NFL Futures Betting Update – Ryan Grant Needs Surgery To Fix Ankle

The Green Bay Packers may have won their season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles, but they hardly looked like the explosive team we expected them to be. One of the reasons they took a step back was because Ryan Grant suffered a horrific ankle injury in the game, and the team was forced to play Brandon Jackson in his place. NFL futures betting enthusiasts who love the Packers in the long term market may get queasy now that Grant will be shelved for at least 10 weeks due to surgery.

What made the Packers so dangerous during their 2009 NFL betting season is that they averaged 117.8 yards per game on the ground, giving their offense plenty of balance and keeping defenses on their toes. Grant had a breakout season with 1,253 yards on the ground while pumping in 11 touchdowns.

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But the road to glory for Grant hasn’t been easy. He emerged as an undrafted rookie sensation out of Notre Dame in 2007, beating out DeSean Wynn and Brandon Jackson for Ahman Green’s starting job. Jackson stepped in for 18 carries and 63 yards as Grant’s replacement, and while the 24 year old has plenty of talent and size to be effective, he hasn’t been steady in his young career.

If there’s any time for the second round pick to prove he has the potential to be something special, it’s now. Grant could miss the rest of the regular season as he repairs a torn ligament in his ankle in order to be ready for the playoffs, and whether or not the starting job is his after that will be left to Jackson. In four years since being drafted in 2007, Jackson has averaged 3.9 yards per carry, totaling 689 yards on 175 carries with just 5 career touchdowns.

While Jackson has some pretty big shoes to fill, the pressure instead falls on Aaron Rodgers to justify the Packers as favorites in most NFL futures. Against Philadelphia, Rodgers managed just 188 passing yards on 19-of-31 completions while picking up 2 touchdowns along with 2 picks. It wasn’t the best game in the world, but suddenly the Green Bay Packers look vulnerable on offense.

The injury to Grant and the increased pressure on Rodgers hasn’t changed Green Bay’s value in the futures betting market. Green Bay is still +700 to win Super Bowl XLV futures betting giving them steeper odds than the defending NFC and Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints. Expectations are justifiably high for this team.

Listen, you don’t necessarily need a Pro Bowl running-back to be a great offense. Just ask Drew Brees or Peyton Manning, neither of whom played with a single tailback who managed more than 900 yards rushing in 2009. For Rodgers, who had the security blanket of a solid rushing game before, it’s time he proves he as good as everyone says he is.

Rodgers is till growing as a quarterback, and remains only 26-years old, but he’s standing on the threshold of greatness. Just because he lost Ryan Grant, it doesn’t mean he can’t seize the day and put the Packers on his back. If he’s going to do it, the time is now. He has the intangibles, talent and experience to make it happen.

At least, that’s what everyone who bet on the Packers’ values in the NFL futures market are hoping.

Bet on the Packers against Detroit this weekend in Week 2 betting!