Oakland Raiders vs. Houston Texans: Spread Info, Line and Predictions

The Oakland Raiders and Houston Texans will meet up in Week 5 of the 2011 NFL season for what will certainly be a high-flying matchup.

Not only are these two up-and-coming teams in the AFC, but they both feature some of the brightest stars in the NFL.

The Texans are 3-1 and coming off a huge home win against Pittsburgh, when they banged up Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers.

The problem is they lost their own star receiver Andre Johnson to injury. He is expected to miss a few weeks with a hamstring injury, which means we will only be seeing the dynamic player on the sidelines of this game.

Oakland is coming off a pretty disappointing loss to the New England Patriots, but they feature a high-scoring offense and one of the best running backs in the league in Darren McFadden.

This is a huge game for two teams with high hopes of greatness in the wide open AFC.

Where: Reliant Stadium, Houston, TX

When: Sunday Oct. 9. 1 p.m EST

Watch: CBS, DirecTV 705, NFL RedZone

Spread: Houston Texans -6

These are two good teams that are relatively close in talent. The Texans are the better team, but I think losing Andre Johnson is going to hurt them. This is a tough spread to cover.

Over/Under: 49

Both of these teams know how to score, that is for certain. That being said, I think the running game is going to be prevalent. I would go with the under in this game.

Betting Information Courtesy of Bodog.com

Key Injuries:

Oakland did not practice 10/6: Linebacker Ricky Brown (concussion), tight end Richard Gordon (hand), cornerback Chris Johnson (groin), running back Marcel Reece (ankle), defensive end Matt Shaughnessy (shoulder).

Houston did not practice 10/6: Linebacker Tim Dobbins (hamstring), wide receiver Andre Johnson (hamstring), running back Ben Tate (groin), running back Derrick Ward (ankle).

Fantasy Big Plays:

Arian Foster, RB Texans: Make sure that Foster is back in your starting lineup. He's back to full health and proved to us last week that he can be effective again. Without Andre Johnson he's going to be the Texan's go-to-guy.

Andre Johnson, WR Texans: Please make sure that you remember to bench Johnson. He's gone from a Top 5 receiver to out of your lineup for a few weeks. It won't make you feel any better if you forget to bench him.

Darren McFadden, RB Raiders: McFadden is quickly becoming one of the better fantasy backs in the league. He's dangerous off the run or out of the backfield. I expect another huge game from him.

Keys to Raiders Win:

Oakland quarterback Jason Campbell needs to protect the ball and run this offense. Even without Johnson, the Texans can still get a lead and play physical ball. The Raiders need to consistently score, and they can't turn the ball over.

Keys to Texans Win:

The equation just got really simple for the Texans. With Andre Johnson gone, their best move is to hand the rock to Arian Foster and let him make plays. They would be smart to get him open in the flats or on screen passes as well. They need to get him the ball without being too predictable.

Prediction:

All-in-all, this should be a great and entertaining game to watch. The Texans are developing quite a home-field advantage though, and I think that will put them over the top in this game.

Texans 24, Raiders 20