NFL 2020 kicks off Thursday night with the reigning Super Bowl LIV champion Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Houston Texans. Kickoff at Arrowhead Stadium is set for 8:20 p.m. ET on opening night. Below, we make our 5 best props bets for the Texans in the NFL’s season opener, with our NFL picks and best bets.
5 NFL prop bets to make on the Houston Texans
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 9 a.m.
Texans Over 21.5 points (-115)
In two matchups with the Chiefs last season, the Texans scored 31 points in each contest – winning the regular-season matchup by seven and falling 20 points short in the playoffs after infamously jumping out to a 24-0 lead.
The Chiefs defense improved as the season went on in 2019, but an elite unit it isn’t and it also won’t have a full, vociferous Arrowhead crowd lending its usual helpful hand Thursday night.
Deshaun Watson Over 37.5 pass attempts (-118)
In the 51-31 playoff loss in Kansas City, Watson attempted a career-high 52 passes. And even in the 31-24 regular-season triumph in Week 6 when the Texans rushed for 192 yards on 41 attempts and finished with nearly a 2-to-1 edge in time of possession, Watson still aired it out 42 times.
As nearly 10-point underdogs this time around, Watson should once again throw at least 40 passes as the Texans try to keep pace with Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes and his elite cast of weapons.
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Will Fuller to score a touchdown (+150)
Since Watson was drafted by the Texans in 2017, Fuller has hauled in 14 touchdown passes on only 109 receptions in 28 regular-season games. And now that target monster DeAndre Hopkins has been traded to Arizona, Fuller should be even more involved in the passing game so grab the plus value on Fuller to find the end zone.
David Johnson Over 22.5 receiving yards (-110)
Johnson is the Texans’ big offseason acquisition, coming over in the controversial Hopkins trade. That in mind, Texans head coach Bill O’Brien would dearly like to start proving the team’s general manager (himself) right, and we figure to see quite a bit of Johnson in his Houston debut.
That includes the aerial game, where Johnson – with 208 career receptions – has been one of the league’s premier pass-catching backs over his five seasons. He has averaged 35.8 receiving yards per game in 62 career contests and those skills should come in handy as an underneath target in the Texans’ expected pass-heavy script Thursday.
Yes on any score in the final 2 minutes of the first half (-334)
This a is steep price to pay, but with easily the week’s highest game total at 54.5 points and two clutch improvisational wizards at the controls in Watson and Mahomes, it has to be a “Yes” on this prop.
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