Bucs vs. Titans Total Prediction
Fresh off their bye, the Bucs travel to Nashville on Sunday to visit the Titans at 1:00 p.m. ET. The total for this Week 8 matchup opened at 46.5 but was bet down a full point to 45.5. Should bettors follow the movement?
Game Snapshot
253 Tampa Bay Bucs (+2.5) at 254 Tennessee Titans (-2.5); O/U 45.5
1:00 p.m. ET, Sunday, October 27, 2019
Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN
Public Betting Trends
According to our NFL Football Public Betting Chart page, the Bucs are receiving 54% of the betting tickets from online sportsbooks.
Tampa Bay Bucs Fantasy Spin
O.J. Howard (hamstring) is out for Week 8 against the Titans. Howard began the week as a limited participant but was absent for both Thursday and Friday’s sessions, suggesting he suffered an injury at Wednesday’s practice. With Howard out of commission, the Bucs will turn to veteran Cameron Brate at tight end. A proven red-zone presence (22 touchdowns since the start of 2016), Brate is very much in play as a streamer at a sparse fantasy position. He’ll also carry DFS appeal as a cheap tight end flyer.
Tennessee Titans Fantasy Spin
Delanie Walker (ankle) has been ruled out for the Titans’ Week 8 matchup against the Buccaneers. Walker re-aggravated the same ankle that ended his season in 2018. This opens the door for Jonnu Smith to take on an even larger role. The Titans’ SPARQ-plug backup TE had played between 42-68% of the offense’s snaps in Weeks 1-7 before posting a season-high 83% snap rate in Week 7. Smith has flashed big-play ability for the position during his short three-year career, although stat lines of 6-44-0, 5-21-0, 2-20-0 and 2-22-0 in four career games with more than three targets don’t demonstrate a massive ceiling. Still, a matchup with the league’s 31st-ranked defense in PPR per game allowed to the TE position is tough to ignore.
NFL Betting Trends
Tampa Bay
The over is 12-4 in the Bucs’ last 16 games after accumulating more than 250 yards passing in their previous game.
Tennessee
The under is 5-1 in the Titans’ last six games after allowing less than 90 yards rushing in their previous game.
Prediction
While the Bucs have struggled to defend the pass, their front seven has done an outstanding job against the run. New coordinator Todd Bowles transitioned the Bucs to a 3-4 defense and the team has responded by holding opponents to only 2.9 yards per carry this season. The Titans, meanwhile, are averaging just 3.8 yards per carry offensively, which ranks 24th in the NFL. They’re going to have to put the ball in the air if they’re going to succeed and with Marcus Mariota on the bench, Ryan Tannehill should be effective enough pushing the ball downfield to Corey Davis and A.J. Brown. The over is 4-0 in the Bucs’ last four games overall, has cashed in 15 of their last 20 road games and is 5-2 in the Titans’ last seven home games.
NFL Week 8 Prediction: Bucs/Titans OVER 45.5