NFL

Sleeper Fantasy Picks for Bears vs. Texans Sunday Night Football

Week 2’s Sunday Night Football matchup pits two of the future stars of the league against each other. Caleb Williams trots his Chicago Bears into the Lone Star State for an interconference showdown versus C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans. Both squads were victorious in Week 1, albeit with the Texans looking more surehanded than their guests in Week 2. More concerningly, this is Williams’ first road test of his career, and he’ll have to get past a raucous Houston crowd under the bright lights with the entire nation watching. As you’ll see from our projections, there’s little hope for Chicago and its playmakers Sunday night.

This article will discuss 2 or more of my favorite NFL pick’ems from Sleeper Fantasy, where you can use Sleeper Fantasy promo code LABS1 for a $100 deposit match.

Sleeper Fantasy Picks for Bears vs. Texans

Caleb Williams Less 21.5 Passing Completions

The Bears may have been victorious in Week 1, but the win came in spite of Williams’ performance. The No. 1 overall draft pick threw for just 93 yards in the victory, completing 14 of 29 pass attempts. A similar outcome is expected against the Texans, and we’re betting Williams falls below his passing completions total.

A 48.3% completion percentage is the red flag everyone should be weary of, but there are a few other factors at play. Despite trailing for most of the contest, the Bears only called passing plays 58.5% of the time. Matt Eberflus is obviously intent on insulating his franchise cornerstone from mistakes, even while playing from behind. Moreover, Williams’ longest completion against the Tennessee Titans was 13 yards, underscoring his inaccuracy with downfield passes, particularly in targeting D.J. Moore. The Bears wideout caught just five of 13 targets, mostly because Williams was ineffective at getting him the ball.

We also have to credit Houston for its much-improved defense. Safety Caleb Bullock looked impressive in his first career NFL game, coming down with a crucial interception against the Indianapolis Colts. But as a whole, the Texans defense shone. Playing on the road against a dynamic offense, Houston held the Colts to 303 total yards while stymying Anthony Richardson all game. By the end of the contest, the Colts’ pivot completed a minuscule nine passes with a 47.4% completion percentage.

Williams is tasked with a more substantive challenge in Week 2. Not only does he face the pressure of a primetime game on the road, but he’ll have to find a way to poke holes in a more complete Texans defense. The concerns that arose following his NFL debut will only be amplified on Sunday Night Football, making more than 21.5 completions seem like an insurmountable task. As a result, we betting he falls below his passing total.

Editor’s note: This line has since moved to 20.5

Gerald Everett Less 1.5 Receptions and 17.5 Receiving Yards

Some curious stats emerged from the Bears’ Week 1 win over the Titans. Specifically, Gerald Everett out-snapped Cole Kmet in the season opener and ran more routes than his tight end counterpart. However, even with the usage metrics in his favor, Everett wasn’t a priority in the passing game. The tight end pendulum will start swinging in Kmet’s favor, diminishing Everett’s outlook moving forward.

Even with the inflated stats in Week 1, Everett was still underwhelming in the passing game. The 2017 second-round pick caught his only target, netting negative yards on the play. Further, his best work comes in the blocking game. Everett has a career 67.9% catch rate, falling below the league average of 71.1% By his standards, Everett had a standout campaign in 2023, finishing with a 72.9% benchmark, but that was still only good enough for 22nd in the NFL among tight ends.

Again, we have to credit Houston’s defense for its accomplishments last week. Led by Henry To’o To’o and Derek Stingley, the Texans linebackers and secondary held Colts tight ends catchless in Week 1. A repeat performance is on the horizon, as Matt Burke prepares his defense to overwhelm Williams at NRG Stadium.

When Everett signed his two-year pact with the Bears last offseason, he wasn’t expected to be the top pass-catching option. We’re anticipating more involvement from Kmet in Week 2, lowering expectations for Everett and his passing-yard totals. Facing a stifling defense on the road, we’re taking Everett to come up short of 1.5 receptions and 17.5 receiving yards.

Ka’imi Fairbairn Less 7.5 Kicking Points

We’re wading into kickers waters on the Texans side of the ball. Houston wouldn’t have prevailed in Week 1 if not for Ka’imi Fairbairn’s three field goals and two extra points. But he’s not projected to repeat that standout performance against the Bears. This primetime showdown features a diminutive 45.5 total, implying that points on either side will be scarce. Therefore, Fairbairn should fall short of his 7.5 kicking point total.

Obviously, Fairbairn’s point potential correlates directly with the Texans’ ability to move the ball downfield. In that regard, we’re expecting the hosts to face some difficulty. Chicago contained the Titans in Week 1, limiting its opponent to just 244 total yards on offense. That proficiency is an extension of last year’s success, in which the Bears ranked among top 12 in total defense. Their offseason adjustments have seemingly addressed the Bears’ defensive shortcomings from last season, casting doubt on Stroud’s ability to efficiently move the Texans into plus territory.

Fairbairn hasn’t had consecutive weeks of three or more field goals since Week 3 to Week 5 last year. Additionally, he has only surpassed 7.5 kicking points in three of his last seven appearances overall. The Texans will face some challenges getting their kicker into field-goal range, and Fairbairn doesn’t have a great track record of getting points on the board. Consequently, we’re taking a position on the Texans kicker coming in below 7.5 kicking points.

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Week 2’s Sunday Night Football matchup pits two of the future stars of the league against each other. Caleb Williams trots his Chicago Bears into the Lone Star State for an interconference showdown versus C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans. Both squads were victorious in Week 1, albeit with the Texans looking more surehanded than their guests in Week 2. More concerningly, this is Williams’ first road test of his career, and he’ll have to get past a raucous Houston crowd under the bright lights with the entire nation watching. As you’ll see from our projections, there’s little hope for Chicago and its playmakers Sunday night.

This article will discuss 2 or more of my favorite NFL pick’ems from Sleeper Fantasy, where you can use Sleeper Fantasy promo code LABS1 for a $100 deposit match.

Sleeper Fantasy Picks for Bears vs. Texans

Caleb Williams Less 21.5 Passing Completions

The Bears may have been victorious in Week 1, but the win came in spite of Williams’ performance. The No. 1 overall draft pick threw for just 93 yards in the victory, completing 14 of 29 pass attempts. A similar outcome is expected against the Texans, and we’re betting Williams falls below his passing completions total.

A 48.3% completion percentage is the red flag everyone should be weary of, but there are a few other factors at play. Despite trailing for most of the contest, the Bears only called passing plays 58.5% of the time. Matt Eberflus is obviously intent on insulating his franchise cornerstone from mistakes, even while playing from behind. Moreover, Williams’ longest completion against the Tennessee Titans was 13 yards, underscoring his inaccuracy with downfield passes, particularly in targeting D.J. Moore. The Bears wideout caught just five of 13 targets, mostly because Williams was ineffective at getting him the ball.

We also have to credit Houston for its much-improved defense. Safety Caleb Bullock looked impressive in his first career NFL game, coming down with a crucial interception against the Indianapolis Colts. But as a whole, the Texans defense shone. Playing on the road against a dynamic offense, Houston held the Colts to 303 total yards while stymying Anthony Richardson all game. By the end of the contest, the Colts’ pivot completed a minuscule nine passes with a 47.4% completion percentage.

Williams is tasked with a more substantive challenge in Week 2. Not only does he face the pressure of a primetime game on the road, but he’ll have to find a way to poke holes in a more complete Texans defense. The concerns that arose following his NFL debut will only be amplified on Sunday Night Football, making more than 21.5 completions seem like an insurmountable task. As a result, we betting he falls below his passing total.

Editor’s note: This line has since moved to 20.5

Gerald Everett Less 1.5 Receptions and 17.5 Receiving Yards

Some curious stats emerged from the Bears’ Week 1 win over the Titans. Specifically, Gerald Everett out-snapped Cole Kmet in the season opener and ran more routes than his tight end counterpart. However, even with the usage metrics in his favor, Everett wasn’t a priority in the passing game. The tight end pendulum will start swinging in Kmet’s favor, diminishing Everett’s outlook moving forward.

Even with the inflated stats in Week 1, Everett was still underwhelming in the passing game. The 2017 second-round pick caught his only target, netting negative yards on the play. Further, his best work comes in the blocking game. Everett has a career 67.9% catch rate, falling below the league average of 71.1% By his standards, Everett had a standout campaign in 2023, finishing with a 72.9% benchmark, but that was still only good enough for 22nd in the NFL among tight ends.

Again, we have to credit Houston’s defense for its accomplishments last week. Led by Henry To’o To’o and Derek Stingley, the Texans linebackers and secondary held Colts tight ends catchless in Week 1. A repeat performance is on the horizon, as Matt Burke prepares his defense to overwhelm Williams at NRG Stadium.

When Everett signed his two-year pact with the Bears last offseason, he wasn’t expected to be the top pass-catching option. We’re anticipating more involvement from Kmet in Week 2, lowering expectations for Everett and his passing-yard totals. Facing a stifling defense on the road, we’re taking Everett to come up short of 1.5 receptions and 17.5 receiving yards.

Ka’imi Fairbairn Less 7.5 Kicking Points

We’re wading into kickers waters on the Texans side of the ball. Houston wouldn’t have prevailed in Week 1 if not for Ka’imi Fairbairn’s three field goals and two extra points. But he’s not projected to repeat that standout performance against the Bears. This primetime showdown features a diminutive 45.5 total, implying that points on either side will be scarce. Therefore, Fairbairn should fall short of his 7.5 kicking point total.

Obviously, Fairbairn’s point potential correlates directly with the Texans’ ability to move the ball downfield. In that regard, we’re expecting the hosts to face some difficulty. Chicago contained the Titans in Week 1, limiting its opponent to just 244 total yards on offense. That proficiency is an extension of last year’s success, in which the Bears ranked among top 12 in total defense. Their offseason adjustments have seemingly addressed the Bears’ defensive shortcomings from last season, casting doubt on Stroud’s ability to efficiently move the Texans into plus territory.

Fairbairn hasn’t had consecutive weeks of three or more field goals since Week 3 to Week 5 last year. Additionally, he has only surpassed 7.5 kicking points in three of his last seven appearances overall. The Texans will face some challenges getting their kicker into field-goal range, and Fairbairn doesn’t have a great track record of getting points on the board. Consequently, we’re taking a position on the Texans kicker coming in below 7.5 kicking points.

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About the Author

Born and raised in the barren ground of Canada, Grant White was nurtured by sports growing up. He spent years honing his betting craft before being joining FantasyLabs and Action Network in 2021. With a keen eye for value, Grant sets his sights on any perceived imbalance for a long-term winning edge.