Best NFL Picks and Predictions Today (How to Bet Texans vs. Jets on Thursday Night Football)

Iain MacMillan | Oct 31, 2024

Dec 10, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) is sacked by New York Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams (95) during the second half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Houston Texans and New York Jets are set to face each other in a special Halloween edition of Thursday Night Football.

The Jets are desperate for a win after a disastrous start to their season. A loss tonight would effectively end their hopes of making this year's playoffs. Meanwhile, the Texans look to build on their 6-2 record in hopes of catching the Chiefs and putting themselves in contention for the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

If you're looking to bet on tonight's game, you've come to the right place. I'm going to break down my best bets for this game, including a side, a player prop, and an anytime touchdown scorer.

Best NFL Picks and Predictions for Texans vs. Jets

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

• Jets -2.5 (-105) vs. Texans
• Dalton Schultz OVER 4.5 Receptions (+126)
• Braelon Allen Anytime Touchdown (+460)

Jets -2.5 (-105) vs. Texans

I broke down in this week's edition of "Road to 272 Bets" why I like the Jets to win and cover tonight:

Believe it or not, I think the Jets have been better than their record indicates. They've lost every coin flip game they've been in this season which has made their record look worse than it should be. They rank 13th in the NFL in Net Yards per Play (+0.4), which is one spot above the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs (+0.3). There is more to winning football games than moving the ball down the field and preventing the other team from doing so, but there are signs that this team has played better than the public narrative has been.

The opposite could be true for the Houston Texans, who I don't think are as good as their 6-2 record shows. Their offense hasn't been nearly as explosive as they were last season and C.J. Stroud has regressed a small amount from his rookie season. Houston's offense ranks just 20th in the NFL in EPA/Play and 25th in offensive success rate.

The Texans can thank their improved defense for their record, but that's one area the Jets are better in. New York still has an elite defense that could give Houston's offense some issues.

The Jets are small favorites for a reason. I'll back New York to bounce back with a win.

Dalton Schultz OVER 4.5 Receptions (+126)

In my best player props article, I gave out Dalton Schultz as one of my favorite plays for Thursday night:

The Texans are now down another receiver with Stefon Diggs out for the year with a torn ACL. That leads me to believe C.J. Stroud will be forced to lean on his tight end, Dalton Shultz, even more than usual. Shultz is already tied for the most targets amongst healthy pass-catchers on the Texans this season with 38. If those targets keep coming, there's a great chance he will haul in five receptions on Thursday night.

Braelon Allen Anytime Touchdown (+460)

I'll jump all over the chance to back Braelon Allen to find the end zone for the Jets at +460. New York has been using him as a short-yardage and goalline back. Last week, he had a season-high in carries with 12, including scoring a touchdown.

It's rare we get this good of odds on any team's short-yardage back, especially one who is coming off a performance where he had double-digit carries.

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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You can check out all of Iain's bets here!