NFL SpreadSHREDDER Week 3: Are The Dallas Cowboys Underrated at Houston?

[Week 2 Record: 2-0-1]

[Overall Record: 4-1-1]

Enjoying back to back winning weeks to start the season, and suffering just one loss in two weeks, the SpreadSHREDDER is off to yet another strong start.

With overreaction in Dallas reaching its tipping point just two weeks into the season (imagine that), I hope to continue this momentum at the top of the SpreadSHREDDER with an underdog pick that has 'take the points' written all over it to the trained eye.

DALLAS (+3) OVER HOUSTON {Bodog}

The betting Gods seemed to have come together to bestow this gift upon thee. I couldn't ask for a better underdog if we logged on to Netflix and purchased Rudy. 

The Houston Texans will be coming off back to back emotional victories, one of which they finally managed to slay their personal Dragon of the Indianapolis Colts while the other coming in the form of a rare come from behind road victory to steal a win from the Washington Redskins.

Houston's offense will also be coming off of back to back performances where they scored more than 30 points. Such a feat, while impressive, may make the Texans prone to complacency during practices as consistently amassing such high point totals tends to lead to overconfidence.

Houston will be playing a desperate 0-2 Dallas Cowboy team in crisis, with the magnitude of said crisis being blown out of proportion by the general media, further inflating the line.

Our Week 3 lines currently have the Cowboys as three point favorites, despite Dallas being listed as a three point 'dog on most sportsbooks.

Houston has substantially outperformed the spread start the young season, while the Cowboys have underperformed against the number at an alarming rate through two weeks. 

The juxtaposition of performances against the spread, while favoring the Texans to the naked eye, creates incredible value for the Cowboys as an underdog through just two weeks of play.

Expect the well-practiced, desperate Dallas Cowboys to go on the road and soundly beat the emotionally spent, complacent Houston Texans.

DALLAS, 34-24

DETROIT (+11.5) OVER MINNESOTA {Sportsbook.com}

The Minnesota Vikings are depleted on offense and have failed to cash one ticket against the spread this season. 

Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions, while 0-2, are no longer the pushover that they once were as a blown, double-digit fourth quarter lead coupled with a bogus ruling are the only two things keeping the Lions from a 2-0 start.

Many currently believe that the Vikings have value as a desperate 0-2 team looking to get into the win column for the first time this season. However, these new-look Lions will also be desperately seeking to get into the win column in a game where they will be seeking revenge for two losses to the Vikings last season.

There's no way we're entrusting the Vikings to lay 11.5 points with a banged up offense that has failed to score more than one touchdown in a game this season. Coming off of a phony loss to the Eagles, where Lions quarterback Shaun Hill amassed 7 yards per attempt (compared to Vick's 6.18 YPA), the value is with the double digit underdog lions.

Our power rating for the Minnesota Vikings has been right on point thus far as our projected lines in games involving the Vikings  have been very close to their margin of defeat. 

Our Week 3 projected lines have the Lions as a six point underdog, meaning they are being underrated by five points by most sportsbooks, giving the Lions increased value.

Detroit will not go away in what should be a competitive, hotly contested divisional match up that goes down to the wire.

DETROIT, 21-19

DENVER (+6) OVER INDIANAPOLIS {Bodog}

The Indianapolis Colts will be traveling across two time zones to play a non-divisional opponents, coming off of a blowout win on national television that has inflated the line.

Kyle Orton has been the most underrated quarterback dating back to last season, and is more than capable of holding his own in a quarterback's duel against Peyton Manning at home.

The Broncos will be playing with a heavy heart as they play their first game since the apparent suicide of their teammate Kenny McKinley.

This pick appears at the bottom of the SpreadSHREDDER as I currently have the Colts nine points better in our power ratings. However, the Broncos have slowly been climbing my weekly power ratings, and emotional edges in play make Denver a relatively valuable underdog for week three.

DENVER, 24-21

Big Nasty is the editor of The Big Nasty Athletic Dept. Log on to twitter at twitter.com/bignasty247 and follow him until he presses charges! Friends of Big Nasty hang out at facebook.com/bignasty247.