Novice sports bettors tend to attach too much
substance to football injury reports. At the NFL level one needs
to know that there is not much drop off between starters and reserves.
Moreover, teams with injured stars usually put forth extra effort.
The consensus of opinion among professional handicappers is that
injuries are rarely significant unless they cluster. For example
losing two or more starting linebackers, defensive backs, or offensive
lineman, should be considered to be significant and may have a negative
effect on one teams performance. Efficiency declines, perhaps because
offensive and defensive units have difficulty assimilating more
than one new player at a time.
One thing to remember is that all NFL teams will skew injury information
toward the negative end of the scale. Those listed as probable and
questionable almost always suit up and usually perform up to par.
The more important the game, the more likely that a player listed
as doubtful will also get his normal allowance of playing time.
The next time you are looking over the weekly pro football injury
report, remember this piece it just may help your gambling bankroll
stay injury free.
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