Best Bengals-Texans prop bets: Joe Burrow, C.J. Stroud among top over/under picks

Sloan Piva

Best Bengals-Texans prop bets: Joe Burrow, C.J. Stroud among top over/under picks image

The NFL has unleashed some doozies on us lately, including a series of Week 10 prime-time offerings just begging to be flexed out. However, one particular game from the main slate appears to be a diamond in the rough: Bengals-Texans in Cincinnati (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS). Today, we will reveal our four favorite Sports Interaction props for this AFC clash, and hopefully make you some Sunday afternoon cash.

Despite all the quarterback injuries this season, Week 9 was dominated by signal-callers. Houston's C.J. Stroud went from Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate to -500 favorite after setting a rookie-QB record with 470 passing yards and five TDs. MVP candidate Joe Burrow then led Cincinnati to a commanding victory over the AFC-rival Bills, a 24-18 game that honestly wasn't anywhere near as close as the final score suggests.

The Stroud-Burrow duel on Sunday afternoon probably deserves better billing than a 1:00 p.m. ET game, but at least we know we have a solid main-slate contest ahead of us. Now all we need to do is pinpoint some value on the betting prop front and get some wagers in ahead of this AFC clash. Let's get right to that and hopefully help you make some money on this star-studded matchup!

MORE: Bet on the Bengals-Texans on Sports Interaction now!

Best Bengals-Texans prop bets Week 10

Odds courtesy of Sports Interaction

1. Joe Burrow, QB, Bengals — OVER 281.5 passing yards (-115)

Joe Cool has been smooth as silk in the pocket lately, and he has bested this projection in two of Cincinnati's past three games despite rough matchups with the Bills and 49ers. Houston's defense has been markedly improved from last year to this season, but the Texans still surrender a lot of passing yards.

Baker Mayfield only had 265 passing yards against Houston last week, sure, but look at Weeks 5 and 6 when Desmond Ridder and Derek Carr, respectively, combined for 682 yards against DeMeco Ryans' unit. Spoiler alert: Burrow is a better QB than Ridder and Carr. In fact, he might be the odds-on MVP favorite after this week. There's no way we're betting against Joey Brr right now. 

2. C.J. Stroud, QB, Texans — OVER 250.5 passing yards (-115)

We're cautiously picking the rookie to exceed this number, simply because he's been on a roll as of late and the game script should call for Stroud to throw a ton of passes. While Cincinnati has been great defensively over the past month, it hasn't been immune to surrendering big passing-yard numbers.

The Bengals' past three opposing QBs — Geno Smith, Brock Purdy, and Josh Allen — have averaged 316.3 passing yards per game against them. Meanwhile, only one running back since Week 1 has racked up more than 62 rushing yards against Cincy (Derrick Henry). With the ugly state of the RB position in Houston, we wouldn't be surprised if Stroud threw 50 passes this weekend. Hit the OVER here — the rookie just hit 470 yards last week.

3. Bengals -2.5 1st quarter (-120)

One way to find good value opportunities with dominant home squads against young opponents is to attack the first-quarter spread. Rather than betting the Bengals at -7 on the traditional full-game spread, we can back them to win the first quarter by a field goal. It's fantastic value, as Cincinnati's defense has been awesome as of late and Houston often gets out to slow starts.

The Texans average just 2.5 first-quarter points per away game (fourth fewest in the NFL), getting shut out of the first frame twice and held to one score in five of their other six games. The Bengals, meanwhile, have averaged an NFL-best 11.7 first-quarter points over their past three games. This won't be a popular pick after Stroud's breakout Week 9 performance, but we're all over this prop.

4. Bengals total points OVER 26.5 points (-120)

Cincinnati has been clicking on all cylinders as of late, eclipsing the 30-point mark in two of its past three games. On the other side, the Texans just allowed Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers to score 37 points in Houston, so lord only knows how ugly things could get against Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Joe Mixon on the road. Whatever verb you prefer, go out and smash, bang, or hammer this OVER.

Sloan Piva

Sloan Piva Photo

Sloan Piva is a content producer for The Sporting News, primarily focused on betting, fantasy sports, and poker. A lifelong New Englander, Sloan earned his BA and MA in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts and now lives in coastal Rhode Island with his wife and two kids.