Not many rookie quarterbacks in NFL history have played as well as C.J. Stroud has for the Houston Texans this season, making him an intriguing option in our fantasy football rankings in Week 11. After having a record-setting 470-yard, five-touchdown performance in Week 9 versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Stroud followed that up with 356 yards and two total touchdowns against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 10.
While the Texans are now firmly in the AFC playoff race, the Arizona Cardinals are looking to be competitive to end the season with quarterback Kyler Murray back on the field. Murray will lead the Cardinals into Houston to try to give Arizona back-to-back wins on Sunday.
Cardinals vs Texans Odds
NFL odds used for this Arizona vs Houston preview were found at DraftKings Sportsbook and are current as of Wednesday, Nov. 15, at 7:20 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Texans (-225) • Cardinals (+185)
- Spread: Texans -5 (-110) • Cardinals +5 (-110)
- Total Points: Over 48.5 (-110) • Under 48.5 (-110)
- Implied Score: Texans 27, Cardinals 22
Cardinals vs Texans Predictions
Score Pick: Texans 31, Cardinals 24
With his outing last week against the Bengals, Stroud proved that he can carve up any defense despite being a rookie. The Cardinals have the 30th-ranked defense in pass DVOA, which favors Stroud tremendously.
Besides Stroud’s impressive play, the first-year quarterback has a dynamic group of weapons. Nico Collins is expected to return in Week 11 after missing last week’s contest, allowing him to join Tank Dell, Noah Brown, and Dalton Schultz in Houston’s lethal aerial attack.
Even with Murray back operating the offense for the Cardinals, he’ll need time to get acclimated to an entirely new offense. Murray showed that he can still create with his legs, but his timing with his pass catchers is a little rusty.
The Cardinals narrowly defeated a run-heavy Atlanta Falcons team in Week 10 that was forced to replace Taylor Heinicke with Desmond Ridder during the game due to an injury. On Sunday, the Cardinals will travel to face a red-hot Texans squad that is averaging 24.1 points per game.
Cardinals vs Texans Best Bets & Props
Texans Over 26.5 (-125)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 Unit
Not many offenses are hotter than the Texans right now as Stroud is dealing from under center. The Texans have scored 30-plus points in back-to-back games, and they’ll now take on one of the worst defenses in the league.
The Cardinals are allowing 26.3 points per game (fifth-most in the NFL). In its last nine games, Arizona’s defense has surrendered at least 27 points in five of them.
When playing within the confines of NRG Stadium, the Texans are averaging 27.3 points per game this season. With Arizona’s defense giving little to no resistance to Houston’s offense, this is our NFL bet of the day.
Over 48.5 (-110)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 Unit
This is an exciting wager to make as we could get a high-scoring affair with Murray back at quarterback for the Cardinals.
While the Texans are producing a healthy number of points in recent weeks, they’ve also given up at least 27 points in back-to-back games.
Houston is 2-0 to the Over during its current two-game winning streak, with Arizona going 2-1 to the Over in its last three contests overall.
There aren’t many teams who operate faster on offense than the Cardinals and the Texans, who are both in the top eight in seconds per snap this season.
Texans score in every quarter: Yes (+140)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 0.5 Units
We’ve seen the Texans score in every quarter just twice in their last five games, with the two games coming against the Buccaneers and the Falcons.
While it hasn’t scored in every quarter often, Houston is firing on all cylinders right now, and it can start fast against a below-average Arizona defense.
The Cardinals have allowed the opposing team to score points in three quarters in back-to-back games, but they went four consecutive games before that where they permitted a score in every quarter. All we need is for the Texans to produce at least a field goal in each quarter.
Cardinals vs Texans Same Game Parlay
Cardinals vs Texans SGP (+268)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 0.5 Units
- Texans Over 26.5 (-125)
- Both Teams to Score 20+ (-110)
- Race to 25 Points: Texans (+100)
Just to stick with our confidence in the Texans logging at least 27 points, we’ll take that as our first leg in our same-game parlay. The Texans have scored 30-plus points in back-to-back games, and the Cardinals are the fifth-worst scoring defense in the league.
With the Texans having another high-scoring output, it will force the Cardinals to keep up. And considering Murray is now the starting quarterback again, the Cardinals can also exceed 20 or more points to hit both teams scoring 20-plus points.
Lastly, with our prediction being 31-24 in favor of the Texans, we’ll side with Houston reaching 25-plus points first in this contest. Neither team may score 25 or more points, but our bet is that the Texans have the best chance to reach 25-plus points first at home.
