Phil Agius
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The NFL schedulers cannot have been ultra-confident that the first of Monday night’s two matchups in Week 3 would be a battle of unbeaten teams, but that is what we have as the Philadelphia Eagles head to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The NFC champion Eagles have not yet looked quite like the team that reached the Super Bowl last year but they have chalked up wins over the Patriots and Vikings, with the Minnesota game coming on Thursday Night Football of Week 2, giving them an extended break before this game.
Outsiders had low expectations for the Buccaneers, but new QB Baker Mayfield has led the team to a 2-0 start against the Vikings and Bears. I’ve picked out a TD scorer play I like for each team in this NFC matchup, and be sure to also check out our NFL predictions for both Monday night games.
D’Andre Swift, RB, Philadelphia Eagles (+220 at Caesars)
The advantage of shopping around for the best price is obvious in both of these plays, with D’Andre Swift just +115 odds to score a touchdown at FanDuel, but almost twice those odds at Caesars at time of writing. Similarly, Cade Otton is just a +250 play at DraftKings, but not far from twice that price at FanDuel. Taking Swift first, it was a surprise that the former Lion was underused in Week 1, when he had only 1 carry and Kenneth Gainwell led the Eagles’ backfield, toting the rock 14 times.
Fantasy players everywhere were delighted when he was the main man in Week 2, though, converting 28 carries against the Vikings into 175 rushing yards and a touchdown. Now looking to have established himself as the featured back, Swift has a great chance to get into the end zone again on Monday.
Cade Otton, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+470 at FanDuel)
As Buccaneers’ QB-to-TE connections go, Brady to Gronkowski is still much more highly regarded than Mayfield to Otton, but the team’s second-season tight end is becoming a key piece in the offense and is 3rd in the team’s receiving yards list behind WRs Mike Evans and Chris Godwin after catching 8 of his 9 targets this season for 60 yards. He has yet to reach the end zone but has a solid chance to be in Mayfield’s thoughts when the Bucs are in scoring range.
It’s only a small sample size, but the Eagles have allowed the 2nd-most receiving yards and the most receiving TDs in the league this season to tight ends. New England’s Hunter Henry scored against Philly in Week 1, with TJ Hockenson of the Vikings grabbing 2 scores last week.
You can also check out Prop Holliday’s Eagles vs Buccaneers prop picks
