By james art 
The stakes are high in Monday Night Football’s Week 9 matchup between the Buccaneers and Chiefs, especially for the former.
Tampa Bay started the year 3-1, with impressive wins over Washington, Detroit and Philadelphia. But the Bucs have lost three of their last four, and their next two opponents, the Chiefs tonight and the 49ers next Sunday, played in the Super Bowl a year ago.
The 7-0 Chiefs, on the other hand, are the only undefeated team in the NFL, but every game is full of tension when you’re eyeing a third straight Super Bowl.
In a game featuring Kansas City’s elite defense and unpredictable offense — six Chiefs, including WRs Xavier Worthy and Mecole Hardman, have rushed for TDs this year and five players have at least one receiving TD — finding value in touchdown markets anytime is a challenge.
But that won’t stop us from throwing out two of our best Buccaneers vs. Chiefs ATTD bets, one from each team, before the final game of the NFL’s Week 9 slate.
Bucky Irving All Time TD (+270) FanDuel
We’ll kick off tonight’s ATTD party with a high-risk, high-reward roll of the dice on the Bucs’ promising rookie running back.
Kansas City has allowed just four rushing TDs this year. Still, Irving feels as good a bet as anyone in the Bucs offense to find the end zone in this game.
He is listed as questionable (finger) but is expected to play a big role for Tampa Bay tonight despite his injury, which he also used in last week’s home game against division rival Atlanta.
Being on the injury report didn’t stop Irving from racking up 16 touches against Atlanta (nine rushes for 44 yards, seven catches for 40 yards). That should bode well for his potential production against Kansas City, even if he’s not quite 100 percent healthy.
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The fourth-round pick is off to a great start to his career and has scored a rushing touchdown in three of his last five games. With QB Baker Mayfield’s top red-zone targets (WR Mike Evans and Chris Godwin) sidelined, Irving should get a healthy dose of touches near the goal line.
Bucs tight end Cade Otton is coming off two great games following the injuries to Evans and Godwin. But that could work in Irving’s favor if Kansas City’s underrated running backs look to force someone other than Otten to beat this defense. Otten has 17 catches for 181 yards and 2 TDs on 20 carries over the past two weeks, both coming against the Falcons.
Between his finger injury and the tough defense he’s facing, we understand why Irving’s ATTD odds are close to 3 to 1. Still, we find him tempting at this price, especially after taking seven targets off of Mayfield, converting them in seven catches for 40 yards last Sunday.
Another reason to like Irving is his big-play ability. The former Oregon Duck has already broken off three runs of 30 yards or more and has also proven to be dangerous in the open field as a pass catcher.
On a night when Tampa Bay’s ATTD picks are slim, Irving’s potentially increased role amid his team’s injury woes shouldn’t be overlooked. He’s especially intriguing if not only Evans and Godwin, but also backup receivers Sterling Shepard and Jaylen McMillan (both listed as questionable), can’t go.
Bucky Irving All Time TD (+270): 0.25 units
Travis Kelce Anytime TD (+120) FanDuel
While Irving represents a deep piece on the Tampa Bay side, we’re going with the biggest name available in Patrick Mahomes for our best Chiefs ATTD bet.
Kelce looks poised to break out over the next few weeks after a slow start to this season. Since Kansas City drafted WR Rashee Rice in 2023, Kelce has gotten fewer looks with Rice on the field.
With Rice out the past few weeks, Kelsey has been busy, as my colleague Matt Mody pointed out, breaking down his take on the Bucs’ best players against the Chiefs in depth.
Kelce has averaged nine goals in Kansas City’s last four games.
That yielded just one TD reception for the veteran tight end with 75 career TD grabs. If he continues to get this many opportunities, he has great plus-money value to score a touchdown against a Bucs defense that has allowed the third-most passing yards in the NFL and 15 TDs through the air.
Just last week, for example, Falcons TE Kyle Pitts torched the No. 2 Bucs for four catches for 91 yards and two TDs.
Travis Kelce Anytime TD (+120): 0.75 units
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