Monday Night Football Betting Picks: Buccaneers at Giants
The Buccaneers and Giants close out Week 8 on Monday Night Football. The Bucs are a massive road favorite against a hapless New York Giants football team clinging to playoff hopes by the thinnest thread. Will the Giants move the football against one of the NFL’s top defenses? Here’s a preview plus Monday Night Football betting picks for the Buccaneers at Giants.
Use the RotoGrinders odds tool to compare NFL Week 8 betting lines across the online sports betting industry and determine which sportsbook is best for your MNF betting picks.
Buccaneers at Giants NFL Betting Odds
55% of bets backing Tampa Bay and 77% on the under, per ScoresAndOdds.com.
Buccaneers at Giants MNF Betting Preview
The Buccaneers sit tied atop (record-wise) the NFC South division with the New Orleans Saints after the Saints escaped Chicago with a victory on Sunday. Tom Brady and the reconfigured Bucs are getting stronger — as Leonard Fournette continues to be further engrained in the offense and Antonio Brown is slated to make his debut in Week 9. Will the Bucs need that type of firepower tonight? Well…
The Giants are pretty bad. Opening as 10-point underdogs, the Giants are offered 12.5 points currently with that number potentially climbing before kickoff. New York football houses the worst two offenses with respect to yardage — the Giants average 282.4 offensive yards per game this season. Unsurprisingly, the yardage correlates with an abysmal 17.4 offensive points per game. Daniel Jones and company will face tough sledding as the Bucs allow a league-best 291.3 yards per game.
The Giants will be without Devonta Freeman after Freeman suffered an ankle injury early in Week 7. There could be offensive line issues as OG Will Hernandez was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Check back before kickoff for any news regarding an already struggling offensive line losing additional man-power. An already inefficient Daniel Jones (61.9% completion rate, 5/7 TD/INT ratio) could struggle more against a ferocious Buccaneers defense that allows nothing on the ground and boasts a 9.09% sack rate.
The Tom Brady-led Tampa offense continues to pay dividends despite missing Chris Godwin for a better portion of the 2020 season. Godwin, out again on Monday night, broke his index finger after returning in Week 8. Scotty Miller filled in ably in his stead, putting together a 6-catch, 109-yard performance while hauling in a touchdown. Miller will look to get all that he can before the Buccaneers welcome Antonio Brown in Week 9 while Mike Evans could be more heavily used in a strong matchup.
I am looking at the running game tonight in what seems scripted to be a one-sided affair. Ronald Jones seems to now be fixed in an early-down role while Leonard Fournette seems to be the change-of-pace, third-down back. Fournette saw 18 opportunities (7 targets) in Week 7 while Jones saw 13 opportunities (2 targets). Jones scored a touchdown but Fournette saw more snaps (54.30%). Both backs are in play in DFS contests this evening if you think online sportsbooks are correct about the spread. In a blowout, the Buccaneers can lean on a stalwart defense and limit Brady’s pass attempts.
Tonight’s game feels pretty one-sided to me. Can the Giants keep this game close at home?
Monday Night Football Betting Picks
While I normally hesitate with large numbers, I can’t fathom the Giants’ offense getting anything done. In typical Monday Night Football fashion, this game might get out of hand and be a complete snoozefest in the second half. I would be pretty happy to get to bed early tonight knowing a victory is in the hands of the Buccaneers defense and a duo of talented running backs.
The Eagles sucked out last night to bail out all of us backers. We won’t need a bailout, tonight. I will lay the points on PointsBet and won’t be shocked if this number grows throughout the day. Good luck!
MNF Betting Pick: Tampa Bay Buccaneers -12.5 (PointsBet)
Buccaneers and Giants Player Props
Tom Brady Under 260.5 Passing Yards (-106)
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Tom Brady put together a massive performance against the Raiders in Week 7 but will likely not need to throw the ball that often against the Giants. In a game that played out like tonight’s script suggests, Brady only threw for 166 yards against the Packers when the Bucs’ defense overwhelmed Aaron Rodgers. Given a similar script is on tap tonight, I think Tom can coast to an easy evening in preparation for a big game on Sunday night against the Saints. I’ll take the under.
Leonard Fournette Over 19.5 Receiving Yards (+118)
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While this bet does not correlate well with the aforementioned script or prop pick, Fournette’s volume in Week 7 would be excessive for this prop. I don’t expect a back and forth game but Tom Brady will willingly check down all game if the Giants allow him to. Three to four catches may be enough to exceed this total and the price at +118 is very nice. I will grab this over.
First Touchdown Picks
Here are my first touchdown picks for Monday Night Football at DraftKings Sportsbook. DraftKings Sportsbook offers an opt-in promo for players to bet on a first touchdown and receive site credit (up to $20) if that player scores a touchdown at any point but doesn’t score first. Like last night, I am sticking on one side of the football. Let’s speculate on three Buccaneers, tonight.
Ronald Jones +750
Leonard Fournette +950
Cameron Brate +2000
Image Credit: Imagn