Pounce pronto on pretty prop

Week 8 in the NFL begins with the Ravens and Buccaneers. Tom Brady and Tampa Bay have been nothing short of a severe disappointment to start the season. Tonight offers a big test for this team to bounce back after an embarrassing 21-3 loss to the Panthers.

Baltimore Ravens @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Baltimore: 4-3 overall, 2-4-1 ATS, 2-5 overs Tampa Bay: 3-4 overall, 2-5 ATS, 1-6 overs

Tonight's odds: Tampa Bay -2, 46 points

There's been some curious line movement here for "Thursday Night Football," as the Ravens opened as favorites and stayed there until yesterday evening when the spread flipped to the Bucs -1. That number has now grown to Tampa Bay -2, so keep your eye on how else this moves throughout the day.

Both teams here have not been bettors' friends unless you went into the season deciding to fade the two ATS and against the total points. The Ravens and Buccaneers are both covering the spread at a rate of 33% or worse, and the under has been extremely profitable for these two.

We would lean the under here, given the trends for these two teams and their tendency to be involved in some low-scoring affairs.

Two player props for tonight

Instead of a SGP for this evening, we'll opt for two standalone prop straights in an effort to notch some wins on the board to begin the week.

Gus Edwards over 44.5 rushing yards (-110 DK)

In the first game without JK Dobbins, it was Edwards who took control of the backfield, seeing 16 carries for 66 yards and two touchdowns. This Tampa Bay run defense showed some leaks last week, allowing Carolina to rack up 181 yards on the ground between their two running backs. Baltimore is a run-heavy team, and with the Bucs allowing 4.4 yards per carry and nearly 100 yards per game to running backs, we don't need much from Edwards here. Edwards has gone over 44.5 yards in each of the last three games he's received over 12 carries, and that volume is likely in store tonight.
 
Chris Godwin over 6.5 receptions (-113 FD)

Baltimore's secondary has remained a problem area in 2022, allowing the fourth-most yards to receivers and the sixth-most receptions per game. Tom Brady needs to get this offense rolling, so the expectation on our end is plenty of Tampa Bay passing tonight. We're intrigued by Godwin's involvement lately. He's received 10+ targets in three of his last four games, including 25 targets for 13 receptions over the past two weeks. Baltimore is allowing teams to complete passes at a 67.3% rate, the ninth-highest. Godwin will be getting the ball thrown his way, and we like him to haul in seven or more tonight.

In the news ...

Eagles acquire former Pro Bowl DE Robert Quinn — Eagles GM Howie Roseman has never shied away from making a deal at the deadline, and the first move to add talent to his 6-0 Eagles was the addition of three-time Pro Bowl DE Robert Quinn from Chicago. Quinn, who had 18.5 sacks last season, will factor into a defensive line rotation in Philadelphia, and you can never have enough pass-rush talent. If we had to guess, we'd say Philly isn't done making moves, as the NFC is theirs for the taking. The Eagles are +190 to win the conference.

Paolo Banchero begins NBA career with five straight 20-point games — Orlando Magic rookie big man Paolo Banchero, the first overall pick in this year's draft, has started his career on a historic pace, piling up 20+ points in each of his first five games. Banchero is the first No. 1 overall pick to accomplish this feat since Elvin Hayes did so in 1968. There's quite a list of impressive first picks in the NBA Draft, so hats off to Banchero for slotting in immediately as an impact player for Orlando. Banchero is currently -140 to win Rookie of the Year, and at this pace, he's sure to win the award.

Aaron Boone expected to stay as Yankees manager — Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner made it clear on Wednesday that manager Aaron Boone isn't going anywhere. Boone signed a three-year extension last offseason, and it appears he's safe for at least one more season. Steinbrenner did go out and say it's time to get the job done, so the expectations in New York remain the same. A more pressing situation has arrived for the Yanks: Aaron Judge is set to enter free agency, with rumors his contract could be north of $500 million.

Today's Bark Bets is written by Griffin Carroll