Cleveland's fortune changed on August 18th when the NFL and Deshaun Watson came to an agreement on an 11-game suspension in 2022 for his alleged detrimental conduct. With the suspension originally slated to be 6-games on August 1st, it now means that Watson will miss a critical five game stretch between Weeks 7-12 with games against Baltimore (road), Cincinnati (home), Miami (road), Buffalo (road), Tampa Bay (home). The Browns will most certainly be underdogs in each of those contests with Jacoby Brissett at the helm.

The Browns' strategy of trading everything but the kitchen sink for Watson in the offseason was an extremely risky one, and they arguably compounded their errors by entrusting journeyman quarterback Jacoby Brissett to be the team's primary backup. Trading for wide receiver Amari Cooper from Dallas gives them a decent top receiving threat but it won't matter if Brissett's inaccuracy is showcased each week. They will have to especially rely on Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, and the rushing attack during the first 2/3 of the season.

The first week matchup against their former QB, Baker Mayfield in Carolina is an intriguing one, and with a road win, Cleveland has a realistic chance to start 4-0 with three likely non-playoff teams up next. But the schedule gets extremely difficult from weeks 5 through 14, with only a bye week and a matchup against Houston as respites from a slate of likely playoff contenders. In total, Cleveland plays six of their final nine games on the road. In mid-August, the oddsmakers have altered Cleveland's win total to 8.5 and for the Browns to achieve the over, they'll likely have to win some games as underdogs despite Watson's presence.

• More NFL futures: SportsLine Projection Model's best bets

Below, you'll find the Cleveland Browns 2022 schedule, win total and more futures odds from Caesars Sportsbook, followed by picks from top SportsLine NFL analysts Larry Hartstein and R.J. White. You'll also find three bets favored by the SportsLine Projection Model.

Entering the 2022 NFL season, Larry is 427-344 all-time on NFL sides (plus $3,764 for $100 players), including 394-330 ATS. He went 68-50 ATS (58 percent) and 8-3 on moneyline plays last season for a profit of $1,552. Over the past seven years, R.J.'s SuperContest picks are 329-250-21 (56.8 percent) and he consistently crushes the NFL: He went 445-378-24 on ATS picks from 2017-21, returning $2,542 to $100 players as SportsLine's No. 1 NFL expert in against the spread picks.

Cleveland Browns 2022 schedule

Week 1: at Carolina
Week 2: vs. New York Jets
Week 3: vs. Pittsburgh (TNF)
Week 4: at Atlanta
Week 5: vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Week 6: vs. New England
Week 7: at Baltimore
Week 8: vs. Cincinnati (MNF)
Week 9: BYE
Week 10: at Miami
Week 11: at Buffalo
Week 12: vs. Tampa Bay
Week 13: at Houston
Week 14: at Cincinnati
Week 15: vs. Baltimore (SAT or SUN)
Week 16: vs. New Orleans (SAT)
Week 17: at Washington
Week 18: at Pittsburgh

Cleveland Browns 2022 futures odds

Win Total Over: 8.5 (+130)
Win Total Under: 8.5 (-150)

Make Playoffs: +145
Miss Playoffs: -170

Win Division: +450
Win Conference: +1300
Win Super Bowl: +2500

So will the Browns go over or under their win total for the 2022 season? And what other futures bets are worth making? ... Join SportsLine right now to see Larry Hartstein and R.J. White's Cleveland Browns 2022 futures picks, all from the acclaimed experts who have crushed the NFL for years!