Senior editor Max Meyer will be sharing his favorite moneyline underdog upset picks for both college football and NFL in weekend Hustle editions. He’s feeling extra bold today by backing a pair of 0-2 teams going up against current betting favorites to win their respective divisions.
Broncos +210 at Dolphins [1 p.m. ET]
The Dolphins are really going to miss Jaylen Waddle in this matchup. Waddle is out after suffering a concussion, and the Broncos will get to line up All-Pro cornerback Patrick Surtain II on Tyreek Hill. Not that covering Hill is an easy task, but it does seem easier when having to just focus on him compared to Waddle as well.
Iโve also been surprised by how quickly Sean Payton seems to have turned around this Broncos offense. Denver is averaging the most points per possession in the entire NFL ๐ฎ and looked more dynamic with Jerry Jeudy back in the fold in Week 2. Iโll take my chances here with an 0-2 team thatโs hungry after coming up short in two close losses.
Texans +300 at Jaguars [1 p.m. ET]
This spread has come crashing down from Jaguars +9.5 to +7 throughout the week. The Texans have lost their first two games by double digits. But they performed better than those scores would indicate, as Houston actually outgained its opponents in both games. But while the Texans have been able to move the ball down the field, an NFL-worst 16.7% red-zone touchdown rate ๐ฌ has hampered the scoring.
Meanwhile, the Jaguarsโ 8-point home loss to the Chiefs looks worse when you factor in how they got dominated in yards per play (Chiefs 6.2, Jaguars 4.2) and stayed afloat with three turnovers forced. There are still major concerns with a Jaguars defense that had trouble handling rookie Anthony Richardson, and Texans QB C.J. Stroud has looked the best throwing the ball of any first-year signal-caller.
