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Brian Hoyer returns to the starting lineup for the Texans today, who are a three-point favorite at home over the Saints. Hoyer missed last week’s game due to a concussion, but cheered on T.J. Yates as Houston rallied to a third consecutive victory. New Orleans is returning from their bye week, where hopefully they fixed some of their defensive struggles.
While the Saints haven’t been their usual selves this season, OddsShark.com has numbers that say they could bounce back this week. Sean Payton teams are always well-prepared, and the extra week is usually something they take advantage of. New Orleans is 6-0 against the spread in their last six games following a bye week.
And while they haven’t always been the underdog this season they’ve performed well in the role, covering in seven of their previous nine games as dogs.
The venue will play an important role in this game. The Saints are known to be a better team at home, but they are 1-4 in their last five road appearances. Meanwhile, the Texans are 6-2 in their previous eight games within the friendly confines of NRG Stadium.
If the Saints want a chance at improving to 5-6, they’ll need to slow down DeAndre Hopkins. The Texans wideout has scored in three straight contests, and is the NFL’s most targeted receiver. The Saints head into Week 12 as the worst defense in football, averaging over 420 yards allowed each week.
The OddsShark computer is predicting a 30.4 – 21.5 Texans victory.
Saints vs. Texans pick: Saints SU & ATS
