Closing down the Week 9 NFL Sunday slate, Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears will face off with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in this primetime matchup.
Both teams find themselves in the midst of competitive divisional races, and this is a valuable opportunity to pick up a win to help with this outlook. Each side has also been forced to survive some time without their starting quarterback this season. But Williams and Baker Mayfield are back healthy and will be eager to square off with the stakes in mind.
Looking at the odds for this Sunday Night Football matchup, the Bears enter as six-point home favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook. The Buccaneers are +220 to pull off the upset, with the game total set at 47.5 points.
There are plenty of ways to get involved in the action at DraftKings Sportsbook. You can also check out game previews and plenty more on DraftKings Network. But for now, let’s look at my top Caleb Williams prop bet for this matchup.
Caleb Williams Passing Yards Pick vs. Buccaneers
Caleb Williams Over 245.5 Passing Yards (-113)
It feels as if it is all coming together for Caleb Williams in his third season at the NFL level. Head coach Ben Johnson has trusted the former number one overall pick with a larger workload, and Williams has largely delivered this year. Through his first five games with passing statistics, the USC product is averaging 253.4 passing yards per game with six touchdowns and one interception. He has thrown for over 245.5 passing yards in four of those five games and 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 year. Through its 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 Michael Penix Jr. and the Falcons to 125 passing yards and four interceptions last week. The weather was a major storyline in this matchup, with Baker Mayfield failing to complete a pass in the game.
Joe Burrow threw for 254 yards against this Buccaneers defense in the season opener, Deshaun Watson tallied 238 passing yards in Week 2, and Dak Prescott threw for 316 passing yards against Tampa Bay as a few examples of the success that is possible. There is a fair argument that the Bears are the most dangerous offense of all the teams mentioned. Chicago ranks eighth in points scored and third in total yards, while being forced to play without Williams in three of its eight games.
Williams and the Bears faced off against the defending champion Seattle Seahawks last week, who possess an even stronger pass defense. But this did not stop the 24-year-old from completing 70.6% of his pass attempts for 247 passing yards. Chicago leans on its franchise face as the foundation of its offense, and he should see plenty of opportunities tonight.
Expect the high volume of opportunities in Chicago’s pass-oriented attack to pave the way for Williams to surpass this prop line once again. Tampa Bay’s defense is not strong enough to deter the outlook for the Bears’ star. With that in mind, let’s back him to record over 245.5 passing yards for the fifth time this season.
