The Cleveland Browns are holding as small road favorites as of Saturday afternoon. That's following the news that Myles Garrett, their best player, will not be in action on Sunday for Week 4. Garrett was in a car accident early in the week. The injuries don't sound severe, however, he's out against the Atlanta Falcons. Cleveland is just -1 against the Falcons with Unibet sportsbook at -109 (about 10/11).
The Pick: pending Cordarelle Patterson's playing status
Cleveland will be a bit thinner on defense without Garrett. They will also be missing Taven Bryan, their defensive tackle. Furthermore, defensive end Jadeveon Clowney is questionable. He was DNP all week long, meaning he didn't participate in practice on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday.
Atlanta's strength is their running game and short-pass game. The Cleveland injuries should open up an improved short game for the Falcons.
In fact, the Falcons would probably be considered home favorites, except RB1 Cordarelle Patterson is listed as questionable with a knee injury. This is a player that improved throughout Week 4. He started as DNP but was upgraded to limited participation on Friday. Often when players are improving throughout the week, they are on the "Probable" side of "Questionable."
Bettors Beware: Atlanta needs Patterson
Patterson's injury has to be looked at before you can place a bet on this game. Otherwise, the Falcons will be overly reliant on rookie wide receiver, Drake London. Furthermore, QB Marcus Mariota might have to share rushing duties with rookie RB2 Tyler Allgeier. That's not a winning situation.
Our pick is for Atlanta to win if Cordarelle Patterson plays. Our pick is for Cleveland to win if he does not. You can check on Patterson's playing status at ESPN: Patterson's profile with ESPN.
Atlanta Falcons betting recommendation
If you want a pick in the dark (ie. before Patterson's status is finalized) then you would go with Atlanta here. That's on the basis that he improved during the week. Furthermore, Atlanta is a little underrated at 1-2 on the season. Their two losses were small spreads against decent competition. Cleveland, on the whole, is better but missing Myles Garrett changes the complexion of their defense a lot.
