The Chicago Bears will take on the Houston Texans on Thursday night, August 1st, at 8:00 p.m. ET at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, to usher in a new season of NFL Football. Let’s dive into my NFL Hall of Fame Game Underdog plays!
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2024 NFL Hall of Fame Game Preview and Underdog Picks
Three Chicago Bears will be enshrined into the Hall of Fame: Devin Hester, Steve McMichael, and Julius Peppers. On the Houston Texans side of things, Andre Johnson will be the first Texans inductee for the expansion team that began play in 2002.
Being an extra preseason game for the teams, we’ll likely only see fringe players and some rookies looking to prove themselves before roster cuts later in the preseason. Neither CJ Stroud nor Caleb Williams will play.
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Tyson Bagent Higher Than 64.5 Passing Yards
Special Agent Bagent is back! The quarterback started five games for the Bears last year, going 2-3 and throwing for 859 yards, including a 232-yard performance against the Los Angeles Chargers. That was with starting receivers and other starters playing around him, of course, but it was also playing against starting defenses.
Badgent isn’t a lock to make this Bears team, as he is competing with Brett Rypien for the backup job to Caleb Williams. Expect Badgent to play about half of this game, in which he has a lot to prove. I expect him to easily surpass 64.5 passing yards.
Davis Mills Higher Than 89.5 Passing Yards
Look, let’s just keep this simple. The Texans are playing things much closer to the best about who will play in this game, but DeMeco Ryans did confirm that CJ Stroud will not play. Davis Mills has been almost exclusively getting the backup reps in Houston, and I’d expect him to start.
Same as Badgent, Mills has done it before in the regular season and should be able to execute well against these Bears backups. 89.5 isn’t too big a number for Mills.
John Metchie III Higher 1.5 Receptions
Who do we think Davis Mills’s favorite target will be? John Metchie III is the first player who comes to mind. This is Metchie’s chance to shine. He’s buried deep on the Texans’ wide receiver roster with Stefon Diggs, Tank Dell, and Nico Collins on the team. I wouldn’t expect any of those three to play tonight, leaving Metchie as the best receiver out there.
Metchie was the 44th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. A battle with Leukemia has limited his opportunities, but now that he is back and healthier than ever, I expect him to get at least two catches on Thursday night.
Davis Mills & John Metchie tomorrow night pic.twitter.com/jjRl7QmLVr
— GM Sanchez (@masanchez10) July 31, 2024
Demetric Felton Jr Higher Than 54.5 Rushing + Receiving Yards
I love that Underdog is combining rushing and receiving yards on a player this explosive. Felton has been around the NFL for a few seasons, and that explosiveness is what keeps him coming back. It could take just one or two plays for Felton to get loose and crack this number.
And you don’t have to worry about taking his rushing projection; he catches the pass that goes long. He should be a featured player for the Bears on Thursday night.