Week 9 of the NFL season kicks off with two teams facing different kinds of adversity. Despite their stellar 6-2 record, the Texans’ offense will need to regroup with Nico Collins on the IR and Stefon Diggs suffering a season-ending ACL tear. The Jets are at the bottom of the AFC East, having lost their fifth straight game on Sunday against the Patriots.
New York is a slight 1.5-point favorite going into Thursday night, with the over/under at 42 points on DraftKings Sportsbook. With so much uncertainty on both sidelines, finding a touchdown scorer is no easy task.
Unlike the Jets, who have a fairly solidified offensive hierarchy, the Texans have a number of different options who could reach the end zone with wide receivers Diggs and Collins out. Chief among those potential names is Tank Dell. The second-year wideout has had a tough time this year after impressing as a rookie (709 rec. yards, 7 TDs in 11 games). He’s struggled to carve out a role for himself in 2024, accumulating just 229 receiving yards in seven games played.
To be fair to quarterback C.J. Stroud, it’s difficult to justify feeding a third option when you have two Pro Bowlers to throw to. That’s no longer the case, so we should see far more targets for the speedster going forward. Even with Collins out, Dell hasn’t exactly been Mr. Reliable. The former Houston Cougar has only averaged 37 yards over four games without Collins, although he has scored three touchdowns.
That nose for the end zone should give anytime touchdown bettors some hope. Although New York’s defense is giving up the second-fewest passing yards per game this season (161.1), they’ve dropped to 14th in that regard over the past three weeks. Dell’s potential volume, combined with elite quarterback play from Stroud, makes this a tough bet to pass on at nearly two to one odds.
The Play: Tank Dell anytime touchdown at +180
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