Shedeur Sanders to Start for Cleveland; Does He Improve the Browns’ Odds?

• Quarterback Shedeur Sanders will get his first career start for the Cleveland Browns.
• The much-hyped rookie was taken in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, but was pushed down the depth chart.
• The announcement of Sanders’ start hasn’t moved the needle at sportsbooks just yet.

The Cleveland Browns have announced Shedeur Sanders will make his first career start this week against the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Sanders announcement hasn’t moved the Browns’ odds for Week 12, but it could be a line to watch for any movement up until Sunday.

Sanders Starts as Browns’ QBs Decimated with Injuries, Trades

The move was announced on Wednesday afternoon.

It has been a rocky road for Sanders, who was tabbed as a first-round pick coming out of Colorado, where he was coached by his father, Deion Sanders. But the younger Sanders fell to the fifth round by the Browns, and has been buried on the depth chart behind Joe Flacco and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel. Flacco has since been traded to AFC North rivals Cincinnati. Gabriel started five games, but has been ineffective.

Gabriel was then injured against Baltimore, suffering a concussion. Sanders finally got a chance to play, and was 4-of-16 for 47 yards and an interception in a 23-16 loss to the Ravens. Sanders was also sacked twice. The week got worse for Sanders, whose house was broken into while he was playing.

The 23-year-old will now make his first career start for the Browns as they visit Las Vegas, who were also reportedly interested in drafting Sanders, but they passed. Can Sanders use that as motivation, and will the NFL Week 12 odds move for the Browns?

Will Sanders Starting Cause the Browns’ Line to Move This Week?

NFL betting sites had the Browns as a 3-point underdog to open the week against the Raiders. Some sites have the Browns now as 4-point underdogs, but others have taken the game off the board. This means that they are likely re-evaluating the Browns’ line.

This is simply speculation, but the Browns could be an even bigger underdog by the time the ball is kicked off on late Sunday afternoon. It is a line worth watching, as the sportsbooks could go too far the other way, and you could find some value on Cleveland.

There aren’t high hopes for Sanders, who didn’t look good at all. It was also reported that he had never taken snaps with the first team in practice. Therefore, it makes sense that his timing was off. He’ll have a full week of reps with the first team, so Sanders should look improved, but it’s tough to say how much. There should be plenty of eyes on the Browns-Raiders line this week, as it’s a good bet to move, one way or another.