Ravens Remain Super Bowl Favorites Following Release of Earl Thomas

The Baltimore Ravens released Earl Thomas for "conduct detrimental to the team" on Sunday, following an altercation that involved him punching teammate Chuck Clark.
Earl Thomas is one of the league's best safeties, but even with Thomas gone the Ravens remain tied as the favorites to win Super Bowl LV, according to odds from FanDuel Sportsbook.
Which team will finish the regular season with the best record in the NFL? ?
— FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) May 20, 2020
The favorites:
① Ravens (+420)
② Chiefs (+420)
③ 49ers (+700)
④ Saints (+900)
⑤ Cowboys (+1100)@TheDuelSportshttps://t.co/OWzPF4lmgR
Thomas started 15 regular season games for the Ravens in 2019, only sitting out in Week 17 when they already had the No. 1 seed in the AFC locked up. He made 49 tackles, adding 4 pass defenses, 2 interceptions and 2.0 sacks.
Replacing Thomas playing safety alongside Clark in the starting lineup will likely be DeShon Elliott. Elliott played in only six games in 2019, but in that limited sample he received a promising overall grade of 69.7 from Pro Football Focus.
Even with Thomas' departure, the Ravens' +650 odds to win the Super Bowl remain tied with the Kansas City Chiefs for the best in the NFL. The Ravens and Chiefs are also co-favorites to win the AFC (at +300), and Baltimore is a hefty -200 favorite to win the AFC North.
How good will the Ravens be next season? https://t.co/hDMrGITCyZ
— The Duel (@TheDuelSports) May 11, 2020
Losing Thomas stings, but Ravens fans don't need to be too worried. This team is still going to be a serious Super Bowl contender in 2020.
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Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.