JJ Watt Houston Texans NFL

Season Win Total an Appealing Option for Texans

Many folks hopped aboard the Houston Texans hype train shortly after the free agency market opened. The Texans suddenly found themselves as the “sexy pick du jour” after acquiring the likes of quarterback Brock Osweiler and running back Lamar Miller but is that enough for the team to improve on a 9-7 record?

The Texans, who had a matching 9-7 record against the spread last season, did win the division with that mark but were smoked 30-0 in their Wild Card playoff game versus the Kansas City Chiefs. At home no less!

Even though that game left a bitter taste, the playoff appearance was a major coup but this team has bigger aspirations than being shutout in front of their home fans in a Wild Card game. This is a big season in H-Town and I think we can expect some improvements over last year.

Here’s a look at their odds for the upcoming season:

Super Bowl +3300

Since joining the National Football League in 2002, the Texans have yet to win a Super Bowl and are currently +3300 to do so this year.

The team is just about all-world on the defensive side of the ball as it boasts a top five defense in total yards and passing yards and a top 10 defense in rushing yards and points. Some inconsistency could come on the other side, however.

The Arian Foster era is over in Houston as the longtime running back now plies his trade for the Miami Dolphins. In is Lamar Miller who rushed for 872 yards on 4.5 yards per carry for the Dolphins in 2015.

Osweiler is the man under center now and the hope is that he can parlay a strong 2015 season with the Denver Broncos into some stability at the position for Houston.

In short, a Super Bowl win might be a bit of a stretch with this team, but don’t rule it out. The defense is a beast and some stability in skill positions on the offensive side means the Texans could be a real contender.

AFC South +200

They won the division last year, so what’s stopping the Texans from repeating that feat in 2016? Well, nothing really. This is a good football team and they’ll be contending for the South crown come season’s end.

The Indianapolis Colts are the faves in this group at +140 with the Texans coming in at +200. The team to keep your eye on could be the Jacksonville Jaguars at +300 but the Texans posted the best record in the division (5-1) and are actually 9-3 versus the group in the last two seasons.

OVER/UNDER Win Total 8.5

Of the Texans’ futures mentioned here, this is the one that I feel most confident about. As I previously stated, the Texans have played the division incredibly well over the past two seasons and get a pretty soft schedule the rest of the way.

Filling out said schedule is the NFC North and AFC West, plus the Tom Brady-less New England Patriots (Week 3) and Cincinnati Bengals (Week 16). The sked ranks in the middle of the pack in terms of difficulty, but OVER that 8.5 feels really good.

DeAndre Hopkins to lead the NFL in REC Yards +1000

DeAndre Hopkins is a beast.

The Clemson product recorded 111 catches for 1,521 yards last season with a revolving door of quarterbacks that included Brian Hoyer, Ryan Mallett, T.J. Yates and Brandon Weeden.

Osweiler is better than all of the above and the prospects of forging a great relationship with Hopkins is a mouth-watering one to Texans fans and bettors. That’s what make this prop so appealing. If it wasn’t for out-of-this-world productivity from Julio Jones (1,871 yards) and Antonio Brown (1,834) last season, Hopkins would have been at the top in 2015.

If second-year target Jaelen Strong has a breakout campaign and evolves into the complimentary piece the Texans hope, it will make Hopkins’ life a whole lot easier and make this prop an exciting one.

2016 Houston Texans Futures Odds
MarketOdds
Super Bowl+3300
AFC Championship+1800
AFC South+200
Win Total8.5

Odds as of August 22 at Sportsbook

Back to Top