The preseason is arguably the most unpredictable time to bet on the NFL, and Week 4 is arguably the most unpredictable week of the preseason. Many starters are given extended rest while bottom-of-the-roster types battle it out to make the team. Nevertheless, there are some Week 4 key inactives that stand out more than others. Here are some that will no doubt affect your bets this week.
Tyrod Taylor (Cleveland Browns)
Seeing as the Browns initially thought Taylor’s injury was serious, they’ll play it safe and sit him in Cleveland’s final preseason game against the Lions. This is noteworthy as it’ll be Baker Mayfield’s final chance to win the job, assuming there’s still something he can do. Cleveland’s third quarterback, Drew Stanton, has enough NFL experience that things shouldn’t go completely off the rails when Mayfield sits.
Andrew Luck (Indianapolis Colts)
At this point, it will be news even if Luck has a hangnail. Though the plan was always for him to sit out the Colts’ final preseason game, he does have a “minor” foot injury. But given Lucks’ recent history, almost nothing should be considered “minor” at this point.
Jacoby Brissett will start the Colts’ final preseason game against the Bengals. Brissett hasn’t thrown any touchdowns or interceptions and is averaging 109 passing yards per game. Third-string quarterback Phillip Walker has the 11th-best passer rating (109.3), so the backups ought to have a decent shot.
Marqise Lee (Jacksonville Jaguars)
Lee’s torn ACL means Jacksonville will be without their 2017 leader in receptions for the remainder of 2018. Lee hadn’t done much in the preseason so his absence may not be as noticeable when the Jaguars travel to Tampa Bay for the preseason finale.
What will be worth noting is how the Jaguars replace him. They still have Keelan Cole and Dede Westbrook, plus former Colt Donte Moncrief. Moncrief is Jacksonville’s current leading receiver with 106 yards. Keep an eye on how they handle it for regular season purposes and bet or fade Jacksonville as you normally would this week.
Evan Engram (New York Giants)
Engram is in concussion protocol and is questionable for Week 1. Maybe his absence alone isn’t a huge deal, but he’s the latest in a long line of Giants’ players that will sit against the Patriots.
Eli Manning will surely sit, as he did in Week 4 against the Patriots last year. Odell Beckham Jr. and Saquon Barkley are presumably out too. Perhaps even Sterling Shepard will get a break. In other words, we’re going to see the least talented parts of a team that scored all 22 of its points on special teams in Week 3 — something to keep in mind since this game has the highest total (38.5) of Week 4.
Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell (Pittsburgh Steelers)
Having none of the Killer B’s is obviously less than ideal, but the Steelers have some very interesting training camp battles to resolve. At quarterback, third-round pick Mason Rudolph is likely safe, but Landry Jones and Joshua Dobbs appear to be vying for one spot, with the other likely to be traded. You can expect to see maximum effort from those two.
At running back, James Conner is competing for playing time. Bell’s holdout will presumably end on Labor Day, but Conner is showing what he can do in Bell’s absence. That should lead to a decent showing in the preseason finale against the Panthers as well as the chance for more snaps in the regular season.
An uphill battle to make the roster at receiver just got a little tougher thanks to the Steelers trading for Ryan Switzer. Add him to a group that includes Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Justin Hunter, James Washington and Eli Rogers. Again, a talented stable of players that will have to give its best effort to earn a roster spot. Another reason to believe in the Steelers this week.
