Cardinals vs. Panthers NFL Week 4 Vegas spread: DeAndre Hopkins' potential absence would affect betting odds

Easily the biggest injury question entering Sunday's Week 4 NFL games is with Arizona Cardinals superstar receiver DeAndre Hopkins. When Hopkins missed Wednesday's practice with an ankle injury, it didn't create many waves because it was simply a presumed day off. However, Hopkins also missed Thursday's practice and there is legitimate concern he might not play at the Carolina Panthers. Arizona opened as a 3.5-point favorite on the NFL odds but is now down to -3.

Cardinals GM Steve Keim said Friday that Hopkins will "ultimately make the decision" if he plays: "One thing about that, Hop knows his body better than anybody ... The fact is he doesn't miss football games."

To say that Arizona's trade for Hopkins from the Houston Texans this offseason has worked out is a slight understatement. The Cardinals are 2-1 and Hopkins leads the NFL with 32 catches and 356 yards (just one TD). Hopkins is the only player in the league with two games of double-digit catches.

Averaged out over 16 games, his current totals would equate to 171 catches and 1,899 yards. The catches would shatter the record of 149 set by the Saints' Michael Thomas last year, while the yards would be the second-most all-time behind the 1,964 by the Lions' Calvin Johnson in 2012. A receiver has never won NFL MVP and it's a long shot that Hopkins does in 2020, but he's at least in the early conversation. 

Meanwhile, Hopkins' former Texans team is 0-3 and QB Deshaun Watson looks lost without his top target. The four-time Pro Bowler missed just two games over his seven seasons in Houston. Hopkins surely wants to play Sunday in Charlotte because he's from right across the border in South Carolina and starred at Clemson. If Hopkins practices Friday, he'll be in there. If not …

It's the third straight week the Cardinals are favored – they were favored just once in 2019, and twice in 2018. Arizona was last a road favorite Week 9 of 2017 at San Francisco. The Cards are 7-1-2 ATS in their past 10 road games.

Carolina, meanwhile, ended a 10-game losing streak last week with a 21-16 upset at the Chargers. The Panthers remain without superstar running back Christian McCaffrey due to an ankle injury. Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kawaan Short has missed the past two with a food injury and is questionable.

The Panthers will have about 5,200 fans in attendance Sunday with the state of North Carolina loosening COVID-19 restrictions. Carolina is 6-1-1 ATS in its past eight at home vs. teams with winning records. 

Who wins every NFL game this week? And which teams cover more than 50 percent of the time? Get picks here from the SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times and ranked in the Top 10 on NFLPickWatch three of the past four years on straight-up NFL picks.