Here we go with our best college football picks for this Week 4 main slate preview. 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 4 Saturday Best Picks
Below, Props.com analyst Kyle Krogstad breaks down his top college football player prop picks.
Omarion Hampton > 105.5 Rushing Yards (Sleeper)
The first play of the Saturday main slate is probably my favorite, as Omarion Hampton and the Tar Heels host James Madison. UNC brings in a 3-0 record and is a 10.5-point favorite, while James Madison is also undefeated at 2-0.
James Madison ranks 60th in the country by allowing 131 rushing yards per game. This team allowed Gardner-Webb’s starting RB to go for 87 yards on 22 carries and Charlotte’s RBs to run for 122 yards on 24 carries and are now faced with stopping the nation’s 25th-best run offense, averaging 208 yards per game. They’re running the ball 61.43% of the time, which puts them at 21st in the country.
The team is led by RB Omarion Hampton, who has 30, 11, and 25 carries so far in their first 3 games. In the matchup with 11, he left with an injury, which clearly isn’t a cause for concern here because he followed that up with a 35-carry, 210-yard, 3-TD performance. He is their bell cow and will get another 20+ carries in this one, if not more. They definitely have leaned on this run game more since their starting QB Max Johnson went down with a season-ending injury in Week 1. I think they’ll do that once again in what should be a bit tighter of a game than the past two weeks.
Lastly, this game script is perfect for what we are asking for. UNC should be ahead, but the Tar Heels have shown that they let teams hang around. Case in point, they only had a 17-10 lead after the third quarter last week against NC Central. If UNC were to get up big early and into blowout territory, it shouldn’t be because they abandoned the run game and aired it out, so regardless I think there are many paths for Omarion to have a big day on Saturday.
Darius Taylor > 15.5 Receiving Yards (PrizePicks)
Our second play is in a Big 10 showdown as Iowa heads to Minnesota on Saturday night. These teams head into this Week 4 matchup at 2-1 and Iowa is a 2.5-point road favorite, and Minnesota should be looking to get star RB Darius Taylor involved in other ways against this stout Iowa run defense.
Iowa has been very good, like always, at stopping the run. They rank 7th through 3 weeks of the season, allowing just 56 rushing yards per game. They now travel to Minnesota to take on one of the run-heaviest teams in the country — about 55% of the time the Golden Gophers will run the ball, putting them at 46th highest in the nation.
Obviously, Minnesota knows this, and I do not expect the team to abandon the run game. That’s what they do, and that’s their identity. However, I also believe they aren’t going to be able to pound the rock all night long and they’ll have to try and get Taylor involved in other ways.
Through two weeks, they’ve been doing just that. Taylor missed Week 1 due to an injury, but in the past two weeks he’s had 9 targets for 9 catches and 85 yards, so they are familiar with and feel comfortable with getting him the ball through the air. I’m not asking for a lot. We might only need one screen, but I expect a few catches from Minnesota’s star RB.
Lastly, the script, again, should be fine. I don’t expect either team to have enough offense to pull away from one another at any point in this game. I think this meeting will be close throughout and should allow Minnesota to throw whenever they choose. I think Darius Taylor stays involved in the pass game and gets home here for us.
Alex Orji > 43.5 Rushing Yards (Sleeper)
The third play of the week is on Michigan’s newly announced QB1. Not because he showed something promising, but because the other QBs on the team are brutal.
Michigan is looking to right the ship, offensively, after a rough start to the year. The fact that Orji is the new starter might suggest the Wolverines have given up on the pass game, because Orji is not going to drop back and throw it around the field. I think they’re taking the “play defense, pound the rock, control the time of possession” mindset.
That being said, Orji presents a real run threat. In a small sample, he’s averaging just under 6 yards per carry at his time at Michigan. In his first game starting for Michigan, I think he should get 10+ carries, and USC has been average against the run in their first two games of the season, allowing just over 100 yards per game. For what it’s worth, they’ve only played LSU and Utah State.
The script is a bit cause for concern, as I can see Michigan maybe going back to Davis Warren if USC gets up a few scores, but the reason for making this move at QB is because Warren was unable to secure the starting job. I don’t think head coach Sherrone Moore would start Orji if he didn’t think he could move the ball through the air. I think Michigan’s game plan will be to control the line of scrimmage and time of possession to keep USC off the field.
I believe Orji can move the ball, especially on the ground, and he will do just that to allow Michigan its best chance to not fall to 2-2 on the season.
Eric Singleton Jr. > 39.5 Receiving Yards (Sleeper)
Our fourth play of the week is on this Georgia Tech WR, as they head to Louisville to take on the #19-ranked Cardinals. The Yellow Jackets are 10.5-point underdogs.
Singleton is second on the team in yards so far through 4 games (GT played Week 0) and has gotten stronger and stronger each game. He was WR1 on this offense a year ago and is starting to come into that role again. His targets and production have been increasing each week, as he had his best game of season last week, with 8 targets for 5 catches and 102 yards.
I think Haynes King is starting to go to him a lot more and that it continues this weekend. It doesn’t hurt that Georgia Tech ranks 56th in the country in pass play percentage (48%) and that they like to throw the ball.
Talking about the Louisville defense isn’t even worth it, as they’ve throttled both teams they have played this season, beating Austin Peay 62-0, and Jax State 49-14. The Cardinals have been good versus the pass but haven’t seen anything remotely CLOSE to this Georgia Tech offense.
Lastly, the script. As always, we like to take game script into consideration. With the Yellow Jackets being 10.5-point underdogs, you’d expect they would be down or at least in a close game throughout, enough to not ever have to abandon the pass game. I expect them to have a tough time getting the run game going Saturday, which will lead them to become pass heavy.
All in all, I like Singleton in this spot and am debating laddering this up to 90-100 yards.
Jackson Arnold > 1.5 Passing TDs (Sleeper)
My last play of Week 4 is a new one. We’re backing Jackson Arnold to throw 2+ touchdowns in the game of the week Saturday night. #15 Oklahoma hosts #6 Tennessee in a HUGE Week 4 showdown. Oklahoma is a 7-point home underdog.
Now, this bet has a few different angles behind it, and none have to do with numbers. Tennessee has played 3 awful opponents and has killed each one of them, while Oklahoma has looked a bit sluggish against a few mid-tier schools (Houston / Tulane).
It’s a perfect time to back the Sooners in Arnold’s biggest game of his young career. I really trust that the Sooners will find some offensive success, more than they’ve had through a few weeks this season. They get a few starting WRs back in this game, including Nic Anderson and Andrel Anthony, who are both probable.
I think Oklahoma will be pass-happy Saturday night, as this Tennessee d-line has been fantastic against the run. Again, the Vols have played nobody, but I still think Oklahoma will try and spread it out and attack them down the field. Even down in the redzone, I think Tennessee will load up on the run, which will make Arnold beat them with his arm.
With this pick, script doesn’t necessarily matter, but if the Sooners are down big, there are always opportunities to get a late passing TD or something in garbage time. I also think if they get out to a big lead, it will probably be because they’ve hit a few of these home run plays.
I really like Arnold and I expect him to have a bit of a chip on his shoulder as a 7-point underdog. I think he puts this Oklahoma team on the map Saturday night and has a HUGE performance.
