There are plenty of storylines entering Thursday Night Football between the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts to kick off the Week 5 NFL schedule. For New England, Rob Gronkowski appears ready to go after an ankle injury limited him in practice, while Julian Edelman will play meaningful football for the first time since the 2016 season. For Indianapolis, Andrew Luck will be without TY Hilton (hamstring) and Jack Doyle (hip). In the latest Patriots vs. Colts odds, New England is a 10.5-point favorite at home, up from an open of 7.5, while the Over-Under, or total number of points expected to be scored, has dropped from 55.5 to 50.5. Before you make any Patriots vs. Colts picks, see what RJ White has to say.

White was SportsLine's most profitable NFL analyst last season and returned $100 bettors a profit of nearly $2,000. The renowned prognosticator has also cashed big in the prestigious Las Vegas SuperContest two of the last three years and now turned his eye toward Thursday Night Football. White has a strong history of success in handicapping these teams, too, which includes an incredible 14-4 mark on spread picks in games involving the Colts.

In Week 2, White advised SportsLine members to back the Colts as six-point underdogs in their road game against the Redskins. The result: Indianapolis dominated from the outset in a 21-9 victory, and anyone who followed White's advice picked up an easy winner. 

Now, White has analyzed Colts vs. Patriots from every angle and locked in a strong spread pick. You can only see it at SportsLine.

White knows that coming off the shoulder injury that sidelined him all of last year, Luck showed the form that helped him lead the Colts to the AFC title game in the 2014 season. He threw for a career-best 462 yards on 40 completions for four touchdowns and no turnovers last Sunday. The Colts abandoned the run game during their comeback bid and finished with just 41 rushing yards. Colts rookie running back Nyheim Hines broke loose for nine catches and two touchdowns and will be leaned on heavily on Thursday Night Football with Hilton and Doyle sidelined.

Last week's game against the Texans will be remembered for Colts coach Frank Reich choosing to go for it on fourth down in his own territory with less than a minute left in overtime. They failed, and the Texans broke a nine-game losing streak with a 29-yard field goal at the horn. The Colts' defense allowed just 10 second-half points.

Just because the Luck has come into form doesn't mean they'll keep it within the spread on Thursday Night Football.

Even if Gronkowski is limited or doesn't play many snaps, the Patriots still have plenty of weapons. Edelman's return will add fuel to an already prolific offense that has scored 65 total points in two home games this season against the Dolphins and Texans.

Last week against the previously-unbeaten Dolphins, Tom Brady and the offense sputtered early, and Brady was intercepted on their second possession. But the Patriots kicked it into gear with three second-quarter touchdown drives to take a commanding 24-0 lead. Eight Patriots caught a pass from Brady, whose touchdowns were spread to three recipients. Former Brown Josh Gordon, playing in his first game in a Patriots' uniform, caught two passes for 32 yards.

We can tell you White is leaning Over for Patriots vs. Colts, but he's found a crucial X-factor that causes one side of the spread to hit hard. He's sharing what it is, and who to back, at SportsLine. 

Who covers in Colts vs. Patriots? And what crucial X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side you need to jump on Thursday, all from the top NFL analyst who's an outstanding 14-4 on picks involving the Colts, and find out.