NFL Week 8 Betting Picks: Raiders at Texans
The Houston Texans opened as 6.5-point home favorites against the Oakland Raiders and the line has moved to -7 at online sports betting sites.
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NFL Week 8 Betting Picks – Oakland at Houston -7, O/U 51.5
This is one of those games where the spread immediately jumps out as you look down the betting board. Texans giving a full touchdown? That seems a bit high to me. The Raiders are coming into Houston as a full 7-point underdog, but looking at some of the underlying numbers it may make sense. The Raiders have nearly a -40 point differential and the Texans are +21 in that same stat. In terms of common opponents, the Raiders lost to the Chiefs while the Texans came out on top. However, this doesn’t tell the whole story.
The Raiders, while they are widely regarded as a terrible team, they are actually a .500 team who has had one of the toughest schedules in the league. They have faced vie straight teams in a row that will likely be in the playoffs this season, and only one of those games were played at home. During that span, they were without their top WR Tyrell Williams for half the time, and they still managed to walk away with two wins during that same span. While their losses may be by wide margins, this Raiders team is a lot better than people realize. Their defense has actually been tough against the run so far this season and they are improved in their pass defense. On the offensive end, Carr hasn’t been terrible, Waller is looking like the top TE in the league, and Jacobs is looking like a good running back. Overall, the perception surrounding this Raiders team is much worse than reality.
Much like the Raiders, the Texans have had one of the toughest schedules in the league. They have faced four teams with over a .500 record so far this season, but they are only 1-3 in those matchups, with their one win coming against a hobbled Mahomes. The Texans have been fairly good so far this season, but 3 of their 4 wins have come from teams like the Jaguars (3-4), the Falcons (1-6) and the Chargers (2-5). They do have a great offense and a decent defense, but they really aren’t as good as people believe. To me, getting 7 points in this spot is a steal.
My NFL Week 8 Betting Pick: The Raiders are way too big of an underdog here and I am jumping all over it. This matchup features two teams that are a more evenly matched than the spread suggests.. To me, I’d probably still take the Raiders if they were a 4 point dog. Give me the Oakland Raiders +7. Use our FanDuel Sportsbook promo code to get these odds.
NFL Week 8 Player Props
DeShaun Watson: Over 279.5 Passing Yards – Like I stated earlier, the Oakland run defense is actually very good, so I think that they will be forced to pass the ball a decent amount. Watson may be without Fuller this week, but he still has Stills and Keke to throw the ball to, and his TE play has been greatly improved this season. While this is a fairly high passing prop, I don’t think that it is high enough.
Darren Waller: Over 56.5 Receiving Yards – Waller has been absolutely crushing it this season, and I don’t see any reason why this week will be any different. On the season, this prop has hit Over in 4 out of 6 games. This game is projected to be a high scoring game and I think that it is probably going to be pretty close. Waller is getting a massive target share and I don’t see any reason why he wouldn’t get double-digit targets in this matchup. Think Waller hits closer to 100 yards than 60.
NFL Week 8 Betting Picks — Monkey Knife Fight Player Props
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Here are my favorite Monkey Knife Fight props for the Raiders at Texans:
DeShaun Watson: Over 285.5 Passing Yards
Derek Carr: Over 263.5 Passing Yards
Deandre Hopkins: Over 7.5 Receptions
Image Credit: USA Today Sports Images