NFL player prop: Godwin could key a good win

Super Wild Card Weekend concludes on Monday night with a matchup between teams heading in opposite directions. Whereas the Buccaneers won five of their last six games to capture the NFC South, the Eagles closed the regular season by losing five of six, sending them on the road to begin defending their conference crown. With Raymond James Stadium hosting a playoff game for the fourth straight year, a contributor to Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl victory there gets our backing for top prop:

The bet: Over 4½ receptions for Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin (DraftKings)

Catching passes from Tom Brady last season, Godwin cleared this number in 15 consecutive games. That stretch culminated with his 10 receptions for 85 yards in a wild-card loss to the Cowboys.

The transition to having Baker Mayfield at quarterback has understandably correlated with more volatility. But whether a product of his wife’s complaints on social media or offensive coordinator Dave Canales’ expressed commitment to involving him more, Godwin has seen his role grow in recent weeks. He has been targeted 45 times over the last five games and made this bet a winner in four of them.

Meanwhile, the Eagles have struggled to defend the pass all season, ranking next to last in yards allowed per game. Top cornerback Darius Slay is expected to return from the knee injury that caused him to miss the last month, but he’ll often be tasked with covering deep threat Mike Evans.

Running short and intermediate routes, Godwin should secure the requisite number of catches as the home-underdog Bucs try to spring the upset.