The Houston Texans are looking to avoid becoming the first team this millennium to lose a dozen games in four straight seasons, but they did wrap up 2022 by winning two of their final three games. This franchise has its focus on growth as they look to develop C.J. Stroud during his rookie season, so what will 2023 look like, and are there betting opportunities to take advantage of?
Take advantage of one of these sportsbook offers below if you’re getting into the market of Texans’ futures.
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Houston Texans Futures Odds
All odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook unless noted otherwise.
Super Bowl Odds:Â +20000
AFC Odds: +10000
AFC South Odds:Â +800
Win Total:Â 6.5
Make your bet on the Texans’ win total below!
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To Make/Miss the Playoffs:Â +475/-700
Houston Texans Offense
Stroud, the second overall pick in April, is going to learn by fire … that might well pay dividends long-term, but 2023 could be ugly. On a yards-per-play basis, this was the worst offense of 2022, and they moved on from veteran receiver Brandin Cooks. They did bring in Dalton Schultz from Dallas and Devin Singletary from Buffalo, two skill players that give them some level of experience.
Houston Texans Defense
Ranking 26th in yards per play allowed isn’t a good starting point, but they did rank fifth in interception rate, so there’s that. Jalen Pitre is coming off of a rookie season in which he led this defense in tackles (147) and interceptions (five), but his running mate at the back of this vulnerable defense — Jonathan Owens — is now with the Packers.
This unit was on the field for over 31.5 minutes per game (second-highest opponent time of possession), and until that gets fixed, this team is going to struggle to win games.
One Betting Trend To Know
The Texans were the only team to be an underdog in every game last season and have been favored just once over the past two years, per Inside Edge.
Best Bet for the Texans in 2023
Soppe: The Texans were leading for just 16.3% of their offensive snaps last season, and that rate could well be repeated this season. Dameon Pierce showed some promise last season, but is the team telling us something with the addition of Singletary?
Prior to getting injured, Pierce was handling 85.6% of the team’s RB carries, and he showed signs of fatigue by averaging just 3.0 yards per carry over his final four games. Singletary probably wasn’t brought in to usurp the lead role from Pierce, but he wasn’t added to this roster to sit and figures to be consistently involved.
MORE: AFC South Division Odds — Picks, Predictions, and More
When looking at the futures market, unders are popular due to the number of outs the bettor has. In taking Pierce to come in under 900.5 rushing yards, I can win in a variety of ways:
- A Pierce injury
- True RB committee
- Pierce and Singletary splitting carries
- The offense is even worse with a rookie QB
This isn’t a bet against the talent of Pierce as much as it is a spot play. Rushing stats for bad teams typically underwhelm, and the added touch competition certainly doesn’t help.
