The Houston Texans have a big Week 4 matchup looming against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Both teams are coming off blowout losses in Week 3 and this game can set both of their seasons on different courses. Eyes will be on Houston, as the team with high expectations must bounce back while their opponent is facing a 0-4 start. We’ll be making our Texans Week 4 bold predictions before the matchup.
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The Texans were off to a great start, beating the Bears 19-13 to move to 2-0 after Week 2. They traveled to Minnesota, losing to the Vikings 34-7 to end their undefeated season. While the Vikings have been a surprisingly great team so far, the Texans should be disappointed in that result. Getting to 3-1 would be huge for their division title chances.
They have a great matchup awaiting them in the Jacksonville Jaguars. Their AFC South rivals were embarrassed on Monday night, losing 47-10 to the Buffalo Bills. Trevor Lawrence was miserable, throwing an interception to Damar Hamlin on a stunningly bad pass. They are 0-3 and must figure it out soon.
A rivalry will be renewed in Texas on Sunday afternoon. Ahead of the matchup, we’ll be making our Texans Week 4 predictions.
CJ Stroud throws for two touchdowns
While the injury report has not been kind to Stroud’s weapons, he will still throw two touchdowns on Sunday. The Texans are built around Stroud, who is one of the best young quarterbacks in the league. Nico Collins is questionable, Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce are unlikely to play, and Tank Dell was out of practice.
Fans and fantasy managers should not worry, however, as Stroud can rip up this Jaguars defense. The Bills scored four touchdowns in the first half and ended that game before halftime. While he is not Josh Allen yet, Stroud is talented enough to learn from that performance.
The Vikings’ defense has been among the best in the league thanks to Brian Flores’s incredible scheme. Stroud will prove that last week’s performance was an outlier by scoring against the Jaguars.
Dalton Schultz cracks 70 yards
The key to a great performance for the Texans’ offense is tight end Dalton Schultz. The former Cowboy is in his second season in Houston but has not exploded in any games this season. His high water mark for yards is 21 so far in 2024. Schultz will crush that number in Week 4, putting up 70 yards in this game.
Dalton Kincaid scored one of the many touchdowns against the Jaguars’ defense last week, showing that they are vulnerable to tight end production. While the defense was terrible against every Bills player, Kincaid was very good. If Collins and Dell play, they won’t be at 100%. Stefon Diggs does not have the same explosiveness he did at the beginning of his career. And, the running back room is shaky.
CJ Stroud will use his tight end to advance the ball and score in this game. If you are dealing with a tight-end injury in fantasy, swipe Schultz from the waiver wire and slot him into your lineup.
Texans move to 3-1
The Texans will beat the Jaguars, catapulting themselves further into first place and sending the Jaguars down the tubes. The Doug Pederson Hot Seat conversation will amplify, Trevor Lawrence will be the focus of discourse again, and they will be effectively eliminated from playoff contention. If the Texans want to be taken seriously as an AFC contender, they must win this game.
While the season is very long, this is a turning point in both seasons. If the Texans lose, they will welcome the Colts and Jaguars into the AFC South discussion. If they win, Houston will be in first place and there could be two 0-4 teams in the division. These are the types of games that Demeco Ryans will show his prowess as a coach.
The Texans are 6.5-point favorites at home in this game. While that is a big favorite for a division matchup, expect Houston to cover that number. If what we saw in Buffalo is any indication of the Trevor Lawrence that will show up this week, this game will not be close.
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