It’s once again time to go through our best college football picks for this Week 9 Saturday slate. We sifted through tons of daily fantasy sports picks and came up with our top CFB player props for Saturday.
Make sure to check back every week for a new article with all of our best college football player prop picks.
CFB Player Props – Week 9 Saturday Picks
Below, Props.com analyst Kyle Krogstad breaks down his top CFB player props for Week 9.
Jacurri Brown More Than 71.5 Rushing Yards
Jacurri Brown is an excellent running QB, and he’s cleared this number in both games that he’s started now that UCF has turned strictly into a run team. In the two games he’s been the UCF starter, they have run the ball 39 and 40 times. He’s had 13 and 16 attempts in those games, and should get plenty of volume.
They get #11 ranked BYU at home. In a game UCF is actually favored, I expect them to pull off an upset. The game script will be there for him to get his normal 15ish carries. BYU is an average run defense, ranked 60th in the country, allowing 145 rushing yards per game.
However, they’ve been pretty bad at defending the QB run: Oklahoma State QB’s combined for 8 carries for 96 yards, Noah Fifita from Arizona had 7 carries for 24 yards, Avery Johnson had 11 carries for 74 yards, Southern Illinois’ QBs had 15 carries for 121 yards.
Not all of those guys are dual-threat guys though. Avery Johnson and probably DJ Williams (from SIU) are the only dual-threat QBs, and they averaged 7.5 yards per carry between the two of them.
BYU also ranks 82nd in the country in sacks per game at only 1.7. That definitely helps with the negative rushing yards. In what should be a very close game, UCF should be able to keep the playbook open. Brown will get his 14+ carries and shouldn’t have any issues getting to this number.
Where to play: Jacurri Brown More Than 71.5 Rushing Yards | Sleeper Fantasy
Micah Bernard More Than 98.5 Rushing Yards
Micah Bernard comes into this game clearing this number in 4 of 7 games. Utah is a slight favorite against Houston on the road. Houston ranks 62nd against the run, allowing 146 rushing yards per game.
Bernard is averaging about 17 carries per game, for an average of 104 yards. With Utah needing a win here, they really have nowhere else to go other than the run game. I find it really hard to believe that Houston pulls away in this one and forces Utah away from the ground game, so I think 15-20 carries should be no problem.
Houston has allowed some better Big 12 RBs to gash them. Devin Neal had 108 yards, averaging over 6 yards per carry. Iowa State’s two RBs both finished right around the 100 rushing yard mark, averaging 6.9 and 9.2 yards per carry between the two of them. Corey Kiner from Cincinnati also averaged 5 yards per carry.
In a game that Utah should be playing from ahead, I think Bernard has a big game and should get around 20 carries in this one.
Where to play: Micah Bernard More Than 98.5 Rushing Yards | PrizePicks
Marcus Carroll More Than 59.5 Rushing Yards
Marcus Carroll is in a split backfield with Nate Noel. Noel is doubtful in this one, so it should be Carroll’s backfield. In the one other game Noel missed, Carroll had 15 carries for 91 yards. He can take on more than that in this one as he averaged about 23 carries per game last year at Georgia State.
Brady Cook, Mizzou’s starting QB is also doubtful, meaning Mizzou might have to turn to the run game. If Cook plays, I think he gives them a better chance to stay in the game, which also allows the run game to become more of a factor. Regardless, without Noel, Carroll should get all the carries.
Alabama has not been great against the run. They’ve given up an average of 141 rushing yards per game. Dylan Sampson just had 140 last week, Raheim Sanders had 78 two weeks ago, and Trevor Etienne had 55 (4.6 ypc) in a game Georgia trailed 28-0. USF even had success running against Bama, going for over 200 yards as a team. This is not your typical Alabama defense that allows nothing between the tackles.
Where to play: Marcus Carroll More Than 59.5 Rushing Yards | Sleeper Fantasy
Kevin Coleman More Than 69.5 Receiving Yards
Mississippi State has been a sneaky good offense the past few weeks. Michael Van Buren has given them a great boost. They’ve faced a crazy stretch of defenses in Texas, Georgia, Texas A&M, but they get a bit of relief this week with Arkansas. Arkansas has allowed 233 passing yards per game, putting them at 79th in the country. In a game with a total nearing 60, I expect them to put up points Saturday.
Kevin Coleman has been Van Buren’s favorite target. He’s also cleared this number in 5 of 7 games this season. Coleman leads the team in targets and since Van Buren has taken over, he has 10, 13, and 9 targets. I’m expecting around that 10+ volume again in this one.
Miss. State has a chance to pull off an upset in this one and I think they can. They’ve put up a good fight against some solid SEC teams and now they get a bit of a break with Arkansas at home. They haven’t won a game since Week 1, and should be ready to go in this one.
Where to play: Kevin Coleman More Than 69.5 Receiving Yards | PrizePicks
Andrew Armstrong More Than 74.5 Receiving Yards
This number is 83.5 on two other two sites, so this is a great number from Sleeper here. I’m going to run the other side of the game I mentioned above for almost all of the same reasons.
Arkansas was also just run through the SEC gauntlet. They faced Texas A&M, Tennessee, and LSU. Now they get Miss. State, who has struggled on the defensive side of the ball. They rank toward the bottom of the country in passing defense, allowing 272 passing yards per game, which is the worst in the SEC. Armstrong has also surpassed this number in four of six games this season, and is averaging over 11 targets per game.
I expect Miss. State to put up points in this one, mainly because they’ll be chasing Arkansas. I think Arkansas scores 30+ in this one, going against one of the worst passing defenses in the country.
Where to play: Andrew Armstrong More Than 74.5 Receiving Yards | Sleeper Fantasy