2018 Houston Texans Season Win Totals Predictions and Expert Picks

2017 Record: 4-12

2018 Las Vegas Season Win Total: 8.5*

2018 Season Win Total Picks NCAA Football: 'Over'

For the briefest of moments, the Houston Texans were the hottest thing in football. Rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson was tearing up defenses to the tune of 39 points per game. The Texans were blowing out bad teams like the Titans and Browns and going on the road and going toe-to-toe with big-time teams like Seattle and New England.

But then Watson popped his knee (again), and all of the air came out of the Texans season.

That's been a recurring issue for this franchise over the last four years. Top-end talent obviously isn't the problem. Health has been. I don't want the Texans to stay healthy for the sake of their fans or their backers. I am rooting for the Texans to stay healthy - for once - because I want to see what Watson, DeAndre Hopkins, J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney, and Whitney Mercilus can do if given 16 games together. Just one time.

If the Texans can stay healthy I feel like they have the best team in the AFC South. Watson has a chance to be special. And he has a lot of potentially explosive weapons to work with, anchored by Hopkins. Houston's offensive line is not good. And that's going to lower the ceiling on what this offense can do this year.

If Watt, Mercilus and Clowney can all stay healthy and on the field together then the Texans defense could be one of the best in football. Those are three Pro Bowlers in the front seven, and they can cause all kinds of chaos. The Texans also have an underachieving secondary that should be vastly improved. John Joseph and Kareem Jackson are established players. And the addition of Tyrann Mathieu gives them a potential X-factor.

Houston has to play three of its first four games on the road. However, they have a chance to make some serious noise in the first two months of the season. Games against the Titans, Giants, Colts, Cowboys, Bills and Dolphins in the first eight weeks are all eminently winnable. They also have a three-game home stretch late in the year against the Titans, Browns and Colts before a road game against the rebuilding Jets. That is about as manageable as a schedule can get.

You can't handicap injuries. And that is the whole focus of Houston's season. "If" is the word surrounding this team. If they stay healthy they are the best team in the AFC South. They aren't as sound as the Jaguars. But they have a better quarterback and more high-end performers. And if the Texans can stay healthy then they can absolutely be a threat to Pittsburgh and New England when it comes to winning this conference.

Houston's offensive line is its Achilles heel. But beyond that this team doesn't have a lot of weaknesses. Nothing about their schedule scares me. And when I scan this team they just have the look and feel of a playoff team.

Robert Ferringo has been the top football handicapper in the country the past seven years, earning nearly $28,000 in total football profit. He has also posted seven of nine winning seasons (including back-to-back winning years) and produced 26 of 41 winning football months and an amazing 45 of 70 winning football months over the past decade. Robert has eight of 10 winning NFL preseasons and he is at nearly 60 percent winners over his last 900 totals picks. Also, Robert's proprietary KING College Football Betting System has posted three of five winning seasons. Robert is looking for a third straight winning football year and wants more profit this fall. SIGN UP HERE TODAY AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR 3-FOR-1 FOOTBALL SPECIALS!

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