NFL Monday Night Football Player Props (Week 9): Chiefs vs. Buccaneers
The NFL wraps up with an interconference matchup between the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs hosting the 4-4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium during Monday Night Football.
Kansas City is set to face one of the league’s most porous defensive units in 2024, while Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers’ short-handed offense will have an uphill battle against a Chiefs defense allowing the third-fewest points (123) and fifth-fewest yards per play (5.1) this season. Both wide receiving corps are banged up, with Chiefs wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster and Tampa Bay wideout Mike Evans both nursing hamstring injuries. Bucs wideout Chris Godwin is done for the year, while Mayfield’s remaining wideouts, Jalen McMillan and Sterling Shepard, are also tagged as questionable with hamstring injuries.
My NFL Monday Night Football Player Props (Week 8) went 1-1, with Najee Harris soaring over his 62.5 rushing yards, finishing with 114 yards, while Wan’Dale Robinson finished with five receptions for 30 receiving yards, falling short of going over 37.5 receiving yards during a 26-18 win by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
I’m back with two more NFL Monday Night Football player props to bet ahead of tonight’s matchup between the Chiefs and Buccaneers. Follow me on X at Matt_MacKay_ for more NFL free bets and weekly analysis.
NFL MNF Week 9 Player Props
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
DeAndre Hopkins O 3.5 Receptions (-138)
Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes have a great opportunity to build rapport with newly acquired veteran wideout DeAndre Hopkins against a porous Tampa Bay secondary on Monday night. Hopkins was quiet in his debut with the Chiefs, finishing with two receptions for 29 yards on three targets, however, Las Vegas is a top-ten pass defense in yards allowed per attempt.
Tonight’s matchup is much softer, with the Buccaneers allowing 6.4 net yards per pass attempt, seventh-most in the NFL. JuJu Smith-Schuster remains out and this leaves rookie wideout Xavier Worthy, Justin Watson, and Mecole Hardman. Expect Hopkins to see anywhere from five to ten targets on Monday night, finishing with over 3.5 receptions at -138 odds.
In Tennessee, Hopkins finished with four or more receptions in two of six games, playing within a much worse offense. Let’s lay a bit of juice and bet a unit on Hopkins’ total receptions player prop while watching him and Mahomes provide some explosive plays at home to cash over 3.5 total receptions.
Kareem Hunt O 63.5 Rushing Yards (-110)
We’re sticking with the Chiefs offense and targeting Kansas City’s RB1, Kareem Hunt, to finish with over 63.5 rushing yards against Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers have allowed 129 and 244 rushing yards to Baltimore and Atlanta in two consecutive games, while surrendering 5.2 YPC, tied for worst in the league alongside the New York Giants.
Hunt has been fed 21-27 carries in three straight games for the Chiefs, so even if his workload gets cut down to 15-18, his efficiency running behind one of the league’s best run-blocking lines cannot be ignored. At -110 odds, we’re grabbing good value on Hunt to go over 63.5 rushing yards for the fourth time in five games with Kansas City this season.
Hunt finished with 21-59-1 against the Raiders in Week 8, however, Las Vegas allows 4.5 YPC, marginally better than Tampa Bay. Factor in a likely early lead for Kansas City, and we could wind up seeing Hunt soar over 63.5 rushing yards, so let’s stake a unit on this prop at -110 odds.
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Matthew MacKay is a featured writer for BettingPros and FantasyPros. For more from Matthew, check out his archive and follow him @Matt_MacKay_.