There was a notable injury for the Kansas City Chiefs this week, as star tight end Travis Kelce hyperextended his knee in practice on Tuesday. Kelce was hoping to give it a go tonight in the 2023 NFL kickoff game, but he was just officially ruled out.
Sources: #Chiefs star TE Travis Kelce is out tonight against the #Lions. He may give it another try before kickoff. Either way, the bone bruise should not keep him out long-term. pic.twitter.com/n2TZXBmZUS
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 7, 2023
Now that Kelce isn’t playing tonight, how much did the odds move in Lions vs. Chiefs?
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[tallysight url=”https://tallysight.com/widget/offers/pro-football-network/dynamic/sportsbooks:1,2,11,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10/promos:1?id=5333d3e8-fbaf-4503-87a2-78a05d337d59″]Lions vs. Chiefs: Odds Movement After Travis Kelce Injury
When this game was first announced back in May, the Chiefs opened as 6.5-point favorites. For the next couple months, the line fluctuated between 6.5-7 points, depending on the sportsbook.
After the report of Travis Kelce’s injury on Tuesday, the line quickly went down to 5.5 as it was reported his status was in jeopardy for their season opener. Shortly, as more Lions action started to come in following the news, the line continued to drop before settling at Chiefs -4.5.
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A two-point swing is massive for any player, especially one that isn’t a quarterback. But Kelce is the best tight end in football, and certainly has a much greater impact than any other player at the position in the league for their team.
Today, reports suggested that Kelce would be a game-time decision to play against the Lions. The sportsbooks weren’t totally buying it — the spread remained at 4.5 all day. But once the news came in that he was officially out, the oddsmakers made another adjustment. Now the line is as low as 3.5 at FanDuel Sportsbook.
If you bet the Lions at +6.5, now is the perfect opportunity to see if the line drops to 3. That way, you have a potential middling opportunity where you can try and win on both sides.
Bad news for anyone who backed the Chiefs early, but Patrick Mahomes has never lost a season opener.