Monday Night Football Week 9 is here, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-4) travel to face the undefeated reigning Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs (7-0). Kickoff from Arrowhead Stadium is set for 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN and Youtube TV.
Let's get to my Buccaneers vs. Chiefs props and my NFL picks for Monday Night Football.
Sam Farley's Buccaneers vs Chiefs Player Props
- Kareem Hunt Over 61.5 Rushing Yards (-110, bet365)
- Bucky Irving Under 32.5 Rushing Yards (-110, bet365)
- Cade Otton Over 48.5 Receiving Yards (-110, bet365)
- Cade Otton Anytime Touchdown (+333, bet365)
Kareem Hunt Over 61.5 Rushing Yards (-110)
The Tampa Bay defense is giving up an average of 131.6 yards per game on the ground this season. That’s pretty bad, but not as bad as what they’re doing against the pass. That said, we’re backing Kareem Hunt to hit the Over on his rushing yard total on Sunday.
The line sits at 61.5, a number that he’s gone over in three of four games. He’s also been getting a huge amount of carries, with 20+ in each of the past three games, making him a real bell cow for the time being. He’s averaging 77 rushing yards per game and has gone over his rushing yard total in two of the past three games.
Bucky Irving Under 32.5 Rushing Yards (-110)
Bucky Irving has been listed as questionable all week, but it’s expected that he plays on Sunday. He’s played well this season, but the Chiefs offer a formidable test with their defense ranked second in the NFL against the run.
The real concern for Irving is opportunity. He’s had double digit carries just twice this season, and finds himself banged up while still in a timeshare with Rachaad White and to a lesser extent, Sean Tucker.
If he doesn’t start well against this good defense, then we’re likely to see the Bucs share the workload and ride the hot hand, which might mean a quiet day for the rookie.
Cade Otton Over 48.5 Receiving Yards (-110)
Over the past two weeks, we’ve seen what has already been a good season for Cade Otton, become an excellent one. With two unfortunate injuries to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, it’s really opened up targets for the Bucs' young tight end.
Between Week 1 and Week 6, his best receiving yard line was 52, and he had a combined 163 yards. In the past two weeks, he’s had 17 catches on 20 targets for 181 yards and two touchdowns. He’s getting serious volume in this offense, and it doesn’t feel like the books have fully taken that into account yet.
Cade Otton Anytime Touchdown (+333)
We’re doubling down on Otton on Monday night. The Chiefs haven’t been great against tight ends this season, and Otton has led the team in receptions in two games since the Evans and Godwin injuries.
He’s a big bodied guy at 6”5 and has 10 red zone targets this season already. Given the volume, the chances of him scoring feels far better than the +333 odds indicate, especially if the Bucs are playing from behind and need to air it out early and often.
