Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) @ New Orleans Saints (2-1) Best Lines Available

Bucs (+160) @ Saints (-166): O/U 39.5
Bucs +3.5 (-110), Saints -3 (-118)

Writer’s Record:
Bet: 7-8 -1.89u
Lean: 6-4 +2.3u

Two teams that have been somewhat pleasant surprises this season, and that definitely goes double for Tampa Bay. Baker Mayfield seems to just barely be holding it together with a star-studded receiving corps, and if they keep it up they may just find themselves making a postseason run. There’s a long way to go, but between the receiving weapons and defense left over from the Tom Brady days, there’s actually some reason to be optimistic that they can hang in and have a good season. The Saints are waiting to see if starting QB Derek Carr can play through his shoulder injury.

Main Storylines to Watch

Buyers or Sellers? The Bucs felt like “the leftovers” to begin the season as the (perhaps) greatest quarterback of all time decided to finally hang up his cleats this past offseason. There is still plenty of talent there with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and a solid run defense. Will they continue to compete or will a string of losses convince them to start selling off pieces to start the rebuild? We’re several weeks away from knowing an answer here, but this game will be one step on this journey.

Will Derek Carr play or will we get Jameis Winston? As of the writing of this article, Derek Carr is miraculously trending towards playing. That seemed like a very slim chance just a few days ago, but he appears to be unbothered by his shoulder injury in practice. Could this be posturing by the Saints and their beat writers? Maybe. If he does play, will he be fully healthy? Unknowable. The injury did not look good when it happened, but the quick recovery and confirmation that he wasn’t seriously injured have to give managers some solace. Their lone loss this season came in a terrible meltdown without their starting QB as Jameis Winston failed to lead them to a score in the fourth quarter and they blew a 17-point fourth-quarter lead. His absence would be a huge loss for this Saints team.

Alvin Kamara’s return: We’ve been waiting for this day, but how will he look after not playing in a game situation for a full month? Will he take some time to get accustomed to everything or hit his stride right away? It’s tough to say, but this certainly gives the Saints offense a boost.

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