The Cleveland Browns never got out of the gate in 2022. With the suspension of quarterback Deshaun Watson, the Browns were forced to go with Jacoby Brissett as their starter for the majority of the season.
Cleveland went just 4-7 in games that Brissett started.
Upon his return to action, Watson demonstrated some rust, but the club went 3-3 in his six starts. The team is hopeful that a full season with Watson under center will result in their first playoff berth in three seasons.
Browns Best Futures Odds
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NFL odds featured in this Browns report were found at DraftKings, Caesars, and FanDuel Sportsbook and are current as of Monday, May 29, at 10 a.m. ET.
Browns Win Total Odds
- Over 9.5 Wins (+130)
- Under 9.5 Wins (-150)
Browns Win Total Bet: Under 9.5 (-150)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 Unit
Cleveland has the potential to be a playoff team if Watson can regain the form he displayed with Houston early in his career. But while it is easy to blame rust for the way that Watson played last year, his play was well below average.
Had he qualified, Watson would have registered the sixth-lowest QBR in the NFL last season. I expect some improvement, but there are no guarantees that he is all of a sudden once again a borderline top-five player at the position.
We also cannot ignore how tough both the division and conference Cleveland must deal with will be. Their schedule does not appear to have many easy games on it.
I project Cleveland to be in the middle of the pack, likely finishing with eight or nine victories.
Browns Make Playoffs Odds
- Yes (+100)
- No (-120)
Browns Make Playoffs Bet: No (-120)
Caesars Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 Unit
Cleveland currently has the ninth-best odds to make the playoffs among AFC teams. Of course, only seven teams make the dance, so the Browns would have to leapfrog two teams who are projected to finish ahead of them in the standings.
Is this possible? Sure. Is it likely? Of that, I am less sure.
Since the price for them to miss the playoffs is close to even money, this seems like the bet to make here.
Browns Futures Prop Bets
Deshaun Watson Over 3500.5 Passing Yards (-112)
FanDuel Sportsbook • WAGER: 2 Units
Prior to last season, Watson had never averaged below 240 passing yards per game in any of his four seasons. And he still has not averaged less than 250 passing yards per game when he has started a minimum of eight games.
That makes this one of my favorite Cleveland Browns Futures props.
I am not expecting Watson to light up the league as he did when he was in his prime, but he doesn’t need to in order to exceed this number. He basically just needs to remain upright.
Of the 18 quarterbacks who attempted at least 400 passes last season, 14 of them surpassed 3,500 passing yards. In the three seasons Watson has thrown more than 400 passes, he has averaged 4280 passing yards per year.
He should easily go Over this number as long as he does not miss significant time.
Browns to Finish Third in AFC North (+215)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 0.5 Units
Unless Watson returns to the form that saw him mentioned in the MVP candidates conversation, I see Cincinnati and Baltimore as superior to Cleveland. And even if he does raise his play to that level, there is no guarantee the Browns vault past either team in the standings.
Cleveland has a higher projected win total than Pittsburgh, and yet, the Browns are +215 to finish third in the division and +180 to finish fourth. This feels like a good price and value given Cleveland’s projections relative to the other teams in their division.
Browns to Win Under 2.5 Divisional Games (+215)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 0.5 Units
This is sort of a continuation of the last wager to an extent. I do not think it is a sure thing that Cleveland can defeat Cincinnati or Baltimore if all three teams are at full strength.
Watson led the Browns to a 1-2 mark in divisional matchups a year ago, but their win was against a Ravens team without Lamar Jackson. They lost to both Cincinnati and Pittsburgh by double-digits, and it would not surprise me in the slightest to see Cleveland go 2-4 within the division.
Browns Game Odds & Lines
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Browns Best Player Prop Odds
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More AFC North odds: Baltimore Ravens | Cincinnati Bengals | Pittsburgh Steelers
How to Bet on Browns Games in 2023
How to Bet Browns Moneylines
NFL moneyline wagers are the simplest forms of NFL bets. All you have to do is pick a team to win a given game, and if they do, you win your bet.
Since winning is the only requirement to cash your bet, the odds for NFL moneylines can vary greatly depending on each team’s implied probability of winning (or losing) that game. Favorites are designated by a minus symbol (-200), whereas underdogs are represented by a plus symbol (+200).
If the Browns are a (-200) favorite against the rival Steelers, you would have to bet $20 to turn a $10 profit. If Cleveland was a (+200) underdog, you would profit $20 off a $10 bet.
- 2022 Browns Moneyline Record: 7-10
How to Bet Browns Spreads
Betting the spread is the most efficient way to wager on NFL games, as it presents two evenly priced options. The spread, which is assigned a value by the books, is the number of points that the favorite is expected to win by against the underdog.
If the Browns are 6-point favorites over the Commanders, the spread for that game will be set up like this: Browns -6 (-110) vs Commanders +6 (-110).
In this scenario, the Browns would have to win by more than six points for you to win your bet. If they were to win by a pair of field goals, your bet would push and you would recoup your initial wager.
Cleveland was the only team in the NFL to cover the spread exactly half the time in 2021, and should be a decent bet moving forward as the roster seems to have improved over the offseason.
- 2022 Browns Against the Spread Record: 8-9
How to Bet Browns Over/Unders
If you don’t want to pick a side, you can still bet on Browns games by wagering on the total number of points scored.
Sportsbooks set the amount of combined points they expect both teams in the game to score, and then you can bet on either the Over or the Under.
If you expect Watson, Cooper, and the Browns to light up the scoreboard, then you’ll probably want to take the Over. If you think a specific game could be more defensive, then you would bet the Under.
- 2022 Browns Over/Under Record: 8-8-1
