Betting odds: Dallas Cowboys at Houston Texans Spread: Texans -3 Over/Under: 45.5 Time: 8:20 p.m. ET TV channel: NBC >> All odds as of Friday morning. Download The Action Network App to get real-time NFL odds and track your bets. Betting market: Spread bets are split, and sportsbooks are also split, as the line is 3 at about half the books and 3.5 at the other half at the time of writing (check out the updated lines here). Keep in mind, these numbers are heavily juiced pretty much anywhere you look. If you want Dallas +3.5, you’re going to have to pay -120 or so, whereas the Houston -3 bettors will have to do the same. — Mark Gallant Trends to know: While they have certainly had their struggles covering at home, the Cowboys have been the second-most profitable road team against the spread in the NFL since 2014 (19-11-1), according to Bet Labs data . They trail only the Bengals in that area. — Stuckey The Texans have struggled mightily playing in prime time, going 10-23 straight up and 7-24-2 ATS. Since 2002, the Texans’ expansion season, 26 franchises have played at least 30 games in prime time. The Texans’ win percentage of 30.3% is second-worst, ahead of only the Bengals (10-25, 28.6% SU in prime time). When the Texans face a .500 or better team in prime time, they are 3-19 SU and 3-18-1 ATS in franchise history, beating only the Jets, Bears and Bengals. Houston faced the Cowboys once before in prime time, the first game in franchise history in 2002. The Texans won as an eight-point home underdog. — Evan Abrams The Dallas Cowboys are averaging 16.8 points per game through four weeks, the third-lowest mark in the NFL (Bills and Cardinals). Since 2003, teams that average less than 17 PPG are 58-107 SU (35.2%) in prime time, but 80-84-3 ATS (48.8%). When those teams are listed as an underdog, they are 30-89 SU (25.2%) and 58-62-1 ATS (48.3%). — Evan Abrams Biggest mismatch: Cowboys’ defensive line vs Texans’ offensive line The Cowboys’ defensive front has tortured opposing quarterbacks through the first quarter of the season, accumulating 14 total sacks, third-most in the NFL. And now it adds David Irving to the rotation, as the Dallas lineman returns from suspension. I’m not sure how Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson will have any time to throw behind a horror show of an offensive line that has allowed the second-most sacks in the league (17). Watson has been pressured at the highest rate in the league, and I doubt that percentage drops on Sunday. — Stuckey Which team is healthier? Cowboys The Texans regularly list half their roster as limited practice participants, so it’s hard to get a read on exactly who is in jeopardy of not playing. The biggest potential absence would be receiver Will Fuller (hamstring), as Fuller’s field-stretching ability has regularly elevated the performance of his teammates. The Cowboys will once again be without center Travis Frederick (illness) and linebacker Sean Lee (hamstring), but the rest of the starters are tentatively expected to play Sunday night. Note: Info as of 6 p.m. ET Thursday. See our Injury Dashboard for daily practice participation and game statuses up until kickoff. — Ian Hartitz DFS edge: Watson is fifth in yards per attempt (8.4) and third in rushing yards per game (40.3) through four games this season. He has the highest projected Plus/Minus on the prime-time slate at only $6,300 on DraftKings. — Joe Holka Bet to watch: Texans -3 Passing is the predominant factor in giving one team an advantage over another, and Watson is averaging 8.4 yards per attempt this season after averaging 8.3 last season. He’ll get to face off against a Cowboys team that will be without Lee (hamstring), which is never for good news: Dallas is 1-5 ATS without Lee since the start of last season. If rookie Keke Coutee’s 11-catch, 109-yard NFL debut is any indication, Watson may have yet another weapon alongside DeAndre Hopkins and Fuller. Meanwhile, Dak Prescott is averaging just 6.5 yards per attempt. He relies on his running game to stay ahead of the chains, but that’s Houston’s strength — its defense ranks cool second in rushing DVOA. I’ll lay three for a team at home with the edge in passing offense that can also match up well against the opponent’s bread and butter. — Chris Raybon Editor’s note: The opinions on this game are from the individual writers and are based on their research, analysis and perspective. They are independent of, and may not always match with, the algorithm-driven Best Bets from Sports Insights.<doc-sep>The Dallas Cowboys make the short trip to Houston on Sunday night to take on the Texans for state bragging rights. At 2-2 and 1-3, respectively, neither the Cowboys nor Texans have exactly established themselves as a Super Bowl contender. They certainly haven’t won over bettors’ favor, either, as each team is only 1-3 against the spread. This game’s line was one of a few this week that had been stuck on the key numbers of 3 or 7. The Texans opened as a 3-point home favorite, moved to -3.5 for about a 20-hour stretch between Monday and Tuesday before moving back to -3. The Texans were stuck at -3 for most of the week — albeit heavily juiced in their favor — for the remainder of the week … until Sunday. Shortly after 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, the line moved back to -3.5. Spread bets have been essentially split 50/50 since around Thursday, give or take a few percentage points. However, since Saturday night, a large influx of money has come in on Houston. At about 9 p.m. ET on Saturday, the Texans had only 51% of dollars. However, by 5:45 p.m. ET on Sunday, that number was up to 70%. As of 6:30 p.m. ET, that number has dropped closer to 60%, so some buyback on Dallas plus the hook might be the sharper play now. The Cowboys are now +3.5 (-115).<doc-sep>Dallas Cowboys at Houston Texans (-3.5) Sun. 10/7, 8:20 p.m. ET Three things you need to know before betting on Dallas-Houston: 1. Both the Cowboys and Texans are coming off Week 4 home wins in which they relinquished double-digit leads before prevailing on field goals on the final play of their respective games. While Dallas was up 20-10 on Detroit after three quarters before its come-from-behind 26-24 victory on a Brett Maher 38-yard field goal at the end of regulation, Houston led 28-10 with less than 21 minutes remaining in regulation in Indianapolis before allowing the Colts to come back and force overtime. After Indianapolis failed to convert a fourth-down attempt with four yards to go from its own 43-yard line in the final minute of overtime, Houston needed just a couple of plays before Ka'imi Fairbairn kicked a game-winning 37-yard field goal. (One thing you do not necessarily need to know before betting on Dallas-Houston: The name “Ka'imi” is short for Ka'iminoeauloameka'ikeokekumupa'a.) The Texans had gone 315 days without a victory prior to this past Sunday, and their nine-game losing skid included eight straight losses against the spread. Vikings vs. Eagles Betting Preview: Can Minnesota Turn It Around in Philly? 2. The Cowboys offense was efficient against the Lions in Sunday’s 26-24 victory, churning out 183 yards on the ground and 231 yards through the air without turning the ball over. Since the start of the 2016 season, Dallas is 8-1 against the spread when coming off a game in which it rushed for 175 or more yards, and the Cowboys’ average margin of victory in those nine contests has been 13 points. Houston scored a defensive touchdown and added another on a drive that began on the Colts’ eight-yard line after an Indianapolis fumble. The Texans threw for 347 yards, but rushed for only 3.4 yards per carry, as their two running backs, Lamar Miller and Alfred Blue, combined for just 80 yards on 27 carries. Dallas is one of five NFL teams allowing an average of fewer than 3.7 yards per rushing attempt; if you subtract out Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson’s 161 rushing yards (most among NFL quarterbacks) on 24 carries, the Texans are rushing for an average of fewer than 3.7 yards per carry. 3. Dallas has played well away from home under head coach Jason Garrett, going 35-27 straight up on the road (34-26-2 against the spread, which includes a 20-14 ATS mark as a road underdog) since he took over midway through the 2010 season. Dallas has yet to lose to an AFC South opponent in five games under Garrett (4-1 against the spread), and the team has gone 18-9 ATS against AFC opponents during that timeframe. Houston, meanwhile, seems to gear up much more for division play than it does the weeks immediately after, going 2-10 ATS after facing an AFC South opponent since the start of 2016, including 0-6 ATS after a divisional win. The Texans have also tended to struggle after earning a hard-fought victory, going 0-4 against the spread when coming off a game in which they prevailed by three points or fewer under head coach Bill O’Brien, who was hired in 2014. Pick: Dallas +3.5 Confidence Level: High (on a scale of Low/Moderate/High/Very High/Extremely High)<doc-sep>
Cowboys vs. Texans Spread Prediction The Dallas Cowboys won’t have to travel very far for their Sunday night matchup with the Houston Texans, who are small home favorites to win their second game of the year. Will the visitors pull off the small upset or will the host prevail? Game Snapshot 475 Dallas Cowboys at 476 Houston Texans 4:25 p.m. ET, Sunday, October 7 NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas Public Betting Trends According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetNow.eu, the Texans are 3-point favorites to beat the Cowboys. The total, meanwhile, sits at 45.5 points. As of this writing, 52% of the public betting tickets are on the Texans to cover the point spread. Dallas Cowboys Cowboys placed WR Terrance Williams (foot) on injured reserve. It's truly been a waste of a season for Williams, who's battled foot and off-field issues throughout the year. He'll be on the bubble in the offseason. This move hopefully instills rookie Michael Gallup into the offense as the third-rounder quietly played a season-high 40-of-69 snaps in Week 4 against the Lions. Houston Texans DeAndre Hopkins (ankle, hamstring, thumb) wasn't listed on the Texans' final injury report for Week 5 against the Cowboys. Hopkins hasn't been practicing much with some minor injuries, but he's played in every game. He's our overall WR4 for Sunday night's matchup with Dallas. NFL Betting Trends Dallas The Cowboys are 6-2 against the spread in their last eight games played in the month of October. Houston The Texans are 1-8 against the spread in their last nine games overall. Prediction The Cowboys pulled off the win last week against the Lions but they’ll be without Sean Lee again and I don’t trust them to win back-to-back games without their best defender. Dak Prescott has nobody to throw to on the outsides and while the Texans have failed to impress this season, Deshaun Watson is starting to heat up. I’ll lay the small number on Houston to win back-to-back games. NFL Week 5 Prediction: Houston Texans -3