on to discover the answers to those questions.

How Do NFL Injury Reports Work?

Every NFL team is mandated to report all injuries and fitness issues to the league and the media. The reports state which players are unavailable due to injury and which players might not feature in upcoming games.

Each team is required to report injuries using a four-level system. Here are the four levels:

Probable – The player has more than a 50% chance of playing.

Questionable – The player has roughly a 50% chance of playing.

Doubtful – The player has around a 25% chance of playing.

Out – The player will not feature in the next game.

If a star quarterback, running back or wide receiver is listed as “out”, their team will likely be weaker as a result. However, when the star player is listed as “questionable”, their team could be at full strength if the player recovers in time.

NFL injury reports can help bettors when it comes to wagering on totals, spreads and moneylines. Of course, the reports are also very useful for those who enjoy betting player props.

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When Are NFL Injury Reports Released?

It is worth noting that NFL injury reports are released at different times depending upon the day of the game in question. Accordingly, bettors should always keep an eye out for the latest injury news ahead of a game.

For Sunday games, the reports are due on Friday. These reports are updated on Saturday, giving the league, the media and bettors an up-to-date view of a team’s injuries and doubts.

On top of that, teams are required to report participation in practice. The practice reports are filed on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, detailing which players have taken part in training throughout the week.

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Pros and Cons of NFL Injury Reports for Bettors

Finally, let’s go over the pros and cons of NFL injury reports from a betting perspective. While the reports can be useful to bettors, they also have their drawbacks.

Here are the pros:

Knowing the Status of Players – The obvious advantage of NFL injury reports is knowing whether a player is available or not. This can give you an edge when it comes to betting.

Second-String Players Could Step Up – If you know that a team likes using its bench a lot, you can bet on props for second-string players that could get more opportunities due to injured teammates.

Perceiving the Severity of Impact – While many people may think an injured player will have a huge impact on a team, you might think otherwise. You could find value in the odds as a result.

Here are the cons:

NFL Injury Reports Are Subjective – One team’s “questionable” can be another team’s “doubtful”. Each team treats injuries differently, meaning it can often be difficult to get a clear picture.

Inconsistent Reporting – Some teams report every bump and bruise, while others keep more serious injuries off the list altogether. For example, the Patriots used to list Tom Brady as “probable” nearly every week, but he invariably played.

Check out our tips for winning NFL survivor pools next.