Detroit Lions at Houston Texans Betting Odds
- Spread: Texans -4.5
- Over/Under: 42.5
- Kickoff: 8 p.m. ET
The Texans host the Lions in one of five NFL Preseason Week 2 matchups on Saturday. Let’s take a look at key storylines for both teams, complete with betting analysis.
Detroit Lions
The 2019 outlook for Kerryon Johnson didn't seem particularly bright a few months ago. Sure, Johnson looked the part of a three-down stud as a rookie…
Most yards per carry among all RBs in 2018 (min. 100 carries)
1. Aaron Jones (5.47)
2. Kerryon Johnson (5.43) 👀
3. Phillip Lindsay (5.4) pic.twitter.com/rW6qbaDYDc— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) February 22, 2019
…but it seemed unlikely that the Lions would feed him a fantasy-friendly workload. Theo Riddick was available to soak up targets and newly-signed C.J. Anderson was a threat to steal early-down and goal-line work.
Fast forward to present day: Riddick is a member of the Broncos, and Anderson was last seen leaving Thursday's practice with an undisclosed injury.
Johnson played at least 50% of the offense's snaps during his final five games of 2018 and is poised to receive additional work as a receiver without both Riddick and Golden Tate involved. An improvement from the league's 20th-ranked offensive line in adjusted line yards per rush could help Johnson reach magnificent fantasy football heights in 2019.
Houston Texans
Keke Coutee is expected to miss the remainder of the preseason after spraining his MCL last week.
This means Will Fuller is ingrained as Deshaun Watson's No. 2 receiver — a role that he's absolutely balled out in during the past two seasons.
Will Fuller in 11 career games with Deshaun Watson …
4-35-2
2-57-2
2-62-1
5-125-2
8-113-1
5-101-1
4-49-1
2-15-0
2-33-0
6-68-0
5-124-1— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) August 12, 2019
Fuller's ability to consistently take the top off of opposing defenses has only meant good things for Watson's passing efficiency.
Watson’s numbers with Fuller are notable because we haven’t seen Watson play nearly as well without his ace field-stretcher:
- Watson without Fuller (13 games): 21.9 points per game, 7.19 yards per attempt, 225 pass yards per game, 16 pass touchdowns
- With Fuller (11 games): 30.8 PPG, 9.03 Y/A, 288 pass yards per game, 30 pass TDs
It's unclear how much time either team's starters will get on Saturday. I lean toward riding with the Texans purely based on their better overall team depth.
LEAN: Texans -4.5
