Betting tips for 'Monday Night Football'

Week 13 of the NFL play wraps up Monday nighttime with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3.5, 40.5) hosting the New Orleans Saints astatine Raymond James Stadium (ESPN, 8:15 ET).

After an breathtaking Sunday of action, we person 1 much accidental this week to wager connected nonrecreational football. So which plays bash our analysts similar the most?

ESPN Stats & Information's Seth Walder and Football Outsiders' Aaron Schatz supply their apical plays for the matchup.

Note: Lines from Caesars Sportsbook unless different indicated.

New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3.5, 40.5)

Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET, astatine Raymond James Stadium

Tom Brady and the Buccaneers big Alvin Kamara and the Saints successful a pivotal NFC South matchup. The Buccaneers participate Monday nighttime arsenic favorites to triumph this crippled and are besides presently -430 to triumph the division. What are your thoughts connected this matchup and the NFC South race?

Schatz: At -430, it's somewhat excessively affluent for maine to instrumentality the Buccaneers to triumph the division, but I'll happily instrumentality Tampa Bay -3.5 successful this game. Tampa Bay has been amended than its grounds and presently ranks 10th successful DVOA. The defence is seventh and adjacent the walk discourtesy is inactive 10th. Tampa Bay's large issues person been luck and the moving game. Compare the Buccaneers to the Saints, who are 25th wide with an mean defence and some a mediocre discourtesy and peculiar teams. Especially considering that discourtesy is much predictive than defense, I'm going with Tampa Bay connected Monday night.

The Saints person recovered occurrence limiting Brady successful the past matchups betwixt these 2 teams. Brady's passing props for Monday nighttime are 272.5 yards and 1.5 touchdowns. Do you spot Brady having a large nighttime against the Saints oregon volition New Orleans dilatory him down erstwhile again?

Schatz: I'm not definite this is the aforesaid New Orleans defence that has done specified a bully occupation holding backmost Brady successful caller years. There are a batch of injuries. If I were a Saints instrumentality I would beryllium peculiarly disquieted astir Marshon Lattimore, who has specified a large past of slowing down Mike Evans, but besides hasn't played since Week 5. Without Lattimore, I deliberation Tampa Bay tin decidedly propulsion connected the Saints -- and they'll request to due to the fact that that moving crippled has been truthful problematic.

Rookie wide receiver Chris Olave has been 1 of the agleam spots for New Orleans this season. He presently leads each Saints receivers with 56 receptions and 822 yards connected 92 targets. Olave has the second-best likelihood to triumph Offensive Rookie of the Year (+550) and his receiving prop for Monday nighttime is 56.5 yards. Do you spot Olave having a large crippled against the Tampa Bay secondary, and tin helium walk Kenneth Walker III successful the rookie race?

Walder: Yes, and yes. First, I'll thin toward Olave getting over 60.5 yards here. My exemplary is close successful enactment with that number, but I inactive similar the implicit due to the fact that that's not incorporating our receiver tracking metrics, wherever Olave shines. Seriously! He ranks sixth successful wide people among each receivers and choky ends, trailing lone A.J. Brown, Stefon Diggs, Tyreek Hill, Tyler Lockett and Justin Jefferson. That's it. Get this antheral a quarterback! And that's besides wherefore I deliberation he's a large worth for OROY. He's already 3 times the subordinate Walker is and would easy beryllium my ballot if I had one. I'm amazed he's not the favorite.