The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears will square off on Sunday Night Football. Both of these teams are in tight divisional races and entered in second place. The Bears are off to a 6-2 start to the season and trail the 6-1 Vikings, while the Buccaneers enter the week with a 3-5 record.
Looking at the odds for the Week 9 SNF matchup, the Bears enter as six-point favorites with -270 Moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Buccaneers hold +220 odds to get the outright victory, with the game total set at O/U 47.5 points.
There are plenty of ways to get involved in the action beyond backing a side or total. Let’s take a look at my top three favorite player props for Week 9 Sunday Night Football. For a look at where DraftKings Sportsbook customers are betting, see the latest Buccaneers vs. Bears player prop bet splits.
Buccaneers vs. Bears Odds
Buccaneers vs. Bears NFL Player Prop Bets for Sunday Night Football
Caleb Williams Over 245.5 Passing Yards (-113)
Williams has taken his game to new heights in his third season in the NFL. The former No. 1 overall pick is averaging 253.4 passing yards per game and has thrown for six touchdowns to just one interception, while adding two scores on the ground. Williams has thrown for over 245.5 passing yards in every game he has started and finished this season, and has tallied 300+ yards through the air in two of the three games since returning from his hamstring injury.
Tampa Bay has been a difficult defense to analyze this season. Through their opening eight games, the Buccaneers rank fifth in points allowed, third in total yards conceded, and ninth in passing yards allowed. However, this is at least partially inflated after limiting the Falcons to just 125 passing yards last week, with four interceptions. Baker Mayfield did not complete a pass in the victory, with weather playing a major role in the game.
But Williams faced the defending champion Seahawks last week, who have an even more stout passing defense. This did not stop him from completing 70.6% of his pass attempts for 247 passing yards. The Bears have clearly handed the full keys of the offense to the USC product, with Williams attempting 33 or more passes in every game he has played, with the exception of the matchup he exited due to injury. I’d expect plenty of opportunities through the air as Chicago continues to lean on its pass-oriented offense.
Bucky Irving Over 64.5 Rushing Yards (-114)
As Mayfield has battled injuries and has failed to perform to his expected standard, Irving has served as the foundation of the offense at a reliable rate this season. The 24-year-old has tallied 147 carries for 728 rushing yards and five touchdowns, while adding 18 receptions for 78 yards and an additional score. Tampa Bay has not been shy about leaning on him at a high rate, with Irving averaging 18.4 rushing attempts per game and 51 carries across the past two games alone. He is coming off 170 rushing yards last week and is averaging 91.0 rushing yards on the ground this season.
While Mayfield is considered good enough to play, he should not be confused with being 100% healthy. The former No. 1 overall pick has been forced to play with a special glove on his throwing hand, and the team has quietly made a clear effort to limit the responsibilities on his shoulders. He failed to complete a pass in last week’s win over the Falcons, which was partially excusable given the weather, but it still felt extreme. He also attempted just 11 passes in the previous matchup against the Panthers.
Chicago is capable of exploitation on the ground, entering the week ranking 22nd in net yards per rushing attempt allowed. The volume of opportunities that Irving is recording is too much to overlook, and he should have plenty of involvement in this game. The Oregon product is capable of breaking free for a massive gain on any given touch and has tallied 106 or more yards on the ground in three of the past four games. I’d expect this theme to continue and for the 64.5 rushing-yard line to be too low based on the expected workload.
Colston Loveland Anytime Touchdown (+160)
It was a quiet start to the season for Loveland, but he has made up for lost time. The former 10th overall pick was limited to just one reception through the opening two games of the season. Now, he has tallied 32 receptions for 306 yards, which comes out to an average of 5.3 receptions for 51.0 receiving yards per game. Loveland’s importance to the offense was further scaled up when Cole Kmet suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 7 against the Patriots.
There are plenty of weapons on this Chicago attack, but Loveland has tallied 20 catches on 28 targets over the past three weeks alone, reaching the end zone twice. This is especially notable as the Buccaneers have struggled to slow down opposing tight ends this season. Tampa Bay has allowed an average of 5.4 receptions for 56.1 receiving yards to opposing tight ends this season, with five touchdowns allowed.
Loveland’s increase in passing volume is notable, and he is especially a threat in the red zone. He has been targeted nine times in the red zone already this season with five receptions. This will be an area of the matchup that head coach Ben Johnson will surely have circled, particularly with Loveland emerging as a more prominent part of the offensive attack. I’d expect the recent uptick in opportunity to continue and back him to find the end zone for the third time in the past four games.
