NFL WEEK 1 & 2 ODDS: COWBOYS AND TEXANS

On this page · 9

1. Live odds — Cowboys at Giants (Week 1)
2. Live odds — Texans vs Bills (Week 1)
3. The first two games, in full
4. Cowboys players the market prices
5. Texans players the market prices
6. How to trade NFL Week 1 from Texas
7. Season-long angles worth a look
8. Is this legal in Texas?
9. Pick your venue

Recap: This guide covered the first two weeks of the 2026 season. Through Week 3 the Cowboys are 1–2 and the Texans 0–3 (NFL.com). Records change weekly; check the live markets for current prices. For the rest of the season, see Super Bowl LXI odds from Texas.

The 2026 NFL season starts Sunday, September 13, and both Texas teams are on the board that afternoon. The Houston Texans host the Buffalo Bills at NRG Stadium; the Dallas Cowboys travel to the New York Giants for Sunday Night Football. Below: exact kickoff times, the Week 2 follow-ups, the names that move each market, and live game-winner prices.

Live odds — Cowboys at Giants (Week 1)

Prices are implied win probability: a Cowboys contract at 60¢ means the market gives Dallas a 60% chance. The winner settles at $1.00. Because it's a Sunday night national window, this is usually the deepest Week 1 market on the board — spreads tighten sharply once inactives post 90 minutes before kickoff.

Trade on Polymarket US (opens in a new tab)

Live odds — Texans vs Bills (Week 1)

Houston opens at home against one of the AFC's perennial contenders, and the market has it close to a coin flip — the most informative single data point of the Texans' season. If you want a longer hold than one Sunday, the season win total and the AFC South division winner (opens in a new tab) contract price off the same information.

The first two games, in full

Week	Game	Date / kickoff (CT)	TV
1	Bills at Texans (NRG Stadium)	Sun, Sept 13 · 12:00 pm	CBS
1	Cowboys at Giants (MetLife Stadium)	Sun, Sept 13 · 7:20 pm	NBC
2	Bengals at Texans (NRG Stadium)	Sun, Sept 20 · 12:00 pm	CBS
2	Commanders at Cowboys (AT&T Stadium)	Sun, Sept 20 · 3:25 pm	FOX

Both teams meet each other in Week 4 — Cowboys at Texans, Sunday, October 4 at NRG Stadium (noon CT, FOX). That Governor's Cup game is reliably the highest-volume in-state contract of the regular season.

Cowboys players the market prices

• Dak Prescott (QB). The single largest swing factor in any Cowboys contract. Historically, a Prescott injury designation has repriced Dallas game-winner markets by 10–15 points in minutes — the fastest-moving news in the market.
• CeeDee Lamb (WR). The default anytime-touchdown favorite in Dallas games and the most-traded Cowboys player prop when Polymarket lists a scorer market.
• George Pickens (WR). The high-variance side of the receiving room — big-play upside that shows up in team totals and first-touchdown pricing more than in game-winner odds.
• Javonte Williams (RB). Workload share is the tell for how Dallas plans to play from ahead; a heavy early-down role usually tracks with lower-total game scripts.
• Jake Ferguson (TE). A red-zone target who quietly shifts touchdown-scorer pricing when Lamb draws bracket coverage.

Texans players the market prices

• C.J. Stroud (QB). Houston's entire market is a Stroud market. Every Texans contract — game winner, division, season wins — is effectively a bet on his availability and protection.
• Nico Collins (WR). The volume alpha. Collins' target share drives Texans team totals and is the first name in any scorer market.
• Tank Dell (WR). Speed and separation; his practice-participation status is one of the more reliable early signals for a Houston price move.
• Jayden Higgins (WR). The young riser — the market is slow to reprice second-year breakouts, which is where mispricing tends to sit.
• Azeez Al-Shaair (LB). Defensive availability rarely gets the headlines but shows up in totals and second-half live pricing.

Player notes describe how markets have historically reacted; they are not predictions or guarantees. Rosters change through final cuts in late August — verify the depth chart before you trade.

How to trade NFL Week 1 from Texas

1. Pick a venue. Kalshi is the CFTC-regulated US exchange with game winners, spreads, totals and season win totals. Polymarket runs deeper per-game and player markets. Both are open to Texans 21+.
2. Fund and verify early. Verification queues clog the week of kickoff. See how to use Kalshi from Texas or how to use Polymarket from Texas.
3. Read prices as implied probability. Add both sides of a market: a healthy two-sided NFL market totals near 100%, and anything well above that means the spread is wide and you are paying to enter.
4. Watch the inactives window. Roughly 90 minutes before kickoff is the largest single price move of the day.
5. Claim the welcome offer first. New Polymarket users can enter promo code TXPREDICTS and get a $25 trading bonus on a $10 deposit before Week 1 kicks off.
6. Know the fees. Kalshi fees and Polymarket fees work very differently on short-hold trades.

New to this? Start with the side-by-side platform comparison or read our Kalshi review and Polymarket review.

Season-long angles worth a look

Week 1 and 2 results reprice the futures board harder than any other stretch of the year. If you'd rather hold something longer than three hours, the Super Bowl LXI market (February 7, 2027) and the Cowboys & Texans championship contracts both move on those first two Sundays. For college football, see the CFP championship odds.

Is this legal in Texas?

Yes, with a caveat worth understanding. Texas has no legal sportsbooks — see is DraftKings legal in Texas and is FanDuel legal in Texas. Event contracts are a different federal category, regulated by the CFTC rather than the state, which is why Kalshi and Polymarket operate here. Full breakdown: are prediction markets legal in Texas? Tax treatment also differs — Kalshi taxes in Texas.

Pick your venue

Four CFTC-regulated exchanges that accept Texans (status in Texas: Available, as of 3 October 2026). Full comparison →

Frequently asked questions

When do the Cowboys and Texans play their first game in 2026?

Both open in Week 1 on Sunday, September 13, 2026. The Houston Texans host the Buffalo Bills at NRG Stadium at 12:00 pm CT on CBS, and the Dallas Cowboys play at the New York Giants at 7:20 pm CT on Sunday Night Football (NBC).

Who do the Cowboys and Texans play in Week 2?

On Sunday, September 20, 2026, the Cowboys host the Washington Commanders at AT&T Stadium (3:25 pm CT, FOX) and the Texans host the Cincinnati Bengals at NRG Stadium (12:00 pm CT, CBS).

Can Texans legally bet on NFL games?

Not through a sportsbook — Texas has no legal sportsbooks. Texans can legally trade NFL game-winner event contracts on CFTC-regulated exchanges like Kalshi and on Polymarket (minimum age 18 on both; we recommend 21+), because those are federally regulated derivatives rather than state-licensed sports betting.

How do NFL game contracts on prediction markets work?

Each team's contract trades between 1¢ and 99¢, and the price is the market's implied win probability. The winning team's contract settles at $1.00 and the loser's at $0.00. You can sell your position any time before kickoff or during the game instead of waiting for the final whistle.

Are there player prop markets for CeeDee Lamb or C.J. Stroud?

Polymarket lists per-game markets such as anytime touchdown scorer and first touchdown scorer for marquee games, and season-long markets like MVP and passing leaders. Kalshi focuses more on game winners, spreads, totals, and season win totals. Availability varies week to week.

How do NFL prices work on a prediction market?

Each side trades between $0.01 and $0.99 and settles at $1 if it wins, so the price reads directly as an implied probability. You trade against other users on a CFTC-regulated exchange, pay a small per-trade fee, and can sell before kickoff or mid-game instead of holding to settlement.

When do Week 1 NFL markets get the most liquidity?

Volume ramps hard from the final preseason weekend through kickoff, and peaks in the two hours before the game as injury reports and inactives are confirmed. Live in-game trading on Sunday Night Football games is typically the deepest of the week.