It’s been a lively first eight practices for the Houston Texans at their 2024 training camp. There are a lot fo dudes on this team that treat practices with the same ferocity that they would presumably treat the Super Bowl. It’s fun to watch, particularly because both sides of the football, offense and defense, have had their moments. There isn’t one side that’s outright dominating the other.
In fact, if I were to judge the “offense versus defense” battle at Texans training camp the way that one would judge a prize fight, I think the defense would be winning. Not only have they had more good days, but their best days have been REALLY good, particularly the last two practices, which took place amidst very wet conditions on Friday and Saturday.
Defensively, the Texans’ best players have all lived up to the hype so far. Thus, if you believe these players can maintain, or even improve upon, this level of performance, why not make some money? Courtesy of BetOnline.ag, here are some stat total prop bets for the prominent members of the Texans defense:
TOTAL SACKS
TOP OF THE BOARD: Maxx Crosby, LVG; Micah Parsons, DAL; Myles Garrett, CLV; T.J. Watt, PIT, all 13.5
TEXANS: Danielle Hunter 10.5, Denico Autry 8.5, Will Anderson, Jr. 8.5TOTAL INTERCEPTIONS
TOP OF THE BOARD: Daron Bland, DAL 4.5
TEXANS: Derek Stingley, Jr. 3.5TOTAL TACKLES
TOP OF THE BOARD: Foye Oluokun, JAC 165.5
TEXANS: Azeez Al-Shaiir 140.5
Here are three bets I will be placing:
Will Anderson, Jr. OVER 8.5 sacks
If you’ve seen any of the Texans’ practices this camp, then you’ve watched Will Anderson absolutely dominate on a daily basis. Anderson had a very focused offseason, in which he dialed in on improving his pass rush techniques, and it has shown. Anderson showed steady improvement during his rookie season, notching 6.5 of his 7.5 sacks after Week 8. Anderson feels like a double digit sack season waiting to happen.
Denico Autry UNDER 8.5 sacks
In any of Nick Caserio’s first three off-seasons as Texans GM, Autry would have been their biggest signing, coming off an 11.5 sack season the year before. However, with Stefon Diggs, Danielle Hunter, and Joe Mixon joining the team, Autry has flown under the radar. With Autry just turning 34 years old, and with teammates Hunter and Anderson already racing to the opposing quarterback, the UNDER feels like the right side here.
Derek Stingley, Jr. UNDER 3.5 interceptions
I’m also going UNDER on Stingley’s interception total, but it’s not because I have doubts about Stingley. Quite the opposite, actually. Stingley has been one of the three or four best players in training camp, and he is coming off a second half of 2023 where he picked off five passes in the final eight games. I think opposing offensive coordinators and quarterbacks have figured out that it’s not a great idea to throw the ball to Stingley’s side of the field, so I’m not sure how often he gets tested. Also, you can’t ignore Stingley’s injury history in his first two seasons. When you take UNDER on a player’s stats, injuries and missed time work in the bettor’s favor.
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This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
