With so many other stars on this offense, Buccaneers WR Jalen McMillan is being overlooked. But the third-round pick is running the furthest routes of all Tampa receivers and has cemented himself as the No. 2 receiver in this offense. He has 134 yards and three TDs over his last two games and has set season/career-highs in yardage in consecutive weeks. There might be even more room for targets this week as the Bucs have some injuries. Otton was a DNP at practice on Thursday, and he had 17 targets over the last four games. Trey Palmer was also a DNP this week with an illness, and Sterling Shepard is nursing a foot injury. Fellow rookie Bucky Irving has also been limited this week. There could potentially be an extra 10 targets available Sunday when you add in the increased pass rate that an indoor game also brings.
Lamb has scored touchdowns in back-to-back games coming into Sunday night football and this showdown stinks like a shootout. Lamb’s 17 red zone targets are the eighth most among WRs but he doesn’t have to be inside the 20 to score. Tampa has allowed a ton of home run balls as well – that’s compounded by a slew of injuries at the safety position.
Tampa Bay has trouble slowing down the passing game and has allowed 44 receptions of 20+ yards, including seven for 40+. Luckily, the Bucs can counter those shortcomings with yardage of their own. The Buccaneers have broken out for big scores during this winning streak, averaging 31 points per game. Tampa Bay has a downfield threat with Baker Mayfield and WR Mike Evans, which works well against the aggressive zone schemes of Cowboys coordinator Mike Zimmer but can really stick it to the Dallas defense with standout rookie RB Bucky Irving and shifty back Rashaad White. Dallas ranks as the worst run-stop unit in the NFL, sitting dead last in EPA allowed per handoff, 26th in opponent success rate per run, and 28th in yards allowed per carry.