The week leading up to the NFL season means different things to different people. For season ticket holders, it means planning who they’re going to take to each game and mapping out tailgating plans. For traveling fans, it means picking out and finalizing road trip plans. For people like me, gambling enthusiasts, it means getting our season long wagers in before kickoff of Week 1.
Yesterday, I gave you five sure fire winners for season win totals (no trust me, we are winning those bets!). Today, I’m keeping things more local and individual, and giving you my four favorite plays for Houston Texan individual season stats, stats for some of your favorite Houston Texans. Here we go:
David Montgomery OVER 7.5 rushing touchdowns
Before training camp, I would have had Montgomery’s yardage prop bet as a best bet, as well, as it hovered between 800 and 825 yards, depending on where you wager. However, Woody Marks came back this season, after a decent rookie season, looking more than ready to shoulder a big chunk of the ground game load. I think carries are going to be split pretty evenly between the two backs, but I think Montgomery gets the work in the red zone and near the goal line. He scored 33 touchdowns in three seasons in Detroit, and is one of the bets shot yardage backs in football.
C.J. Stroud OVER 22.5 passing touchdown
If you watched national coverage of the offseason, and watched national talking heads discuss Stroud, you would think that’s he threw four picks in every game last season, not just the final playoff game. The fact of the matter is that Stroud was probably an average quarterback in many respects last season, and above average by a few advanced metrics. Here, we just need him to throw 23 touchdown passes, which he did in 15 games in 2023. Last season, he threw 19 in 14 games (really, 13 games and a quarter before suffering a concussion against Denver). Stroud had an outstanding training camp, and in joint practices against Vegas and Carolina, he looked very much like a QB that can go out and have multi-TD pass games against average to below average defenses. If he stays healthy, I forecast 25 to 27 TD passes for Stroud.
Calen Bullock OVER 2.5 interceptions
I absolutely love this wager. It’s my favorite one on the board. Bullock has proven to be a certified ball hawk, and there’s s nothing fluky about his nine interceptions in his first two seasons. If anything, he could probably have nine more, if he displayed better hands. Bullock is constantly in position to make plays. Add in the signing of Reed Blankenship, a veteran safety who should be able to handle all of the organizational duties in the secondary, freeing Bullock up to cut loose and make plays. This number is a gift from the gambling gods.
Will Anderson OVER 12 sacks
The ascension of Will Anderson to 20 sacks and J.J. Watt territory is inevitable. While Anderson’s trajectory hasn’t been at the warp speed that Watt’s was — Watt had 20 sacks in his second season — Anderson has steadily improved each year, with 2025 featuring 12 sacks, 20 tackles for loss, and a runner up finish for the Defensive Player of the Year award, behind only Myles Garrett, who had to break the single season sack record to beat out Anderson. If Anderson stays healthy like he did in 2025, where he played all 17 games in a season for the first time, he will be closer to 20 sacks than he will be a dozen sacks.
