What Matthew Stafford injury status means for Lions-Bears point spread

UPDATE: DraftKings Sportsbook has reopened the Lions-Bears point spread and it is Bears -6.5.

The Detroit Lions are expected to be without quarterback Matthew Stafford in Week 10 due to a back injury. He was listed as questionable on the final injury report, but a Friday MRI revealed issues that could not be cleared by Sunday, per Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter.

Jeff Driskel is expected to start in his place, and that changes a whole lot of things. We discussed the fantasy football implications, but it also means we get a big swing in the point spread.

The Lions were a 2.5-point underdog on the road against the Chicago Bears. DraftKings Sportsbook removed the game from the board while they re-assess. When it opens back up, look for the line to be around Bears -6.5 or -7. Other sportsbooks have reopened since the news broke and they’re using either of those numbers.

Starting quarterbacks are the one position that will regularly move the line when an injury happens. Patrick Mahomes was worth six points to the Chiefs line. Stafford is not as good as Mahomes, but is still a key cog in the Lions offense, so a four-to-five point swing makes sense on the road against a quality Bears defense.

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