Morning Coffee: Bucs, Falcons set for NFC South showdown on TSN

Congratulations to the Detroit Tigers and their fans.

In a span of less than two months, the Tigers went from outside of a playoff spot looking in, to a trip to the American League Division Series.

Despite being the underdog in both games, Detroit swept the Houston Astros to win their first postseason series since 2013.

The Tigers became just the fourth team in MLB history to win a playoff series after being 10 or more games back of a postseason spot in August or later.

Next up, they’ll face another difficult test against the Cleveland Guardians in the ALDS.

It’s worth noting that Detroit to win the World Series is down to +1200 from +3000 at FanDuel since Monday, and while they’re +108 to beat the Guardians that’s also a shorter price than the Tigers had to beat Houston.

Yes, I’m saying there’s a chance.

Elsewhere, the Kansas City Royals and San Diego Padres booked their trips to the divisional round with sweeps in their respective wild-card series.

The New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers are the only wild-card teams that will go the distance with a Game 3 set for tonight.

The Brewers are a -130 moneyline favourite at FanDuel. The Mets are +110 to pull off another upset win.

Meanwhile, the MLB postseason will have to get the second-screen treatment tonight as Week 5 of the NFL season kicks off with an NFC South showdown between the Atlanta Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Falcons could be found at -2.5 at FanDuel less than 24 hours ago, but that number is down to Atlanta -1.5 this morning.

After beginning the week with back-to-back winners in this column, we’ll look to stay hot with a FanDuel Best Bet for Thursday Night Football.

After starting the week with back-to-back winners, we’ll look to stay hot with another FanDuel Best Bet for Thursday Night Football.

This is the Morning Coffee for Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024.

Falcons set for NFC South showdown on Thursday Night Football

It wouldn’t shock me if the three-time defending NFC South champion Buccaneers felt like they didn’t get the respect they deserved heading into this season.

After all, it was the Falcons that were the favourite to win the NFC South at FanDuel entering Week 1.

Atlanta remains the top choice to win its division at +165. Tampa Bay is a close second choice to win the NFC South at +195 this morning.

The Buccaneers are looking to start 4-1 or better for just the sixth time in franchise history.

A win in Atlanta tonight would give Tampa Bay a two-game lead on the Falcons atop the NFC South.

The Buccaneers have thrived in this role in recent years.

Tampa Bay’s seven outright wins as an underdog since the start of last season is tied for the most in the NFL over that span.

Meanwhile, the Falcons have been in every one of their games through the first four weeks of the season. Atlanta is 2-2, with all four games decided by one score.

For my FanDuel Best Bet, I’ve circled Buccaneers veteran running back Rachaad White in what could be a decent value spot.

Tampa Bay’s rookie running back Bucky Irving has outplayed White through the first four weeks.

Irving has averaged 50.8 rushing yards on 8.8 carries. White has averaged 28.5 rushing yards on 10.3 carries.

Despite those early numbers, head coach Todd Bowles has stressed the importance of getting both running backs carries.

On a short week, I believe we will see White and Irving featured heavily against an Atlanta defence that has allowed 145.5 rushing yards per game this season – the seventh-highest mark in the NFL.

The fact that Irving has outperformed White to this point has led to significant movement in the rushing yards props for both players.

Irving’s rushing yards prop is up to 44.5 at FanDuel – the highest number he’s had in any game this season.

White’s rushing yards prop is down to 34.5 at FanDuel – the lowest number he’s had in any game this season.

At the same time, the rushing attempts prop for both players is currently 9.5 at FanDuel.

Again, Bowles has stressed the importance of both players getting a decent workload, and that should certainly be the case this week against an Atlanta defence that has a very good secondary but is susceptible against the run.

Factor in the absence of injured Falcons linebacker Troy Anderson and all of the pieces are in place for Tampa Bay’s running back tandem to put up big numbers on the ground.

White to record 25-plus rushing yards is -225 at FanDuel. Irving to record 25-plus rushing yards is -420 at FanDuel.

There is value with White to record 25-plus rushing yards compared to his counterpart at the same number.

On the other side of the football, Drake London has recorded exactly six receptions and at least 54 receiving yards in three straight games. When these teams met in Atlanta last year, London went off for 172 receiving yards on 10 receptions.

That was after he had 54 receiving yards on six receptions in Tampa Bay in the initial meeting. Desmond Ridder was the Falcons quarterback in both games.

While Darnell Mooney and Ray-Ray McCloud III have been solid for Atlanta early on, there’s no doubt that London is the alpha receiver on this roster.

A Same Game Parlay with White to record 25-plus rushing yards and London to record 40+ receiving yards could be found at FanDuel at -112 odds this morning.

I’ll lock in that SGP as my FanDuel Best Bet for Thursday Night Football.

Enjoy the game, everyone!