Injuries have a way of derailing prime-time games in the NFL, and that's the agains case this week with the Buccaneers visiting the Cowboys for Thursday Night Football in Week 5. Dallas is an 8.5-point favorite, adn the Over/Under is 8.5 in the latest Buccaneers vs. Cowboys odds. Get a $55 bonus after $25 in trades by claiming the latest Kalshi promo code CBSSPORTS55 here:
The Buccaneers are big underdogs, which makes sense with Baker Mayfield out with a thumb injury and Jalon Daniels taking over under center for Tampa Bay. Todd Bowles' squad is 0-4 in what is quickly becoming a disastrous season. The Cowboys haven't been the perfect Super Bowl contender many expected because of their defense, but the offense is humming and a big prime-time win would go a long way toward their quest to win the division, which looks extremely winnable thanks to injuries that have affected the rest of the NFC East. Wager on the NFL with the latest FanDuel promo code and get up to $250 in bonus bets:
Best bets for Thursday Night Football
Over 47.5
Overs on short weeks are always a little dicey, but prime-time Overs have been good to us the past few games and we're going back to the well. I lean toward the Bucs against the spread, but I don't want to be in the helpless position of praying that Daniels can storm through the back door or hoping Tampa doesn't give up a garbage-time bomb to Dak Prescott and this lethal Dallas offense. Instead, we'll back the Over with a team in Dallas that is very good at scoring but has been very bad at stopping teams from scoring. We saw a backup in Marcus Mariota put on a show in the second half of a game just a few weeks ago, and Dallas has gone Over this number every single week so far this season. It's asking quite a bit from Daniels to produce, but the Bucs are desperate and I don't see them slowing down the Cowboys. They've got to win by scoring here.
Thursday Night Football player props
Emeka Egbuka Over 33.5 receiving yards (-114, FanDuel)
This is NOT for the faint of heart, because Egbuka has been a significant disappointment this season after a hot start as a rookie last year. And now he's playing with Daniels under center and Joey Porter, Jr., in town, likely giving him at least some sort of shadow coverage. But this line is SO low. Even off a brutal two-catch, 13-yard game last week with a backup throwing him the ball, I'm bullish enough on this number because of the game environment: the Cowboys are one of -- if not the -- best offenses in football and are going to score plenty of points. The Bucs will be forced to throw, and the volume should be there for Egbuka to get over this measly number.
Jake Ferguson Under 3.5 receptions (-114, FanDuel)
Maybe this backfires and we end up getting a big-time tight end game on Thursday night in Dallas. But right now the volume simply isn't there for Ferguson, who has 15 total targets on the year. That's less than four a game, and we're just talking targets there, not even catches, folks. I wouldn't be shocked if he scored, because Ferguson has three touchdowns on his 12 catches for the season and is a major red-zone threat. But a touchdown isn't worth any more than a normal catch, and if this is a blowout I don't think Ferguson will get extra targets as the Cowboys look to salt this thing away in the run game. Bet on NFL player props and more at BetMGM using the promo code CBSSPORTS for up to $1,500 in bonus bets:
Thursday Night Football anytime touchdowns
Bucky Irving (+190, DraftKings)
Irving's usage has been great this season, but without Baker Mayfield under center, his double dipping with the receiving game took a nose dive. And as a result, we're seeing a pretty hefty price on his anytime touchdown number at nearly 2-1. The Cowboys defense has been pretty horrendous to start the season and has ceded a touchdown to a running back in every game but the Week 2 matchup against a depleted Commanders offense that was missing Jayden Daniels for a half and playing catchup. The carries should be there without a problem, let's just have Bucky find paydirt.
George Pickens (+120, DraftKings)
Why is this number so low?!?! Pickens has been non-existent this season -- he has the same number of red-zone targets as Kenneth Gainwell does. I think it's because this is a perfect game to get old Georgie into the end zone. The Tampa defense isn't very good on the back end, Pickens hasn't scored yet this season, and with Lamb going off every week, there's got to be something brewing. Get Pickens a prime-time touchdown at home this week and everything will be good to go. It's a Pickens week. Just feels right.
