Buccaneers vs Cowboys Predictions, Picks, Odds & Betting Guide
It's hard to believe, but we've already reached Week 5 in the 2026 NFL season, and it gets started tonight with an NFC matchup between the Buccaneers and Cowboys on Thursday Night Football. It's been a horror start for the Bucs, who are 0-4 and will be without quarterback Baker Mayfield for the next few weeks. As for the Cowboys, they are 2-2 but just earned a huge comeback victory over the Texans, while their offense is seemingly scoring for fun.
Buccaneers vs Cowboys kicks off at 8:15 PM ET live on Amazon Prime Video, and we've got you covered for all your betting needs right here. You can find out our expert NFL picks on the side and total from pro NFL bettor Chris Farley, who is on a 14-4 run with his predictions. Prop Holliday has delivered his best NFL player prop bets for TNF, while JutPicks has his anytime touchdown scorer predictions and is looking to build on recent winners at +400, +330, +280 and +250 odds! We've also got a Bucs vs Cowboys Same Game Parlay at +700 odds! Let’s get into it.
Buccaneers vs Cowboys Latest Odds
Odds courtesy of bet365 and available at 8:30 AM ET on Thursday, October 8. Find out the latest NFL odds for every Week 5 matchup.
Money Line: Buccaneers (+365) vs Cowboys (-480)
Point Spread: Buccaneers +8.5 (-111) vs Cowboys -8.5 (-109)
Game Totals: Over 48.5 (-107), Under 48.5 (-113)
Bucs vs Cowboys Predictions & Picks
Chris Farley’s Buccaneers vs Cowboys Spread Pick: Cowboys -8.5 (-105)
The Cowboys earned a huge comeback victory over the Texans last Sunday, and they should ride that wave of motivation here and have little issue beating the Bucs, who looked pedestrian on offense against Green Bay with Jalon Daniels under center.
Chris Farley’s Bucs vs Cowboys Total Prediction: Over 47.5 (-105)
The Bucs' offense has struggled this season, but given the Cowboys have found it tough to generate sacks, we could finally see this Tampa team move the chains, especially since Dallas is allowing 28 ppg this season. Tampa's defense has struggled mightil yagainst the pass, which is bad news against Dak and Lamb. This has all the makings of a shootout.
Read pro NFL bettor Chris Farley's full analysis for his Bucs vs Cowboys predictions - he's on a red-hot 14-4 run!
Buccaneers vs Cowboys Player Prop Bets
Best Bucs vs Cowboys Player Prop Bet: George Pickens (DAL) Over 4.5 Receptions (-105)
Last week against the Texans, CeeDee Lamb exploded for 12 targets, leaving Pickens as an outlier of just three. My expectation for Thursday night is they swing the volume the other way to Pickens, or at least more in line with his base figure of 6-8 targets this season. Last season, his median targets in a game were nine, so we're getting a Pickens reception line at a favorable number.
Get the full analysis for Bobby Stanley's best Buccaneers vs Cowboys player prop bets, including another pick on Jalon Daniels
Buccaneers vs Cowboys Touchdown Scorer Best Bet: Chris Godwin (TB) Anytime Touchdown Scorer (+500)
Jalon Daniels, an undrafted rookie, fared better than expected in his first start of the season last week. He completed 19 of 27 passes, with veteran Chris Godwin reeling in six of seven targets. In a likely trailing game script against the high-powered offense of the Cowboys, Daniels should lean on Godwin again.
After recent winners at +400, +330, +280 +250 and +220 odds, get Justin Martin's Buccaneers vs Cowboys touchdown scorer best bets for TNF tonight
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Dallas Cowboys Same Game Parlay
Cowboys -8.5 over Bucs (-115)
The Bucs stink – especially without Baker Mayfield, who remains sidelined by a dislocated thumb. Although they have been competitive in every single game, they have not exactly been facing great teams, and they are finally going up against a team with a dynamic offense. Dallas ranks second in the NFL in scoring at 30.5 points per game and is averaging 34.0 ppg over its last three outings. Can a team quarterbacked by an undrafted rookie compete with that – on the road, no less?
Javonte Williams (DAL) to Record 20+ Rushing Attempts (+160)
As the spread indicates, Dallas will likely be leading this game from start to finish. If that’s the case, Prescott should be handing the ball off to Williams early and often – especially in the second half as they presumably try to run the clock. The former North Carolina standout has rushed 19 times in each of the last two contests, which resulted in a 34-31 loss to Baltimore and a 34-30 victory over Houston.
Jalon Daniels (TB) Over 181.5 Passing Yards (-111)
Is Daniels suddenly going to set the world on fire in his second NFL start? No, but he could exceed his yardage quota simply by default. If the Kansas product is playing from behind the entire night, he will have no choice but to attempt a ton of passes. The Cowboys’ defense is mediocre at best, too, so this is a favorable matchup for Daniels. Dallas is #24 league-wide against the pass (239.3 yards per game) after finishing dead last in that department a season ago.
Bucs vs Cowboys SGP odds: +700
Read our full expert analysis for our Bucs vs Cowboys Same Game Parlay - our expert cashed their +750 TNF SGP and +650 MNF SGP last week!
NFL Week 5 Picks
Check out our expert NFL predictions for the Week 5 matchups below:
- Buccaneers vs Cowboys TNF predictions
- Texans vs Titans predictions
- Bengals vs Dolphins predictions
- Colts vs Steelers predictions
- Giants vs Commanders predictions
- Browns vs Jets predictions
- Vikings vs Saints predictions
- 49ers vs Seahawks predictions
- Ravens vs Falcons SNF predictions
- Bills vs Rams MNF predictions
