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The NFL season is already nearly a quarter of the way through, and Week 5 kicks off Thursday Night Football with an NFC battle between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Dallas Cowboys. The Buccaneers are still searching for their first win of the season and will have to find it without starting QB Baker Mayfield, who is expected to miss 3-6 weeks.
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On the other side, the Cowboys clawed back to .500 with a win on Sunday and enter as heavy favorites as the hosts of Thursday Night Football. Let’s break down the players you should add to your DFS lineups for Thursday night’s showdown. Be sure to check out our NFL betting trends page for data and odds on every game.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Dallas Cowboys DFS Picks
| Pos | Player | Matchup | FPPG | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MVP |
 👑Dak Prescott |
TB @ DAL | 21.3 | $15,600 |
| FLEX |  CeeDee Lamb |
TB @ DAL | 30.3 | $11,800 |
| FLEX |  George Pickens |
TB @ DAL | 10.1 | $9,400 |
| FLEX |  Cowboys |
TB @ DAL | 1.5 | $4,800 |
| FLEX |  Kenneth Gainwell |
TB @ DAL | 5.3 | $4,000 |
| FLEX |  Cade Otton |
TB @ DAL | 7.7 | $4,400 |
👑 Dak Prescott, DAL/QB/MVP ($15,600)
Our captain spot for Thursday night belongs to Dak Prescott, who is off to a blazing start in his 11th season as the Cowboys’ QB. The 33-year-old ranks seventh in passing yards per game (266.3) and has done an exceptional job taking care of the football with an 8:1 TD-to-INT ratio through the first four weeks.
He is coming off a 335-yard passing day against a highly respected Texans secondary and will face another tough matchup against a Buccaneers defense that has looked strong despite the team’s record. Tampa Bay ranks inside the top 10 in fewest passing yards allowed per game, but it has struggled to limit opposing QBs’ completion percentage. The Buccaneers have allowed a 69.35% completion rate this season and now face one of the league’s most accurate QBs in Prescott, who is completing 70% of his passes.
While Tampa has done an exceptional job limiting yards through the air, the three-headed monster of Prescott, WR CeeDee Lamb, and WR George Pickens will simply be too much to handle based on what we’ve seen from the Cowboys’ offense through the first four weeks.
CeeDee Lamb, DAL/WR ($11,800)
Lamb’s historic afternoon on Sunday will be hard to follow up, but the superstar wideout could be on track for the WR triple crown after the start he’s had this season. The 27-year-old broke the Cowboys’ single-game receptions record with 17 catches against the Texans in Week 4, finishing with 189 yards through the air.
He now leads all WRs in receiving yards (498) and receptions (37), along with 4 TDs. He comes into Thursday evening with three straight games of 7+ receptions and 110+ yards and should have no trouble replicating those numbers given the volume he and Prescott are connecting at. The Buccaneers will be without star S Antoine Winfield Jr., and Lamb and the Cowboys wideouts will be able to breathe easier as a result. The former All-Pro has been pivotal in Tampa Bay’s success limiting yards through the air, primarily operating in the middle and deep parts of the secondary.
The league leader in targets should have an even easier time getting the ball on Thursday, and his elite YAC ability should be on full display. Lamb’s 159 YAC this season ranks third among all WRs.
George Pickens, DAL/WR ($9,400)
A big reason for Lamb’s success has been Pickens’ addition to this offense. While the former Steelers wideout hasn’t had nearly as much production as his counterpart, Pickens’ gravity and one-on-one success have played a big role in freeing up his teammates.
The 25-year-old had just two catches for 75 yards on Sunday, though it feels like any given week could be a breakout game for the Cowboys star. He now has 18 receptions on the season and is averaging a healthy 7.0 targets per game. While Prescott hasn’t targeted Pickens nearly as much as Lamb this season, the two have solid chemistry after last year’s breakout season for the young wideout. Pickens finished with 93 receptions, 1,429 yards, and 9 TDs in his first season with Dallas, and it’s only a matter of time before he returns to that form.
After the game Lamb just had, it would make sense for the Buccaneers to shift a bit more coverage toward him and leave Pickens in some advantageous matchups on the other side.
Dallas Cowboys D/ST ($4,800)
Dallas made heavy investments in its defense in the offseason and more recently with the acquisition of star CB Joey Porter Jr. While the unit has dealt with injuries, it’s fair to say the Cowboys haven’t seen the return on investment they hoped for early this season.
Dallas’ defense ranks toward the bottom of the league in points (28.0), passing yards (239.3), and rushing yards (150.3) allowed per game. It has just four sacks on the season and only two forced turnovers in four weeks. Despite that, Thursday could be the game where we see major improvement and a big confidence boost going forward. The Cowboys are taking on a Buccaneers offense that already ranked poorly in all major statistical categories and struggled even more in its first full game without Mayfield under center.
QB Jalon Daniels made his first career start in Sunday’s 17-14 loss, and the undrafted rookie completed 19 passes for only 148 yards. He has thrown 3 INTs in his first 30 NFL passes and will likely have a high-volume passing day if his team falls behind against the explosive Cowboys offense. Look for the Dallas defense to bother the rookie and force more mistakes from a young QB still finding his footing.
Kenneth Gainwell, TB/RB ($4,000)
One of the few bright spots for the Buccaneers this season has been RB Kenneth Gainwell. After coming over from the Steelers in the offseason, Gainwell has established himself as one of the league’s premier pass-catching RBs. He joined a crowded RB room with Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker already fighting for carries, but has become a solid option in the short passing game, where his sure hands and elite route running shine. He finished last season with the fourth-most catches among RBs (73) and has 8 receptions to start this season.
Daniels connected with Gainwell twice in his first start, with the 27-year-old finishing with 2 receptions for 22 yards and a TD. With so much competition in the run game, most of Gainwell’s production will come through the air against a Cowboys defense that has allowed 12 receptions to RBs this season. Look for Gainwell to operate in the flats and serve as a solid option for his rookie QB in times of need.
Cade Otton, TB/TE ($4,400)
Buccaneers TE Cade Otton quickly became one of Daniels’ top targets in his first start on Sunday. The veteran tight end saw the second-most targets on the team (6) and hauled in 4 receptions for a team-high 37 yards. With the Buccaneers opting to keep the playbook simple for their rookie QB, Otton served as the perfect intermediate target in the middle of the field.
Otton has a solid matchup against a Cowboys defense that has struggled against elite TEs this season. Dallas has allowed 20 combined receptions to TEs and 3 red-zone TDs to TEs over the first four weeks. Otton’s targets have been steady regardless of who is under center, and he should see an uptick with the Bucs expected to play from behind in this one.
Photo Credit: REUTERS
