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Houston Texans vs. New York Jets: Thursday Night Football Best Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Steve Buchanan gives his best bets for the Houston Texans and New York Jets Thursday Night Football game.
The Jets are playing in prime time for the FIFTH time this season already (with one more to go). They’ll host the Houston Texans, who recently got word that they’ll now be without Stefon Diggs for the remainder of the season. I’ll give you some of my favorite Thursday Night Football best bets you can tail along with on DraftKings Sportsbook.
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You might be surprised to see the Jets as the favorites in this game while riding a five-game losing streak. This spread has been all over the place since it opened, as the Jets have gone from being favored (-2.5) to underdogs (+1) to favorites (-2.5) and now at -1.5. The Texans are a big public favorite and as of Wednesday afternoon are taking 71% of the handle (money) and 79% of the total bets. But, despite the losing streak, I think these teams match up well, especially with the Texans losing another weapon.
CJ Stroud has been dealing with a lot of pressure this season and will continue to do so in this game. He leads the league in hurries with 38 and has been under pressure on 36% of his dropbacks. The left side of the offensive line for the Texans has been particularly weak, which is something the Jets will look to exploit. With his top two receivers out of the mix, it’s going to be more difficult for Stroud to move the ball. Between great coverage from DJ Reed and Sauce Gardner, Stroud could struggle to find a reliable and consistent target.
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Schultz should be one of the top beneficiaries if the injuries to the Texans’ wide receivers. After Collins went down, Schultz has averaged 5.3 targets per game. That number should climb even higher without Diggs AND some tough matchups for Robert Woods and Tank Dell. While the Jets haven’t really been burned by opposing tight ends, they haven’t faced a team that targets them heavily. They faced the 49ers in Week 1 but Kittle only made four catches on five targets for 40 yards. Aside from that, it’s been the Titans, Patriots, Broncos, Vikings, Bills and Steelers.
This could be the first real test against a team that’ll look that way often. When the ball has gone their way, opposing tight ends have made 36 catches on 47 targets for 338 yards and 9.3 YPR. With pressure expected to come Stroud’s way, I think Schultz will see a healthy target share.
The Texans are not afraid to run the ball with Mixon. He’s gone over 20.5 rush attempts in three of the five games he’s been active. He’s gone over in his last two games as well, which were both close contests. I’m thinking this is going to be that type of game again this week. If so, that’ll keep the game script in his favor. Both of the Texans last two games were decided by no more than three points. This saw Mixon run the ball 50 times in those games. Again, with the injuries they’re dealing with and a tough secondary to combat, don’t be surprised if Stroud is handing the ball off a ton.
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests. The contents contained in this article do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups.