Thursday Night Football: Mims picks the Carolina Panthers at Houston Texans, where Davis Mills starts at QB

The NFL Thursday Night Football game has the Carolina Panthers playing the Houston Texans.

The numbers are Panthers -8.0 with a total of 43.5. The money line is Panthers -400 & Texans +310. Houston is the home team.

Injury Report: Panthers DE Morgan Fox was questionable early but now is good to go. DE Yetur Gross-Matos is out. For the Texans, QB Tyrod Taylor is on injury reserve.

Notes: Deshaun Watson is still a non-participant for the Texans. The Texans appear to have no interest in playing him under any circumstances. The under is 5-0 in the last five Panther games. Carolina is 0-6 against the spread in their last 6 Thursday games.

Coaching: Matt Rhule has the edge over David Culley.

Prop Bets: Christian McCaffrey over 5.5 receptions. The price is projected at +105. Take him over. Brandin Cooks under 68.5 receiving yards. The price is -125. Cooks goes under. The Texans total points for the game is set at 16.5. The Panthers have allowed 21 points in 2 games. The price of the under is -105. I am leaning under.

My Take on the Game: Panthers are playing well defensively and pressuring the opposing QBs. Rookie Davis Mills is starting at QB for Houston. The short work week will have the defense dialed in against Mills and limit his effectiveness. The Texans are home and have played better than expected so far. Take Panthers money line and under.

Public Opinion: 58% of the money is in the Texans.

Follow me on Twitter. I will live tweet during the game. Look for my preview of the Monday Night Game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys right here on Bettors Insider. My Monday Night choices are 3-1 on sides while the prop action is 4-2.