Records are the only thing we wish athletes would break.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the case and injuries are part of sports, including football played at the NFL level.
Injuries are also one of the biggest determining factors for betting the NFL, and this is especially true for Thanksgiving Day games since players in all three matchups have a short week to recover, prepare, and play again on Thursday.
The most impactful injury on any Thanksgiving NFL betting line is the injury to Washington Redskins starting quarterback Alex Smith, who suffered a compound leg fracture after when getting sacked in the 3rd quarter of Sunday’s 23-21 loss to the Houston Texans.
After the game, Coach Jay Gruden announced Smith will undergo surgery on his lower right leg to repair the broken fibula and tibia in his right leg and will be out for the rest of the season.
This likely had a huge impact on the Thanksgiving NFL betting line for the Redskins-Cowboys matchup, since the Redskins lead the division but are an 8-point underdog for their game in Dallas.
This is the most notable injury by far. The current status of injured players for each team playing on Thanksgiving Day can be found below.
Chicago Bears
Player Status Injury Date
Aaron Lynch, LB Questionable Concussion 11/19/18
Adam Shaheen, TE Questionable Concussion 11/18/18
Javon Wims, WR Inactive Knee 11/18/18
Dion Sims, TE Injured Reserve Concussion 11/17/18
Detroit Lions
Player Status Injury Date
Kerryon Johnson, RB Question Knee 11/18/18
Brandon Powell, WR Day to Day Coach’s Decision 11/18/18
T.J. Lang, G Injured Reserve Neck 11/16/18
Washington Redskins
Player Status Injury Date
Alex Smith, QB Out Leg 11/18/18
Dallas Cowboys
Player Status Injury Date
Tyron Smith, OT Questionable Shoulder 11/18/18
Travis Frederick, C Out Illness 11/15/18
Atlanta Falcons
Player Status Injury Date
Damontae Kazee, S Questionable Shoulder 11/18/18
New Orleans Saints
Player Status Injury Date
Larry Warford, G Questionable Concussion 11/18/18