TNF Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Carolina Panthers: All You Need To Know

Game information:

Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

When: Thursday, September 12

Time/Channel: 8:20 PM ET/NFL Network

Weather: Day: 96 F, Night: 70 F

Spread: Panthers -7

Total: 49.5

Moneyline: Panthers -303, Buccaneers +260

Buccaneers @ Panthers (-7), 8:20 PM ET:

NFC South division rivals will square off on Thursday night in Week 2 of the NFL season.

Both the Buccaneers and Panthers are coming off Week 1 losses, which means they will be seeking their first win of 2019-20.

The Panthers fell at home to the Los Angeles Rams last week, 30-27.

Carolina’s defense was able to keep Rams quarterback Jared Goff in check as he only threw for 186 passing yards, but the Rams were able to run the football effectively against the Panthers.

Running back Todd Gurley totaled 97 yards on only 14 carries. As a team, the Rams piled up 166 rushing yards on 32 carries, which was good for an average of 5.2 yards per rushing attempt.

The lone bright spot in the loss was do-it-all running back Christian McCaffrey. The Stanford-product piled up 209 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns.

For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, quarterback Jameis Winston wasn’t at his best in Week 1.

Winston was intercepted three times, two of which were returned for touchdowns, in a 31-17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Tampa Bay.

The Buccaneers will need to bounce back quickly. They have lost five of their past six games to the Panthers at Bank of America Stadium.

Panthers Fantasy Star

Christian McCaffrey, RB

It’s the obvious choice, isn’t it? McCaffrey was the No. 1 running back in all of fantasy football last season, and he seems to be trending in that direction this season as well.

McCaffrey had 19 carries for 128 yards and two touchdowns to go along with 10 receptions for 81 more yards in the Panthers’ loss to the Rams in Week 1.

We all know McCaffrey is so talented, but the main reason for his success is his workload. Simply put, the guy doesn’t take plays off.

I expect the Panthers running back to have another monster game in a short week at home against a defense which allowed the second most points (29.0 ppg) in the entire NFL a year ago.

Buccaneers Fantasy Star

Chris Godwin, WR

Everyone knows who Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans is.

But what about Penn State product Chris Godwin?

The Bucs weren’t at their best in Week 1. Winston completed only 20-of-36 passes for 194 yards to go along with two three picks, but Godwin may have been the lone bright star.

Godwin hauled in three receptions on six targets for 53 yards and the lone offensive touchdown for the Bucs.

I expect the Panthers to shift most of their attention on Evans, which is why Godwin will have the big game in Week 2 against Carolina’s pass defense.