I expected this line to open at Texans +4.5 and I still would’ve bet it at that number. The Saints have gotten off to bad starts early in the year multiple times – they’re 0-5 SU and ATS in Week 1 since 2013 and missed the cover on those games by 8.9 ppg. The Texans just loaded up their offense adding Laremy Tunsil at LT, Kenny Stills on the outside, and Duke Johnson and Carlos Hyde in the backfield. This is in addition to having D Hop, a healthy Will Fuller and Keke Coutee catching passes from Deshaun Watson. Watson’s a winner and he’s needed an offensive lineman like Tunsil these last 2 years. I think the Texans offense is going to create mismatches all over the field for a lot of teams and the Saints are going to be without Sheldon Rankins and David Onyemata on the defensive line for this game. I also think this is a bad spot for the Saints coming off a massive hangover this offseason from the botched pass interference call in the NFC Championship game. Teams in these situations typically start their first game of the year slow and with the Saints historic slow starts combined with the fact that Deshaun Watson has lost just 2 career NFL starts out of 23 by more than 7 points, I’m all over the Houston Texans Monday night.
