Cleveland Browns vs. Houston Texans Picks & Best Bets: NFL Prediction Betting Odds, Player Props & Trends

The Houston Texans bucked the preseason projections to make the postseason, and have a home game in the AFC Wild Card round against the Cleveland Browns.

But even with Deshaun Watson done for the year, Cleveland enters as the favorite due to a dominant defense and resurgent Joe Flacco.

While the Browns’ run is impressive, these odds could be underrating C.J. Stroud and Houston, which is a much-improved group this season.

The Houston moneyline is intriguing here, as are a couple different player props.

Check out my game prediction and favorite prop bet picks below. All odds courtesy of FanDuel on January 12.

• Game Date: Saturday, January 13th, 2024
• Game Time: 4:31 p.m. ET
• Spread: Browns -2.5
• Moneyline: Browns -132; Texans +112 at FanDuel
• Scoring Total: 44.5 points
• Location: NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas
• TV Channel: NBC

Our Cleveland Browns vs. Houston Texans Betting Picks & Predictions

Houston Texans moneyline

• The Texans only finished four spots below the Browns in DVOA and get the matchup at home
• C.J. Stroud averaged 8.2 yards per pass attempt and had a league-best interception rate of just 1.0 percent
• The Browns are banged up in the secondary, including a shoulder injury to standout cornerback Denzel Ward near the end of the week

Total Points Under 44.5

• The Browns have the second-best defense in the NFL and their pressure should keep Stroud from dominating
• Flacco has been a late-season revelation but could regress as he hasn’t been a full-time starter for a half-decade
• Flacco has a really high interception rate that is not sustainable, and he could take better care of the ball than people expect

Browns vs. Texans Moneyline Odds at FanDuel

Our Player Prop Picks for Browns vs. Texans

Browns QB Joe Flacco Under 275.5 Passing Yards

• Flacco has averaged 323.2 pass yards per game but it’s still a small sample of five games
• Houston star edge rusher Will Anderson is listed as questionable with an ankle injury but seems likely to play
• If the Texans’ pass-rush revs up it will be harder for Flacco to connect on deep shots

Browns WR David Bell Under 20.5 Receiving Yards

• Bell had 68 receiving yards and two touchdowns in a meaningless season finale but it was only the third time this year he surpassed 20 receiving yards
• Bell should see an uptick in playing time due to the injury to Cedric Tillman but Amari Cooper, Elijah Mooore and David Njoku will command the majority of the targets
• Flacco didn’t throw the touchdown passes to Bell as Jeff Driskel was the quarterback in Week 18