Buccaneers Best Bets vs. Washington Commanders

Cash in with some of these bets when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers face the Washington Commanders on Sunday.

River Wells | Sep 7, 2024

Aug 23, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneer quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) throws the ball against the Miami Dolphins during the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Football season is here, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a day away from kicking off their season.

The Buccaneers are set to face off against the Washington Commanders on Sunday for Week 1 of the NFL season after an offseason that saw them retain talent, reinvent the offense and draft some new rookies to contribute on both sides of the ball. They're set to face a Commanders team that has reinvented almost its entire roster, boasting a new coaching staff as well with Dan Quinn and Kilff Kingsbury. This is a young Washington team, and as a result, there are quite a few areas that the Buccaneers can exploit.

So while they do that, you can benefit. Tampa Bay is favored by 3.5 in this contest, and we have three best bets for you to lay a wager on before the Bucs play the Commanders on Saturday with prop bets and odds courtesy of FanDuel — check them out below:

Mike Evans Anytime Touchdown (+110)

Here's an easy riddle for you: What do you get when you mix the NFL's co-leader in touchdowns in 2023 with the NFL's worst passing defense in 2023?

Mike Evans was the former in that equation, and the Commanders' defense was the latter. Evans scored 13 touchdowns last year and the Commanders gave up 39 of them through the air, with a league-high 4,627 yards given up. Unfortunately for them, they kept most of their secondary from that year and they also run a lot of man coverage in Dan Quinn's defense. This is a recipe for Mike Evans to have a monster day, so don't miss out here.

Commanders First Drive Result — Punt (-110)

Jayden Daniels could well be a star in this league, and the Buccaneers don't have any pro film to watch him on. That being said, this will be his first NFL drive at true game speed, and it may go wrong for a number of reasons.

Not only will Daniels be faced with the initial black magic of Todd Bowles' defensive shells for his first NFL drive, but he'll also be piloted by offensive coordinator Kilff Kingsbury, who runs a somewhat antiquated offense with little motion or eye candy to fool defenses. Daniels could likely get his at points during the game (and running back Brian Robinson Jr. and wideout Terry McLaurin, too) but it's a safe bet here to assume that might take some time — with odds at -110, it's also low risk, so not a lot of trouble there, too.

Baker Mayfield, No Interceptions (+108)

This one goes hand in hand with what we talked about with Evans. Washington's secondary is lacking, so they're unlikely to generate an interception. Batted passes at the line and freak accidents can still happen, but I think Baker Mayfield will be locked in on Sunday.

With a new offense under Liam Coen and a permanent chip on his shoulder with something to prove, I like Baker Mayfield keeping it clean in Tampa Bay's first game. He threw just 10 interceptions last year in 17 games, and with positive odds, I think this could be a nice bet to throw down considering Tampa Bay's opponent and Mayfield's willingness to prove to everyone that last year was not a fluke.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Published Sep 7, 2024

RIVER WELLS

River Wells is a sports journalist from St. Petersburg, Florida, who has covered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since 2023. He graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Florida in 2021. You can follow him on Twitter @riverhwells.