The NFL playoffs will open on Saturday afternoon with a fascinating matchup between the Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans. Both teams have been humming offensively going into the playoffs, making the player prop markets for this matchup very intriguing. Here, we make our NFL betting picks in the prop markets with our best Browns vs Texans props for Wild Card Weekend.
Browns vs Texans Player Prop #1: CJ Stroud Over 1.5 Pass TDs (+114)
First up on our list of Browns vs Texans props is CJ Stroud’s passing touchdowns total, which sits at 1.5. Stroud did not play in the regular season meeting between the Browns and Texans, leaving Davis Mills to fend for himself against Myles Garrett and the vaunted defense of Cleveland. But Mills threw two touchdown passes in that game and we should see Stroud accomplish something similar in this rematch.
The reputation for the Browns is that their defense is elite, and much of the time it is exactly that. But the Browns have not been great on defense on the road over the last couple of months. Even when you throw out their Week 18 loss in Cincinnati, where the Browns rested some key players with nothing to play for, the Browns have allowed 29.5 points per game in their last four road games. That includes giving up 22 points to the Mills-led Texans. Stroud should make an impact in this game and go over his touchdowns total.
Browns vs Texans Player Prop #2: Jerome Ford Under 42.5 Rushing Yards (-115)
Jerome Ford had a similar rushing yardage total to his number this week the first time the Browns and Texans faced off this season. But Ford went for just 25 yards on 15 carries in that game, being bottled up while Joe Flacco and the Browns passing game carried them to victory. Here, Ford should avoid being held under two yards per carry again, but we will take him to go under his rushing yardage total in Houston.
Ford has gone over this total just once in his last three games with a full workload, as we will discount his three carries for six yards in a meaningless game against the Bengals last week. With Cleveland likely to prioritize their passing game again this weekend, it could be another quiet afternoon for Ford at NRG Stadium.
