Thursday, Dec. 4
Welcome to my overrated/underrated injuries for Week 14 of the NFL season.
Dallas at Chicago (Thursday): Bears kicker Robbie Gould is out with a quad injury. Jay Feely replaces him.
Perception: Gould is on the decline so this isn't a big deal.
Nover's View: It's a big deal to me. I had leans to the Bears and over, but I'm not touching either because of the increased chances of Chicago missing a field goal or two. Gould is past his prime, but the 38-year-old Feely is way past his prime. He doesn't have a big leg anymore and has been with warm weather teams (Falcons, Dolphins, Cardinals) much of his career. He has never even attempted a field goal at Solider Field, one of the worst stadiums for a kicker because of heavy wind. The forecast for tonight's game are temperatures in the 20's with 13-15 mph winds.
New York Giants at Tennessee (Sunday): New York RB Rashad Jennings suffered an ankle injury last week and hasn't practiced all week.
Perception: Does Jennings even mean anything to the Giants at this point?
Nover's View: I believe he does because he's by far their best runner although his unavailability would not deter me from playing on the Giants if deeming them the right side and worthy of a wager. Andre Williams is one of the poorer backup RB's in the league, averaging a Ray Rice-type 2.9 yards per carry. No defense, though, is worse against the run than the Titans.
New York Jets at Minnesota (Sunday): The Jets aren't likely to have defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson, who has a toe injury.
Perception: Are the Jets still in the league?
Nover's View: I actually believe the Jets would be a .500 team if they had anything serviceable at quarterback, which they don't. Wilkerson is one of the Jets' best defensive players. His loss hurts, but even if he played the Jets are a difficult sell traveling on a short week with a lame duck coach and the worst starting quarterback in the league, who is being jammed down their throats by management.
Kansas City at Arizona (Sunday): Arizona offensive left tackle Jared Veldheer injured his ankle last Sunday against the Falcons, but practiced Thursday and looks like a go.
Perception: The Cardinals dodged a bullet.
Nover's View: They sure did. Drew Stanton is bad enough without being hounded by Justin Houston and Tamba Hali, one of the top edge pass rushing tandems in the league. You know Veldheer is good because he left the Raiders. He's in the argument for best left tackle.
San Francisco at Oakland (Sunday): After a breakout game against Kansas City two weeks ago, Raiders running back Latavius Murray has practiced this week after missing the 52-0 Oakland loss to the Rams last week due to a concussion.
Perception: Raiders coach Tony Sparano said Murray won't be a workhorse if he plays.
Nover's View: I hope Sparano is just bluffing because if he doesn't feature Murray over Maurice Jones-Drew and Darren McFadden then he's just a plain moron. Murray's game against the Chiefs may have been a fluke, but right now Murray is the only guy who gives the Raiders any kind of hope. They need to see if he's for real. What does Sparano have to lose since Oakland already ranks last in the NFL in rushing yards, total yards and points.
On the handicapping front, I am 8-2 on my last 10 premium plays entering Thursday and have my Sunday NFL Game of the Year locked and loaded. It can be found here along with my discounted packages and other plays: /pregamepros/pro-bettor/picks.aspx?id=7746.
As always, let's have no bad luck!