Bucs vs. Falcons: Thursday Night Football Picks for DFS, PrizePicks

October 3, 2024

October 3, 2024

Tampa Bay Buccaneers WRChris Godwin celebrates his touchdown catch against the Denver Broncos with running back Rachaad White an NFL game. Godwin is the Thursday Night Football Touchdown scorer pick for Bucs vs. Falcons. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)

The first full month of NFL football is over, and now we look toward an exciting Week 5 Thursday Night Football showdown. The Baker Mayfield-led Bucs travel to Atlanta to face Kirk Cousins and the Falcons on Thursday Night.

Below, we’ll take a look at some of the best Thursday Night Football picks for DFS on PrizePicks for this NFC South matchup, including a demon pick to boost your payout.

Bucs vs. Falcons Picks for Thursday Night Football

Here are the best DFS and PrizePicks picks for the Falcons vs. Buccaneers game on Thursday Night Football.

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Bucs vs. Falcons: Time, How to Watch, Location

Date: Thursday, October 3, 2024

Time: 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff

Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

How to Watch: Prime Video

Both of these teams have shown promising signs throughout the first four weeks of the season. The Falcons pulled off a win against their divisional rival Saints last week in dramatic fashion. Younghoe Koo hit a 60-yard field goal at the buzzer to beat one of the hottest teams in the league.

The Buccaneers looked dominant against an undermanned Eagles team as they allowed a total of zero yards in the first quarter. QB Baker Mayfield also scored three touchdowns while throwing for 347 yards, decimating their secondary. 

This matchup should be a good one as both teams look to have sole possession of the NFC South. There should be a lot of opportunities to cash your lineups on PrizePicks.

Falcons RB Tyler Allgeier 34.5 Rush Yards — Less

It’s very well known that Falcons RB Bijan Robinson is the lead back for this team, seeing 36 snaps compared to Tyler Allgeier’s season-high 21 in Week 4. Allgeier has gone under this projection in two of four games so far this year, and has no games over 9 carries.

The Falcons have the 19th ranked offensive line in the league. Guard Chris Lindstrom, who is arguably the Falcons best player, has given up a pressure on 9.9% of passing plays, which could put them behind the chains. 

Behind a mediocre offensive line, Allgeier will go head-to-head with Vita Vea and company that’s likely to cause chaos on this Atlanta offensive line. 

Although Tampa Bay ranks 22nd in rush yards per game allowed for 2024 (131.5 yards per game), I look for this to be a pass-centric game.

Buccaneers RB Bucky Irving 10 Rush Attempts — Less

Tampa Bay is passing on 60.5% of their plays. Simply, the Bucs offense doesn’t run the ball enough for me to consider that Bucs RB Bucky Irving will get more than ten attempts here.

Irving has only reached this projection one time over his last four games, when he had ten carries last week while the Buccaneers were up big against the Eagles. At the end of the day, Rachaad White is still the RB1 as of now. If the game is close, Bucs will look to keep him on the field.

The Tampa Bay offense also ranks 25th in rush attempts per game with 23.5 attempts per game, and 23 in away games. In what should be a close one, I do not see Irving getting around 44% of all rushing attempts.

The less for Irving rush attempts seems very appealing, especially if the Falcons can hold a lead in their home stadium, putting pressure on Mayfield to throw.

Touchdown Scorer Pick: Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin — 0.5 Rush+Rec TDs (Demon)

Bucs WR Chris Godwin sees a good amount of targets, as it’s been a 1A-1B situation in Tampa Bay this year. Godwin currently leads the duo with a 34% target share. 

The Falcons should have A.J. Terrell shadow Mike Evans for the majority of the game. Terrell has only given up 33 yards per game this year, which should allow more opportunities for Godwin out of the slot.

Godwin also ranks 3rd in PFF grade amongst all wide receivers — he’s having a fantastic year. He saw the field more than any other Bucs wide receiver last week, lining up for 66 out of 77 offensive snaps, with Evans getting 59 snaps. So far this year, Evans does have a small lead in red zone targets, 5-4.

Both receivers should get plenty of opportunities, but look for Godwin to take advantage of increased opportunities this week with less defensive line pressure on Mayfield.

Note: Demon picks add a payout boost to your lineup on PrizePicks, as they are more difficult projections to hit.

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Game Prediction: Buccaneers 31, Falcons 24

This game should bring a lot of thrill as the divisional matchup has a lot at stake, not just for the lead, but for Playoff positioning. It should be a relatively high scoring game, which I think ultimately gives the Buccaneers the edge due to better line play. 

The Falcons offense has to stay ahead of the chains on first and second down as they have proven to struggle on 3rd down conversions all year, converting just over 26%, which is 29th in the NFL

If the Falcons line led by Jake Matthews and Chris Lindstrom can limit pressure on QB Kirk Cousins — who has struggled with mobility this season, then the Falcons could pull off the win. However, it’s likely the Bucs defensive pressure gets home and forces a stop or a turnover and that will be the difference maker. 

Look for Falcons RB Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier to be used a lot in pass blocking and dump off passes a lot this game.

Make Thursday Night Football Picks on PrizePicks

Ready to build your winning lineup for Thursday Night Football? This Thursday Night Football showdown between the Falcons and Buccaneers promises exciting passing offenses leading to plenty of opportunities to cash in on PrizePicks. 

Whether you’re boosting your payout with a Demon pick, or staying safe with a Goblin pick, there’s plenty of ways to put your NFL takes into action with projections on the PrizePicks board.

Just pick more or less on two or more player projections, lock in your lineup, sit back, and stay in the green to get paid out after Thursday Night Football.

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