Chargers vs. Texans Best NFL Prop Bets for Wild Card Round (Bet on Houston to Rely on Kaʻimi Fairbairn)

Iain MacMillan | 8 Hours Ago

Texans will rely on their kicker in the wild-card round against the Chargers. / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Chargers and Houston Texans will start off NFL Playoff action on Saturday afternoon.

Not only is this the start of the playoffs for the players competing on the field, but this is the start of the postseason for us bettors too. Let's get things started off on the right foot by cashing in on a few player props including one on a kicker. That's right, we're targeting a kicking prop for this AFC clash.

Chargers vs. Texans Player Props

• Ka'imi Fairbairn OVER 7.5 Kicking Points (+105) via BetMGM
• Justin Herbert Longest Rush OVER 9.5 Yards (-128) via FanDuel
• Nico Collins OVER 6.5 Receptions (+100) via DraftKings

Ka'imi Fairbairn OVER 7.5 Kicking Points (+105)

Ka'imi Fairbairn to record at least eight kicking points was my best prop bet for this game in this week's edition of the "Road to Super Bowl 59":

One of the biggest things we should pay attention to in this game, which helps both my Chargers -3 bet and my player prop, is the battle between the Texans' red zone offense and the Chargers' red zone defense.

The Texans are 26th in red zone offense, scoring a touchdown on just 49.12% of their red zone trips. Now, they take on the No. 1 red zone defense. The Chargers allow a touchdown on only 45% of their opponents' trips to their red zone.

With that in mind, I expect plenty of Texans drives to stall, leading to them leaning on their kicker, Ka'imi Fairbairn.

Justin Herbert Longest Rush OVER 9.5 Yards (-128)

Betting on a quarterbacks overall rushing yards can be a sweat until the final whistle due to late-game knees taking away from that total, therefore I'm going to bet on Justin Herbert's longest rush instead. He has recorded a rush of 10+ yards in six games this season including three carries of 30+ yards.

With a playoff win on the line, I expect Herbert to use every tool in his tool box to get a victory, including taking off with his legs when he sees an opening.

Nico Collins OVER 6.5 Receptions (+100)

With injuries to Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs, Nico Collins is going to be leaned on heavily in this AFC playoff game. He has hit 7+ receptions in two of his last three games and with the Texans likely being down at some point in this game, based on the point spread, I can envision Houston having to go to the air often in the second half. If they do, we could see a ton of Collins receptions.

I love this play at plus-money.

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