2011 NFL Week 5 Picks: With Peyton Manning out for the season, Houston began the 2011 season looking like the clear frontrunners to win the AFC South Division. After 4 weeks, the Texans have lived up to those expectations, but are going to need all hands on deck to clinch the first Division title in franchise history.
Going into Week 5 of the 2011 NFL season, the (3-1) Houston Texans [-6] find themselves knotted up with the 
3-1 Tennessee Titans, with both teams having a difficult task on Sunday. Get $50 in Free NFL Picks Here!
For Houston, the task just got harder, as reports indicate that stellar wide receiver, Andre Johnson, will be sidelines against the NFL Betting Odds underdog (2-2) Oakland Raiders [+6]. The Texans and Raiders are set to kick things off at 1 PM ET from Reliant Stadiu, and you can catch all the action live on CBS Sports.
It appears that Matt Schaub will have to find a new favorite target when the Silver and Black come to town. Out for an indefinite period of time, Johnson is expected to undergo a minor surgical procedure due to a right hamstring injury. The All Pro receiver suffered the injury during the second quarter of last week’s 17-10 victory over Pittsburgh.
“When Andre’s on your team, everybody tries to take him away,” said Texans head coach Gary Kubiak. “Like I said, we can’t replace Andre. We’ve got to, as a group, try to replace all the production that he adds on the field. That means everybody’s got to pick it up, and we’ll have a chance to prove it.”
My 2011 NFL Week 5 Picks for the Raiders vs Texans : If there’s one thing I know about the Raiders is that they’re going to be competitive against almost any team in the NFL. Going on the road against a top caliber team might be a good thing for Hue Jackson’s guys. With Johnson out, the Texans will be lacking big-play ability, as well as a third down go-to guy. I like the Raiders [+6] to hang around up until the end of this game and have a chance to steal the victory.
