On Thursday afternoon, Adam Schefter dropped some big news for Raiders fans, fantasy football players and bettors alike.
The Next Chapter: Antonio Brown and GM Mike Mayock got into it Wednesday, and the team is now planning to suspend its star wide receiver, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 5, 2019
First Helmet-Gate and now this. The Raiders' new star wide receiver has not gotten off to the strongest start in Oakland.
Though details of the suspension are not known and do not appear to be official yet, oddsmakers are already reacting to the news.
The Broncos had already attracted plenty of substantial action over the offseason, moving from +2.5/+3 to a PK behind 55% of bets and 64% of the cash. With Brown expected to miss Monday Night Football, the line immediately moved to Denver -1. After sitting there for about five minutes, it jumped up to -2 and even -2.5 at some books like the Westgate in Las Vegas.
The over/under, which was sitting at 43.5 or 43 depending on the book, has dropped by a half point at many locations.
There aren't many non-quarterbacks in the NFL who are capable of moving the line, but a star wide receiver of Brown's caliber is one of them. Without him, Derek Carr will have the likes of Tyrell Williams, Hunter Renfrow and J.J. Nelson to throw to.
Carr himself was recently deemed worth two points to the spread by Vegas so it looks like he has some competition for being his own team's most valuable player in the betting world.
