Line movement research
Line movement research compares where a market started, where it is now and how far individual sportsbooks have moved, using only prices that were actually posted. StatsNext records every tracked sportsbook’s line and price through the day, shows a verified sportsbook opening line only when one exists (otherwise the first line StatsNext recorded, labelled First Tracked), and ranks the biggest moves over the last 60 minutes, the last 3 hours and since the first quote. It reports what moved, never why.
What is tracked
- Checked regularly, not continuously: a price can move and move back between checks without StatsNext seeing it.
- Pre-game only: quotes after the start are not used, and a book that stopped listing a market has no current price.
- Coverage: full-game moneylines, spreads and totals and main player prop lines in the NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, NHL and college football. Soccer three-way markets, alternate and milestone prop lines, tennis, golf and MMA are not in Market Movers; tennis, golf and MMA research show their own First Tracked movement per market.
Opening, First Tracked, Current and Last Pregame
- Opening
- A sportsbook’s verified opening line, with its time. Shown only when it is verified.
- First Tracked
- The first line and price StatsNext recorded for that book. It is never called the opening, and it is the starting point only for books without a verified Opening.
- Current
- The book’s latest pre-game quote while it still lists the market.
- Last Pregame
- The book’s last quote before the start.
The two starting points are never mixed in one comparison: when any book has a verified Opening, only books with one are compared, and the screen says which kind of start it used. Times are shown in Eastern time.
Market Movers: windows
Market Movers lists the markets whose lines or prices moved the most. Line moves are compared on the line, and price moves as probabilities, so a small move on a long price does not rank as a big one. Each book’s own start and end are listed. The windows are the last 60 minutes, the last 3 hours and Since First Quote.
Book disagreement and the consensus line
Book Disagreement lists markets where current sportsbooks differ noticeably: on the main line, or on the price at the shared line (the line most books offer). Exact books, lines and prices are shown.
The consensus line is the median line offered, and the consensus no-vig figure is the median no-vig probability at that line. There is no proprietary score.
What movement does and does not tell you
- Movement says the price changed. It does not say who bet, how much, or whether the move was right.
- Lines move for injury news, lineup confirmations, weather and a sportsbook managing its own exposure. A move is labelled “Market moved after the injury report” only when the timing of the quotes shows it; otherwise it reads “Market has moved.”
- Disagreement can mean one book has not updated yet. It is not a signal that one side is right.
- In the Evidence Engine, movement and disagreement are price context, already reflected in the price, and never counted as support for a selection.
The odds comparison guide explains implied and no-vig probability.
StatsNext is a research platform, not a sportsbook; it does not accept wagers or guarantee results (Research Disclaimer, Responsible Gambling).
Free public research pages
The public league pages carry results and statistics, not prices, so they are the place to check what actually happened in the games behind a line: These pages show statistics and results only, with no sportsbook prices.
The research index lists every sport.
What is free
Market Movers and Book Disagreement are free to browse on every plan. Per-game and per-prop Line History appears inside Player Prop, Team and Matchup Research. Full Research for a player, team or game opens 0 times in total as a guest, 5 new subjects a day with a free account, and without limit with StatsNext Pro (US$19.99 a month or US$179.99 a year). See Pricing.
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Free research pages for this topic
Calculators for the math in this guide: