Houston goes for its fifth straight win when it hosts the slumping Dolphins on “Thursday Night Football” to open Week 8. It’s an 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff from NRG Stadium. After starting 0-3, the Texans have turned things around behind an aggressive defense that has allowed an average of 12 points the past three weeks. Miami, which has dropped three of four following a 3-0 start, will once again start backup quarterback Brock Osweiler for the injured Ryan Tannehill. Sportsbooks list Houston as a 7.5-point favorite. The over-under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 44.5 in the latest Texans vs. Dolphins odds. Before you make any Texans vs. Dolphins picks, listen to what Larry Hartstein has to say. 

SportsLine’s senior analyst is 7-1 in his past eight ATS picks involving the Texans and 3-0 in his past three involving the Dolphins. The last time he released a pick on either of these teams, he confidently stated that Houston would not cover 10 points against the lowly Bills in Week 5. The result: Buffalo led by three with two minutes left, falling 20-13 for another easy cash.

Moreover, Hartstein is 25-11 on all NFL picks this season, a sterling 69 percent cash rate that has enabled his followers to net nearly $1,300. Now, Hartstein has analyzed Texans vs. Dolphins from every possible angle. He’s sharing his strong against-the-spread pick only over at SportsLine.

Hartstein knows Houston appeared to have cured its O-line ills in Sunday’s 20-7 win at Jacksonville, as Deshaun Watson was sacked just once and the team rushed for 141 yards. Watson delivered his first turnover-free performance despite playing with lung and rib injuries. Lamar Miller (4.5 yards per carry) erupted for his first 100-yard game this season, while DeAndre Hopkins added another highlight-reel catch.

It’s shaping up as a big ground game for the Texans, as Miami was just gashed for 248 rushing yards by Detroit. 

But just because the Texans are hot doesn’t mean they’ll cover a big spread against the Dolphins on “Thursday Night Football.”

Houston is 0-5 against the spread in its past five home games and the Texans typically disappoint whenever people start believing in them. Osweiler, for his part, is playing career-best football, completing 67.5 percent of his passes with six touchdowns against two interceptions since replacing Tannehill (shoulder) in Week 4. 

While Albert Wilson (hip) and Kenny Stills (groin) won’t play, Danny Amendola (14 catches, 143 yards, one touchdown the past two weeks) has stepped up and running back Kenyan Drake (4.9 yards per carry, three touchdowns) continues to excel without fanfare. 

We can tell you Hartstein is leaning over, but his much stronger play is against the spread. Hartstein has identified a huge personnel mismatch that causes one side of the spread to hit hard. He’s sharing what it is, and who to back, only at SportsLine.

So which side of the spread should you back for Dolphins vs. Texans? And what huge personnel mismatch makes one side a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side you need to be all over, all from the seasoned expert who’s on 10-1 heater on Dolphins and Texans’ pointspread picks, and find out.

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