NFL Preseason Week 4 Betting Preview: Cowboys Are Only Home Underdogs on Board

With the 2016 NFL regular season nearly upon us, every team will try to enter Week 1 healthy, so there will be a lot of players simply competing for roster spots in the preseason finales on Thursday.

Of the 16 games on the Week 4 slate, 15 of the home teams are favored. The Dallas Cowboys (1-2) are the exception. They cannot afford any more injuries and enter their exhibition matchup with the undefeated Houston Texas (3-0) as one-point home underdogs at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark.

The Cowboys lost starting quarterback Tony Romo again for what could be half the year because of a broken bone in his back, and rookie backup Dak Prescott will also likely rest versus the Texans so he can be ready for the regular-season opener against the New York Giants.

Prescott, a fourth-round draft pick out of Mississippi State, has looked outstanding in the preseason. However, the games are meaningless, so it remains to be seen if he will be able to transition that play when the real season kicks off.

Dallas has managed to cover the spread in three of its last four preseason games, according to the Odds Shark NFL Database, even though the team is just 2-10 straight up in its previous 12. Meanwhile, Houston has been one of the NFL’s best teams to bet on during the preseason dating back to 2011, going 16-7 SU and against the spread, including 3-0 this year.

The Texans saw new starting quarterback Brock Osweiler play his best preseason game in a 34-24 win over the Arizona Cardinals last week with 146 yards on 11-of-13 passing and one touchdown, although backup Tom Savage gets the starting nod here.

Most other home teams are favored between three and four points, except for the Oakland Raiders (1-2), who are two-point chalk hosting the Seattle Seahawks (2-1).

The Raiders are viewed as one of the league's up-and-coming teams this season, but they are just 1-5 SU and ATS in their last six preseason games. Going back even further, Oakland has failed to cover the spread in 11 of 14 exhibition games.