Dallas Cowboys vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Matchup Preview (9/9/21): Betting Odds, Depth Charts, Live Stream (Watch Online)

Tom Brady is 44 years old. 44-year-old quarterbacks are supposed to be pursuing broadcasting positions, working on their own media content, or making their way into the coaching ranks. 44-year-old quarterbacks are not supposed to be coming off a Super Bowl win that came after playing the entire season with a torn MCL on a new team that didn’t have the benefit of developing chemistry before the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tom Brady quite simply does not care what is expected of him. He continues to put his head down and prove all of his doubters wrong.

Brady hasn’t done it alone in Tampa Bay, though. The Buccaneers have surrounded him with arguably the best skill position group of his entire long career. Mike Evans has over 1,000 yards in all seven of his NFL seasons. Chris Godwin is only two years removed from a monstrous 86-1,333-9 season. Antonio Brown is one of the best receivers of our current generation and could turn back the clock again this season. Even Rob Gronkowski, Cameron Brate, and O.J. Howard provides pass-catching versatility to Brady.

The running backs for Tampa Bay are less inspiring, although Leonard Fournette was a force in the playoffs this past season – he had 64 carries for 300 yards (4.7 YPC) and 3 touchdowns overall. Ronald Jones, meanwhile, led the team during the regular season with 192 carries for 978 yards and 7 touchdowns. Giovani Bernard’s introduction to this offense means fewer pass-catching opportunities for Fournette and Jones. The Buccaneers’ offensive line remains one of the best in the NFL and should be again this season. Donovan Smith is a lockdown left tackle, Ali Marpet, Ryan Jensen, and Alex Capa is mainstays in the interior, and Tristan Wirfs should be even better in his second season.

Defensively, the Buccaneers are in a completely different stratosphere from the Cowboys. Tampa ranked top ten in both points allowed and yards allowed last season and first in yards and touchdowns allowed on the ground. The defensive line is stacked with talent from pass-rushers Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaquil Barrett to nose tackles Vita Vea and Ndamukong Suh. Lavonte David is arguably a future Hall of Famer, and Devin White is quickly evolving into one of the best linebackers in the league. Even the secondary is stacked with talent, especially in second-year safety Antoine Winfield Jr.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Depth Chart

QB: Tom Brady
RB1: Ronald Jones II
RB2: Leonard Fournette
WR1: Chris Godwin
WR2: Mike Evans
WR3: Antonio Brown
TE1: Rob Gronkowski
TE2: O.J. Howard

Cowboys vs. Buccaneers Betting Corner

The Cowboys have won seven of the last ten meetings between these two teams, but Vegas certainly expects recent history to be flipped in this matchup. It’s hard to disagree as the Buccaneers have the better roster top-to-bottom and the better coaching staff as Bruce Arians has outclassed Mike McCarthy in the past. Dallas’s secondary doesn’t have the quality to reasonably keep Tampa’s elite receivers in check. The front seven doesn’t have enough juice outside of DeMarcus Lawrence to put pressure on Tom Brady behind a high-quality offensive line. I have high hopes for Micah Parsons, but he’s not enough to turn this Cowboys defense on its head right away.

I’m fine taking the Buccaneers to cover in this game, even by over a touchdown, and I would include their Money Line in some Week 1 parlays. In this game, I would also lean towards the under as both teams could be shaking off a bit of rust, particularly the Cowboys with Dak Prescott. The total has gone under in 8 of the last 10 meetings between these teams, and the potential for rainy skies in Tampa also has me leaning towards a lower-scoring game.

My Predictions: Buccaneers win 30-20, Buccaneers cover, under 51.5 points

Cowboys vs. Buccaneers Daily Fantasy Picks

This game is on Thursday night and not part of the main slate, so you’re looking at putting together a lineup for the DraftKings Shodown or FanDuel single-game offerings. First, you need to pick your Captain on DraftKings or MVP on FanDuel, the player who will get a 1.5x multiplier to his points.

I’d be looking for someone from Tampa for this spot as I’m projecting them to be the much higher-scoring team, and Tom Brady may be the best option. Mike Evans could also be a good bet as a player who’s capable of scoring two or more touchdowns in any given game. Depending on who has the hot hand, Ronald Jones or Leonard Fournette could have a huge game here as well.

On the Cowboys side, I’d be a bit wary of Dak Prescott in his first game back from the injury and Ezekiel Elliott against arguably the best run defense in the NFL. However, you’re safe in spending up on either CeeDee Lamb or Amari Cooper, and I think Michael Gallup provides excellent value, as well.