Will Anderson’s firing total among Texans’ best bets for 2024

The Houston Texans’ first eight practices of their 2024 training camp have been lively. There are a lot of guys on this team who treat practice with the same ferocity they would likely treat the Super Bowl. It’s fun to watch, especially because both sides of the football, the offense and defense, have had their moments. There’s not one team that completely dominates the other.

In fact, if I were to judge the Texans’ training camp “offense vs. defense” battle like a boxing match, I think the defense would win. Not only have they had more good days, but their best days have been REALLY good, especially the last two practices, which took place in very humid conditions Friday and Saturday.

On defense, the Texans’ top players have all lived up to expectations so far. So if you think these players can maintain or even improve on that level of performance, why not take a little money? Here are some bets on the total stats of the Texans’ top defense players, courtesy of BetOnline.ag:

TOTAL NUMBER OF BAGS
HEADLINE: Maxx Crosby, LVG; Micah Parsons, DAL; Myles Garrett, CLV; TJ Watt, PIT, all 13.5
TEXANS: Danielle Hunter 10.5, Denico Autry 8.5, Will Anderson, Jr. 8.5

TOTAL INTERCEPTIONS
HEADLINE: Daron Bland, DAL 4.5
TEXANS: Derek Stingley, Jr. 3.5

TOTAL PLATES
HEADLINE: Foye Oluokun, JAC 165.5
TEXANS: Azeez Al-Shaiir 140.5

Here are three bets I’m going to place:

Will Anderson, Jr. OVER 8.5 sacks
If you watched the Texans practice this camp, you saw Will Anderson dominate every day. Anderson had a very focused offseason, focusing on improving his pass rush skills, and it showed. Anderson showed steady improvement during his rookie season, recording 6.5 of his 7.5 sacks after Week 8. Anderson feels like he’s about to have a double-digit sack season.

Denico Autry LESS THAN 8.5 bags
In Nick Caserio’s first three offseasons as Texans GM, Autry would have been their biggest signing, coming off an 11.5-sack season the year before. However, with the addition of Stefon Diggs, Danielle Hunter, and Joe Mixon to the team, Autry has flown under the radar. With Autry just turning 34 and teammates Hunter and Anderson already running at the opposing quarterback, the UNDER seems to be the right side here.

Derek Stingley, Jr. UNDER 3.5 interceptions
I’m also betting on Stingley’s interception total, but it’s not because I’m doubting Stingley. Quite the opposite, in fact. Stingley has been one of the top three or four players in training camp, and he’s coming off a second half of 2023 where he’s caught five passes in the last eight games. I think opposing offensive coordinators and quarterbacks have figured out that throwing the ball Stingley’s way is not a good idea, so I don’t know how often he’s tested. Plus, you can’t ignore Stingley’s injury history over his first two seasons. When you’re betting on a player’s stats, injuries and lost time work in the bettor’s favor.

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