Lamar Jackson’s practice status on Wednesday sent the Bengals-Ravens line spinning, and the betting market now looks a lot different than it did at the start of the week.
Baltimore opened as a three-point favorite at home in this AFC North matchup, with the number moving between 2.5 and 3 before Wednesday’s session. But Jackson was not seen at the start of practice, and later he was spotted walking off with a limp. DraftKings reacted fast, flipping the game to Bengals -1.5 - a 4.5-point swing from the opening line.
Ravens HC Jesse Minter said Lamar Jackson did get in some “limited” work today. https://t.co/3rq60qmJVB
Lamar Jackson (ankle) seen walking off practice field with a limp, per @CordellWoodland. https://t.co/1R708hsFHo
That kind of movement usually tells the story before the official injury report does, and in this case it points toward Jackson sitting out Week 7. He may need a full practice on Thursday or Friday to change how the market is reading the game.
Sports Illustrated spoke with multiple oddsmakers this week about how they approach a matchup like this when Jackson’s status is uncertain. Ty Gour, a sports trader at Fanatics Sportsbook, said the lookahead number starts with the assumption that Jackson will be on the field.
"Your lookahead line, you essentially have to assume he's going to play until you hear otherwise.," Ty Gour, Sports Trader at Fanatics Sportsbook, told Sports Illustrated. "So, that's baked into the price, whether we anticipate he'll be at full strength or 80% strength, that would kind of be factored in there.
"And then, as the week goes on, we'll adjust as we know more. Obviously, he wasn't at practice today, and our line went down a point and a half just off that alone.
And then we'll kind of trickle down as the week goes on and his status becomes more and more certain one way or the other. If he's back at practice tomorrow in a limited or full capacity, the line will probably shift back towards the Ravens.
If he's not there again on Thursday, we'll essentially start pricing as though [Tyler] Huntley is going to be the starter."
Gour also laid out where he thinks the number could land if Tyler Huntley is under center for a third straight game.
"If he's out and it's Huntley again, the line will most likely shift to the Bengals being the favorite, probably in that 1.5 to 2.5 range," Gour said.
That projection matches the way the current market is reading the situation: Jackson appears unlikely to play, and that would be a major hit for a Ravens team sitting at 4-2 after already taking a division loss in Week 6.
Jackson has been in a groove when healthy. In four games this season, he has completed 70.8 percent of his passes for 967 yards, six touchdowns and one interception. He has also rushed 19 times for 144 yards and a score, while leading the NFL in yards per attempt, yards per completion and passer rating.
Baltimore’s record without him is also a warning sign. The Ravens are 7-12 all time without Jackson, though they’ve won three of the four starts Huntley has made in his place since the 2025 season.
Thursday’s practice report should go a long way toward settling the picture for Sunday. Until then, the line tells you where the uncertainty sits.
In Other News...
Lamar Jackson Gives Ravens Fans Hope Before A Huge Bengals Test
The Ravens Week 7 injury report brought a dose of optimism back to Baltimores sideline, with Lamar Jackson returning to limited practice after missing two weeks because of an ankle injury. It was the kind of update Ravens fans have been waiting for as the team turns its attention to a huge AFC North matchup with the Bengals, especially with several other Baltimore players cycling through full, limited and no-practice designations.
Cam Jurgens also showed up on the report with his best sign yet since joining Baltimore, practicing fully for the first time and putting himself in position to be available against Cincinnati. The Bengals, meanwhile, had a much cleaner report of their own, with safety Kyle Dugger the only player limited, which only adds to the intrigue around how much of a boost the Ravens can expect from their own injury picture before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens May Be Holding Nate Wiggins Back From His Ceiling
Nate Wiggins has already shown why the Ravens are excited about his future, but the way he is being deployed suggests there may still be another level to reach. The second-year corner has been effective in 2026, especially when asked to play press coverage, yet Baltimores defense under Jesse Minter has leaned heavily on zone looks that keep Wiggins off the line more often than not.
That setup has helped the Ravens in some spots, but it may also be limiting what Wiggins does best. He has had trouble finishing plays as a tackler this season, and the contrast between his comfort in press and the less natural fit of playing off in zone has made the usage pattern worth watching. Mixing in more press work could give Baltimore a better version of Wiggins without asking him to abandon the scheme entirely. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Are About To Find Out If Bengals Defense Is For Real
Cincinnati spent the offseason trying to change the conversation around its defense, and early signs suggest the upgrades have at least moved the unit in the right direction. The Bengals brought in Jonathan Allen and Dexter Lawrence to fortify the front, and through five games the group has looked better in pass defense and pressure rates than it did a year ago, even if the run defense still has left some questions hanging. At 3-2, they have given themselves a little breathing room, but the schedule is about to offer a tougher test.
Baltimore is the kind of matchup that can expose whether those improvements are sustainable or just a short stretch of cleaner football. The Ravens lean on Derrick Henry to stress defenses in ways that show up quickly on tape and in the box score, and if Cincinnati is going to keep building credibility, it has to handle a physical challenge it has not always handled well. This is the sort of game that can tell you plenty about a defense, even if the final answer is still a week away. [Read more 🡒]