Suspended Lions Players Open Up NFC North Value

• The NFL has suspended five total players, with four being on the Detroit Lions.
• Jameson Williams is among the biggest losses, being suspended for half the season.
• While the Lions are the favorite to win the division, there may be value in taking a team like the Minnesota Vikings.

DETROIT – Following the NFL’s decision to suspend five players for gambling, three of them being indefinite, some betting implications may lead to value. While most players were not very notable, the loss of Jameson Williams for the Detroit Lions could prove costly through the first six weeks.

The details surrounding the suspensions have drawn some questionable looks from fans and media like. This is because the NFL suspended Williams for betting on non-NFL games while at the team facility. Despite the NFL’s numerous connections with sportsbooks Williams was still suspended for an action that would have gone unpunished just a mere couple feet outside of the facility.

Lions’ Lack of Verticality May Lead to Vikings Value

While the majority of players suspended are not particularly noteworthy, and two even got released from the Lions, the loss of Jameson Williams could prove to be a danger. As it currently stands, the Detroit Lions sport +140 odds to win the NFC North, with the Minnesota Vikings behind them at +250.

The Lions could surely see a down first six games without Williams, mainly because he was expected to fill the field-stretching role that DJ Chark found success in last season. Now with Chark departing from the team, there are few receivers that can vertically challenge a defense available to open up the short-to-intermediate game that Amon-Ra St. Brown thrives in.

While the draft is right around the corner, both the Lions and Vikings should be looking to bolster their defense, and it seems unlikely that the Lions would spend a relatively high draft pick for a temporary Jameson Williams replacement after he was highly-touted last year and got drafted number 12 overall.

In addition, the Vikings have been quite underrated at these odds after they finished last season with an impressive 13-4 record, mainly being held back by their defense. Now with the chance to enter the draft holding five picks, and the Vikings could look to patch up their weaknesses and make another run for the NFC North.

However, it is worth noting that the Vikings did see some turnover in the loss of strong players such as Eric Kendricks, Adam Thielen, and Patrick Peterson. Some of these did get replaced with signings such as Byron Murphy Jr. and Marcus Davenport, with the draft likely filling in some of the remaining holes if the Vikings go all-in on a defensive drafting strategy.

Another prop for the Lions to potentially monitor is their win total, which is set at 9.5 with -150 odds to go over. With the under having +120 odds, it may be worth taking depending on their opponents in the first half of the season. While the Lions have many winnable home games, their road opponents are shaping up to be some of the stronger teams in the league.

If more of their difficult opponents are in the first half of the season, it may be worth taking the +120 odds on legal betting sites. Yet, it is generally the preferred bet for the Vikings to take the division as 10 wins is very possible for a Lions team that had nine wins last year despite losing many extremely close games.