rams buccaneers player props
PHOTO CREDIT: CRAIG DUDEK

The Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers each roll into their matchup this afternoon fresh off convincing wins last weekend. Tampa Bay hosts Los Angeles at Raymond James Stadium with an extra day of rest. The Buccaneers could certainly use it, particularly given the slew of injuries the team has endured over the last several weeks. With plenty of stars on the field and a point spread that reads like a coin flip from oddsmakers, this one could be an instant classic.

Let’s take a deep dive into the best Rams vs. Buccaneers player props picks for this NFL Divisional Round matchup.

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Rams vs. Buccaneers Player Props

Cooper Kupp or Mike Evans To Have 125+ Receiving Yards

Cooper Kupp and Mike Evans are certainly not bad options to have here for a prop where either guy can reach 125 passing yards to cash the wager. Kupp led the league with 1,947 receiving yards during the regular season, good for 114.5 yards per game. Evans posted 1,035 yards in just 16 regular season games and then put up 117 receiving yards in last week’s Wild Card win over Philadelphia.

Kupp plays the leading role on the league’s fifth best passing attack, which averages 273.1 yards per game through the air. Evans was the leading receiver for the NFL’s top aerial attack, which put up 307.6 passing yards per contest. Kupp will face off against a Tampa Bay pass defense that conceded 155.3 receiving yards per game to opposing wide receivers. Evans gets to go up against the Rams’ pass defense, which allowed 168.5 yards per game through the air to opposing wideouts, the sixth most by any team.

Mike Evans did not top this prop’s requirement in any game this season, but picked a good time to have his season high by doing it in last week’s playoff game. He also topped 100 yards in the first meeting this year with Los Angeles, catching a season high eight passes on 10 targets for 106 yards. His main edge here will be the Rams’ vulnerability against opposing wideouts coupled with the absences of Antonio Brown and Chris Godwin, likely meaning more passes thrown Evans’ way. Evans will go up against a Rams’ defense that allowed seven 100-yard receivers against them this season, including four when Los Angeles was away from home.

Cooper Kupp has the most proven track record for reaching this prop’s requirement this year. Kupp topped 120 receiving yards seven times, hitting at least 125 in five of those outings. Four of those seven 120+ yard games came away from home, too. The Buccaneers allowed five wideouts to top 100 yards receiving during the regular season, including two that reached 130 yards or more. Three of the five opposing wideouts to top 100 yards against Tampa Bay did so here at Raymond James Stadium. Interestingly, a member of the Rams at the time, DeSean Jackson, tallied 120 yards against the Buccaneers when they met in Week 3.

Rob Gronkowski + Mike Evans Over 149.5 Combined Receiving Yards

We just discussed Mike Evans’ impressive effort against Los Angeles earlier this season where he caught eight of 10 targets for 106 yards. Well, in that same game, Rob Gronkowski caught four of eight passes thrown his way for 55 receiving yards, meaning that the Evans-Gronkowski combo has actually already eclipsed this prop’s requirement against the Rams this year. Of note, Chris Godwin, who is on Injured Reserve currently, played in that first meeting, absorbing seven targets, six catches, and 74 yards which can all be redistributed amongst Evans and Gronkowski this time around.

The Rams allowed four wide receiver/tight end combinations to amass 150 or more total receiving yards against them this season, while another three such pairs teamed up to compile over 140 total receiving yards. Five of those seven instances occurred when Los Angeles was on the road, including each of the last three.

Note: Be sure to check out our Bills vs. Chiefs player props

Tampa Bay produced a staggering 15 wide receiver/tight end combinations with 150 or more total receiving yards in a game and two more duos that topped 140. Evans and/or Gronkowski were part of all but one of those combinations, as Antonio Brown and O.J. Howard combined for 143 total receiving yards against Miami in Week 5. Four of the seven teams against which Tampa’s weapons combined for 140+ total receiving yards were facing the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay, including two such teams that eventually made the playoffs.

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Mike Evans and Rob Gronkowski teamed up in five different games to produce at least 150 receiving yards, while having another three games in which they partnered up to reach at least 139 combined receiving yards. Besides doing so against the Rams already, two of the teams that Evans and Gronkowski would have cashed this prop against were Buffalo and Carolina, who finished the regular season ranked first and third, respectively, in passing yards allowed. You have to imagine they will have the confidence to do so again versus just the league’s 22nd best pass-stopping group, a defense against which they already accomplished the feat.

Tom Brady Anytime Touchdown Scorer

If Tom Brady can score a touchdown in this game, this prop will pay out at around +650 odds. We think that is a fantastic return for a guy who scored one of his two rushing touchdowns this season against these Rams. Brady’s other rushing score this year came here at home against another team still alive in the playoffs, Buffalo.

Tom Brady has never been confused for a running quarterback. In fact, in 787 career rushing attempts, Brady has never had a run longer than 22 yards. He averages just 1.7 yards per carry during the regular season, dipping to 1.2 yards per rush in the postseason. However, he picks his spots carefully and wisely and almost always successfully.

Brady has proven one of the most successful short yardage quarterbacks, or maybe even rushers, in recent league history. In fact, not long ago, it was noted that Brady had produced a first down or touchdown on over 91 percent of his rushes on third or fourth down and two or less yards to go. More impressive still, there was a stretch of Brady’s career lasting over seven years during which he converted 60 of 61 such opportunities, including a run of 37 straight. He also has Bruce Arians’ and Byron Leftwich’s blessing to audible into a sneak if what he sees defensively lends to that play call.

Brady could conceivably get a couple opportunities to make that decision in this one, as the Buccaneers rushed for touchdowns from one or two yards out 11 different times this season, while Los Angeles conceded 12 rushing touchdowns of one or two yards. Further, the Rams allowed four rushing touchdowns by opposing quarterbacks, with three of those scores coming from one yard away and the other from three yards out. Oddly, all three of the one-yard quarterback rushing scores against Los Angeles came against teams playing this weekend.

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Tampa Bay’s offense drew 11 pass interference calls this season, which tied them for the eighth most in football. Seven of those were called the Buccaneers’ way here at home, tied for the NFL’s sixth highest amount. If Brady and his receivers can coax a DPI in the endzone in this one, it would set him up for some low risk, high reward sneak opportunities from the one-yard line, a play that makes a lot of sense with Leonard Fournette just returning from injury and the strength of the Rams’ defensive rush being on the outside..

Brady’s unique ability to be so insanely productive in his role as a rusher has led him to 27 regular season rushing touchdowns and another seven in the postseason. He actually had one in last season’s victory over New Orleans in this same divisional round of the playoffs. With the stakes so high, expect Brady to call his own number again if a high probability opportunity presents itself.