Hop into our Kansas vs. Houston prediction and betting preview ahead of their matchup on Saturday, Sept. 17. Alongside all the betting specifics for their matchup, you’ll find DFS and College Fantasy Football players of note for your lineups.
Kansas vs. Houston betting preview
- Spread: Houston -8.5
- Moneyline: Kansas +260, Houston -315
- Over/Under: 58 points
- Game time: 4 p.m. ET
- Location: TDECU Stadium, Houston, Texas
- Predicted weather at kick: 88 degrees, mostly cloudy, winds 10-12 mph
In a battle of teams on each end of the spectrum in terms of preseason projections, the Houston Cougars and Kansas Jayhawks are squaring off in one of the weekend’s best matchups. Kansas, 2-0 and in sole possession of first place in the Big 12, has shattered expectations through two weeks. While Houston, with preseason AAC QB of the Year Clayton Tune, have looked sluggish, slow, and limped their way to a 1-1 record, with both of their first two games going to overtime.
What has Tune done in 2022 that is so different than 2021? Can Kansas limit the Houston passing attack in Week 3? These are the questions you need to answer before betting these lines.
Prediction for Kansas vs. Houston
Despite playing two games that have gone to overtime, Tune has thrown just four touchdowns this season. Perhaps even more shocking, he’s only completing 59.2% of his throws, and he’s looked slow to read the field at times. Tune led his team to a hard-fought victory over UTSA to open the year but lost in overtime against Texas Tech, and all his team could muster in the latter contest was a field goal.
Houston hasn’t squeezed out much production on the ground, either, something the team needs to change to spark its play-action passing attack. Currently, the Cougars are averaging just 3.1 yards per carry and have had no carries surpass 18 yards. Receivers Nathaniel Dell and Matthew Golden can take the proverbial top off the defense, but they’ve only had two plays combined exceed 35 yards through the air this season.
[bet-promo id=”174860″ ]On the other side of the coin, Kansas has run wild over its first couple of opponents. QB Jalon Daniels has distributed the ball very well in the passing game while refraining from forcing too many passes. He’s competently feeding off of the Jayhawks’ rushing success, exactly what Kansas needs on offense.
Currently, the Jayhawks are averaging 7.5 yards per carry, and each of their top four ball carriers are averaging over 7.0 yards per attempt. This Kansas team is no gimmick and constitutes a big threat to outmuscle a Houston defense, headlined by Derek Parish, that is predicated on wreaking havoc off the edge.
Kansas’ rushing attack is likely too much for Houston to handle, and it mitigates the latter’s best defender. The Jayhawks should move to 3-0 for the first time in a long, long time.
Prediction: Kansas 35, Houston 31
Top DFS picks and fantasy plays
Here are the current FanDuel values for the top players in the Kansas vs. Houston matchup:
- QB Clayton Tune, Houston: $10,600
- QB Jalon Daniels, Kansas: $9,700
- RB Devin Neal, Kansas: $9,000
- RB Brandon Campbell, Houston: $7,900
- RB Daniel Hishaw Jr., Kansas: $6,900
- RB Ta’Zhawn Henry, Houston: $5,500
- RB Sevion Morrison, Kansas: $4,900
- WR Nathaniel “Tank” Dell, Houston: $8,800
- WR Quentin Skinner, Kansas: $6,000
- WR Matthew Golden, Houston: $5,900
- WR Lawrence Arnold, Kansas: $5,800
- WR Luke Grimm, Kansas: $5,700
- WR Joseph Manjack IV, Houston: $5,500
- WR KeSean Carter, Houston: $5,400
- TE Christian Trahan, Houston: $5,300
- TE Mason Fairchild, Kansas: $4,900
With these numbers in mind, it appears the betting community is still sold on Tune’s potential re-emergence in this one. However, the easiest play is Devin Neal, who is currently averaging over 10 yards per carry. More importantly, Neal has run for two touchdowns in each of the past two games and is a factor in the receiving game.
True freshman Matthew Golden was certainly on your devy league radar during the preseason, and if you were lucky enough to get shares of him, he’s in play here as well. With the defense keying on Dell, Golden put forth an impressive display of quick cuts and after-the-catch ability against Texas Tech last week and could be a must-start in leagues moving forward.
While Tune’s lack of production thus far may be too much to warrant a play, Daniels has enough arm talent and rushing prowess to warrant consideration here. If Kansas is to get the upset, you can bet it’s because Daniels scores on the ground or has a great game through the air.