> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bettorday.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Tuesday, August 25th, 2026 - URL: https://www.bettorday.com/tuesday-august-25th-2026/ - Published: 2026-08-25T10:00:57.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-25T10:00:56.000Z - Author: Scott Seidenberg - Tags: Newsletter ## Browns Starting QB & 32 in 32: Carolina Panthers *Scott Seidenberg and Michael Fiddle react to the Browns naming Deshaun Watson their starting quarterback. Plus our 32 in 32 preview of the Carolina Panthers.* [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3d/8b/3d8b18a7-5597-46d3-a5fc-54ba849c80c9/content/images/2026/07/NEW-POD-COVER.png)](https://bleav.com/shows/bettor-day/?ref=bettorday.com) Listen to today's Podcast episode and don't forget to subscribe! [Listen ](https://bleav.com/shows/bettor-day/?ref=bettorday.com) ## 🏈 DESHAUN WATSON IS THE BROWNS' STARTER **Todd Monken:** "This is not going to be a week-to-week thing" ### The Reversal Scott Went Through **Scott:** "If you asked me last month, I said it HAS to be Watson — guaranteed contract, you crushed your organization for years to get this guy, **you have to get something out of him before you lose him.** Then this past weekend happened. **The fans booed him at the stadium, and in his press conference he said he took it personally, that they don't like him, that they CHEERED when he tore his Achilles.** It sounded like a guy who clearly did not want to be a Cleveland Brown. I said there's no way you name him the starter — **the fan base will never accept it.**" --- ### Fiddle's Football-Only Read **Fiddle:** "I was surprised at first — Shedeur played well over the weekend, and everyone was raving about his press conference and sideline interview. **But then I took a second to think about the FOOTBALL of it.** There's a further cap penalty to cutting him. **No other team is going to accept him.** So he's going to be on the roster — **and if he's going to be on the roster, you probably have to start him.** Shedeur is still a second-year player; it's totally fine to keep him on the bench and bring him in later if things go wrong. **It's a way bigger deal to start Shedeur and then bench him for Watson than the other way around.** We've seen this a hundred times — **if you're splitting hairs, you go with the veteran because it's a more seamless transition.**" --- ## 🎯 THE FIRST QUARTERBACK BENCHED MARKET *(Benched from a START — voids on injury.)* | Quarterback | Odds | | ------------------ | -------------- | | **Deshaun Watson** | **Even money** | | Tua Tagovailoa | +250 | | Geno Smith | 3/1 | | Kirk Cousins | +350 | **Fiddle: "**I have faith Tua starts, Geno starts, and Cousins stays the starter. **And there's going to be SO much noise around every Browns game.** At a certain point it might just be easier on a new head coach to bench him, stop the questions, and quiet the building." **Scott's addition:** "**It's also easier to bench him AFTER you started him** — you can justify it. Subpar performance, we're 0-3, let's spark something with Shedeur. As opposed to now, where the decision probably wasn't his — **this came from the top down.**" --- ## 🏈 SURVIVOR NOTE: WEEK 1 | Game | Line | | ------------------------- | -------------------------------- | | **Chargers vs Cardinals** | **\-10.5** (biggest of the week) | | **Jaguars vs Browns** | \-7.5 | | Lions vs Saints | \-7 | **Scott:** "The Chargers will probably be the most-selected team, and **I'm going to caution people against it — I feel like the Cardinals can pull the upset and knock everybody out of Circa Survivor. If there's one week the Cardinals win a game, it's that week.**" **Fiddle:** "I'll be on the Chargers. **Gotta get them while they're actually healthy — they're an injury bug team.**" --- ## 🏥 JEANTY UPDATE: LIKELY JUST A SPRAIN **The news:** Not severe, not expected to cost significant time. He may miss week one, maybe week two — **but the Raiders dodged a bullet.** **Fiddle:** "Maybe you DO get in a hope-and-prayer circle when the guy is hyped up to be the Lord and savior of the team. **The threshold gets a little lower.**" ### The Name to Know **Fiddle:** "**Mike Washington Jr.**, the Arkansas back they drafted — **his combine was electric. First in the 40 for this year's class, second in vertical, second in broad jump.** Insanely athletic, young, and probably taking over a ton of usage. **That's the name that should get the most attention in the wake of Jeanty going down.**" --- ## ⚠️ THE HOUSE RULES ANGLE (WORTH REPEATING) **FanDuel's rule: the player must play just ONE regular season snap for the prop to stand.** Not week one — **any point in the season.** **Scott:** "That's why I grabbed **Jeanty under 975.5** at a local as soon as the news hit. Miss week one, good bet. Miss week two, better bet. Miss week three, great bet." ### ⭐ THE APPLICATION: MENDOZA UNDER 2,000.5 PASSING YARDS **Scott:** "If you think Mendoza isn't playing until week 13, 14, 15 — **play the under NOW**, because the house rule only requires one snap." **Fiddle:** "I love that. **He might not START a single game, but he'll play** — if they're down 28 or up 28 in a fourth quarter, he's in. So he'll get us a few snaps. **And the longer he doesn't start, the better. I'm going to bet that after we're done recording.**" *(If a player doesn't play at ALL — preseason injury, out for the year — the bet voids. No harm, no foul.)* --- # 🏈 32 IN 32: CAROLINA PANTHERS ## The Market | Market | Line | | -------------- | -------------------- | | **Win total** | **7.5 (UNDER -136)** | | Alt: under 6.5 | \~+125 | | NFC South | +310 (3rd) | --- ## "A Year Away From Being a Year Away" **Scott:** "Sometimes when it seems like EVERYBODY is on a team, they're a year away — **or a year away from being a year away.** Every sharp was on the Panthers last year and it didn't happen. Is this the year?" **Fiddle:** "I would agree — **and next year, at current prices, I'd much prefer an under on Carolina.** They were the **fifth highest spending team in free agency** — a ton of big new pieces that might take time to integrate. And the rest of the division is still holding on: **the Bucs could go a very different way next year without Baker or Bowles. Same with the Falcons if Tua and Penix don't work out. Same with the Saints if Tyler Shough doesn't.** It could become NEXT year that Carolina is an odds-on favorite because of continuity — **it feels like everyone in the division is still trying to make a run THIS year. A four-tiered team of mediocrity.**" **The other concerns:** Injury reports on **Chuba Hubbard**, a locker room leader, potentially turning the backfield over to **Jonathan Brooks — coming off back-to-back ACL tears.** **Fiddle on the quarterback:** "**I've never been a big Bryce Young truther.** He still has a lot of shortcomings to work around. **The only players I truly believe in on this team are the receivers and skill players — and those are the least impactful if the trenches aren't set, the quarterback isn't healthy, and the run game isn't solid.**" --- ## 📅 THE SCHEDULE: 3rd HARDEST IN THE NFL **Fiddle's pull:** Carolina has the **3rd hardest schedule — only the Dolphins and Cardinals face tougher**, based on forecasted season win totals. **Scott's win hunt:** "You play the NFC North — a very difficult division. You play the AFC North, so Baltimore and a trip to Pittsburgh. Plus Denver, Seattle, the Eagles. **Give them three wins in the division best case. Give them Cleveland. Give them Cincinnati. Maybe the ball bounces their way once. Where is EIGHT coming from? How is 7.5 not -236 instead of -136?**" --- ## ⭐ THE MARKET SIGNAL: SHARP BOOKS vs SOFT BOOKS **Fiddle, reading the timestamps live:** "Some of these numbers crept up from 6.5 to 7.5 — **but primarily at soft recreational books.** And the vig changes within them are worth about what a win is actually worth, **close to 45-50 cents. So the NUMBER increased, but the true no-vig line hasn't really moved.** Meanwhile, **the places that take sharp and bigger bets opened at 6.5 with juice toward the under — around +130 — and it's now down to +122 on the under 6.5.** People are betting the under at the books willing to take real action. **That's a very clear market signal for the Panthers under. I'm going to action that as we wrap up here.**" **BEST BET: PANTHERS UNDER 7.5 WINS -136** --- ## 📅 Coming Up ### Tomorrow - David Bearman + **32 in 32: New Orleans Saints** ### 🎬 THURSDAY — LIVE FROM CIRCA **The Bettor Day Football Show broadcasting from RADIO ROW at Circa Sports** for the **Ultimate Contest sign-up weekend.** Scott and Fezzik on site, Duck on the stream. **Heavy contest talk + WEEK 0 COLLEGE FOOTBALL BEST BETS.** 2 PM ET on YouTube and X @better\_day. --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3d/8b/3d8b18a7-5597-46d3-a5fc-54ba849c80c9/content/images/2026/08/app-promo-newsletter-horizontal.png) **The Bettor Day app is now available on BOTH** [**Apple**](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bettor-day/id6783427144%20Bettor%20Day?ref=bettorday.com) **and** [**Google Play**](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bettorday.app&ref=bettorday.com) --- [ Bettor Day Exclusive Sportsbook Promos Promo Codes, Unlocked For You We've partnered with top sportsbooks to bring exclusive sign-up offers to the Bettor Day community. 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