You’ve got to feel for Chris Godwin.
The ACL injury isn’t the year-long setback it once was, but it takes a lot of commitment and hard work to make it back. Godwin suffered an ACL tear on Dec. 19. It was nothing short of remarkable that he was ready for the season opener, a 19-3 Tampa Bay win over Dallas in which the former Penn State star made three catches for 35 yards.
But Godwin suffered a strained right hamstring, the same leg that underwent surgery on for the knee injury. The Bucs announced he won’t play Sunday against the Saints. To add the proverbial insult to injury, Julio Jones was a late scratch with an ankle injury.
The Bucs are giving 2.5 at FanDuel. We like the Saints, who are playing at home, and now Tampa Bay QB Tom Brady will be without two of this favorite targets. But man to we like Mike Evans to have a monster game
Brady, who missed time in the preseason to be with his family, was a paltry 18-of-27 for 212 yards with one touchdown and one pick in the opener. It could have been the Dallas defense that forced Brady into a poor performance. It could be the missed time. It could be a combination of the two.
The Saints have an excellent defense led by ends Cameron Jordan and Marcus Davenport.
The Saints have come as close to owning Brady of late. They’ve intercepted Brady eight times while allowing six touchdowns in the last four regular-season games.
We like Brady to throw two picks in a Saints win, which means taking the over of 0.5 interceptions (-133) is looking good. With Godwin out, look for Julio Jones. He’s +130 to score a touchdown at FanDuel.
Saints win + Brady gets picked = party parlay. We’ll take Jones for a TD on the side.