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Is David Njoku Playing Today? (Injury Update, Betting Impact for Browns vs. Bengals)
UPDATE: David Njoku is ACTIVE on Sunday.
Actives/inactives:
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 22, 2024
-- #Browns TE David Njoku will play, while Bailey Zappe is the backup.
-- #Commanders TE Zach Ertz is up.
-- #Bengals OT Orlando Brown is out.
-- #Titans QB Will Levis is active as the backup.
Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku missed Week 15 against the Kansas City Chiefs with a hamstring injury, but he returned to practice late this week.
Officially, the Browns have listed Njoku as questionable in Week 16 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
David Njoku (hamstring) listed questionable for Week 16.
— Underdog NFL (@Underdog__NFL) December 20, 2024
This season, Njoku has been a huge part of the Browns’ offense, catching 56 passes for 439 yards and five scores in just 10 games.
However, it’s possible that the entire Cleveland offense will be downgraded in Week 16, as Dorian Thompson-Robinson is expected to start — not Jameis Winston.
DTR has struggled in his NFL career, and it could make Njoku a tough player to bet on if he even suits up.
In his NFL career, Thompson-Robinson has a completion percentage of just 51.4 percent. This season, Thompson-Robinson is 15-for-34 throwing the ball for 100 yards and three picks across three games. He earned three starts last season and threw just one total touchdown and four picks in eight games.
As good as Njoku has been in recent weeks, I can’t trust him in the prop market with DTR under center.
Oddsmakers seem to agree, as they shifted the odds for this matchup once the youngster was named the starter.
With the report that Thompson-Robinson would start, oddsmakers at DraftKings Sportsbook moved the total in the Browns-Bengals game down 2.5 points from 49.5 to 47. The Bengals are 7.5-point favorites in the game, as they are still in the mix for a playoff spot in the AFC.
More NFL Week 16 Betting Stories
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Peter is a senior editor for Sports Illustrated Betting. He has worked as a writer and editor for BetSided, NBC Sports, the Connecticut Sun and the Meriden Record-Journal covering the NBA, WNBA, NFL, MLB, and more. A New York City resident, he is a hoops fanatic with a soft spot for his New York Knicks.