How Cam Newton Injury Has Moved Panthers vs. Cardinals Odds

The quarterback injury news in the NFL just won't seem to end this week.

And the latest QB to see his health affect the Week 3 betting market is Cam Newton.

After Newton aggravated a previous foot injury in Thursday's loss to Tampa Bay, he missed practice on both Tuesday and Wednesday. As a result of the first absence, most books took the lines for Sunday's matchup with the Cardinals off the board.

Prior to the line removal, the Panthers were listed as 2.5-point favorites with a total of 46.5.

On Wednesday afternoon and into the evening, however, a few sportsbooks began reopening this line. Only this time, the minus-sign had change sides.

It's now the Cardinals that are listed as favorites ranging from -1.5 to -2.5, but since most margins of victory are of at least three points, this isn't as significant as other 4-5 point moves.

The total has expectedly dropped a bit as well, now being offered anywhere from 44 to 45.

Prior to the season, Mark Gallant's quarterback point-spread evaluator granted Newton two points of worth to the spread. Obviously, this line has moved a bit more than that, but remember, not all line moves are created equal, and this one in particular might look a bit more dramatic than it really is.

Should the line make its way to Arizona -3, it will be clear that there's a significant — perhaps sharp, even — opinion of Cam being worth more than oddsmakers are giving him credit for. Of course, any actual update regarding his status for Sunday would probably be enough for another line move on its own.

Former Texas A&M and Houston quarterback Kyle Allen, in his second year with the Panthers, would be the team's starter if Newton misses Sunday's game.