At Props.com, we have big plans on changing the way bettors view individual props (hence the name of the site), in terms of finding new and creative angles of game analysis and player projections.
This is especially true with college football, which offers limitless gaming opportunities in the coming months.
Which brings us to this: In advance of Props.com’s substantial launch this week, we wanted to arbitrarily present a cluster of Individual Player Props for the 2021 season, featuring seven preseason stars (in alphabetical order):
Iowa State RB Breece Hall
North Carolina QB Sam Howell
Alabama WR John Metchie III
Ohio State WR Chris Olave
Oklahoma QB Spencer Rattler
Texas A&M RB Isaiah Spiller
Liberty QB Malik Willis
Check back with us in January to see how we did with this prop projection of …
ALABAMA WR JOHN METCHIE III — OVER 10 TOUCHDOWNS
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
1) As Alabama’s No. 3 wide receiver last season (his first as a primary contributor), Metchie tallied 55 catches for 916 yards and six touchdowns. Put another way, Metchie accounted for 15 percent of the Crimson Tide’s touchdown receptions in 2020 (second only to Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith).
2) Speaking of the reigning Heisman winner, someone will have to fill Smith’s void of 24 touchdowns last year (23 receiving). Metchie certainly has the ability to do it, although he will have plenty of competition with teammatesJameson Williams (Ohio State transfer), Agiye Hall, Traeshon Bolden, Christian Leary and Ja’Corey Brooks all vying for touches.
3) New Alabama QB Bryce Young tossed only one touchdown last year in essential mop-up duty. How much of a jump in output can we expect from Young in 2021? Well, check out the first-year stats for Alabama’s most recent cluster of blue-chip quarterbacks Mac Jones (4,500 yards passing, 42 total TDs in 13 games), Tua Tagovailoa (3,966 yards passing, 48 total TDs in 15 games) and Jalen Hurts (2,780 yards passing, 36 total TDs in 15 games)
4) On the downside, Metchie not only is working with a new quarterback, but the Crimson Tide’s offense also features a new starting tailback (Brian Robinson Jr.), new starting tight end (Jahleel Billingsley) and revamped core of wideouts. Thus, it’s a reasonable assumption that Alabama won’t replicate last year’s insane output of 48.5 points per game (which ranked 2nd nationally).
5) Metchie could be the first receiver off the board in next year’s NFL draft. For comparison sake, here’s how the first wideout selected from the last five drafts fared in their final collegiate season: LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase (85 catches, 1,785 yards, 20 TDs in 2020); Alabama’s Henry Ruggs III (40 catches, 746 yards, 8 total TDs in 2019); Oklahoma’s Marquise Brown (75 catches, 1,318 yards, 10 TDs in 2018); Maryland’s D.J. Moore (80 catches, 1,033 yards, 9 total TDs in 2017); and Western Michigan’s Corey Davis (97 catches, 1,500 yards, 19 TDs in 2016).