College Football Player Props & Best Bets: Tyson Leads Arizona State Air Raid

Prop bet #1: Kaden Feagin 80+ rushing yards

Best odds: +100 at DraftKings

If you aren’t familiar with Kaden Feagin’s game and consider yourself a fan of college football … well, those two things simply aren’t compatible. 

The 6-foot-3, 253-pound back is more than just a bruiser, checking in at No. 24 on Bruce Feldman’s (The Athletic) Freak List. He’s an athletic marvel capable of jumping 39 inches and running 21 mph. In layman’s terms, he’s capable of running right through your face, jumping over you, or outsprinting you. 

He’s in the right system to be a productive running back, as Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema nearly always has a 1,000-yard rusher in the backfield. Last year was an exception to the rule as injuries and ineffectiveness dominated the storyline, but Feagin is poised to be the next mega-productive back under Bielema in 2024. 

As a true freshman, the precocious ball carrier burst onto the scene with 95 carries for 438 yards. He’s the lead back this year and will be the focal point of the offense. That was clear in Week 1 when he racked up 108 rushing yards and a score on 16 carries. 

He gets a matchup against the Kansas Jayhawks in one of the weekend’s more intriguing games. The Jayhawks are elite offensively but have questions on the defensive end, especially along the line, where they lost five players who started a game last year. 

Kansas ranked 102nd in EPA per rush and 101st in rushing success rate, and the defensive front was already a weakness (105th in front-seven havoc, 125th in stuff rate). I expect the Illini to feed their best offensive player at home in a competitive game.

Prop bet #2: Jordyn Tyson 50+ receiving yards

Best odds: -105 at DraftKings

Lots of offense is expected in the night game between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the Arizona State Sun Devils in Tempe. The total is hovering around 58.5 and 59 as of early Friday morning, in a game featuring two offensive-minded head coaches in Jeff Lebby and Kenny Dillingham. 

Lebby, in particular, stands out as he wants his offense to operate at warp speed. The Bulldogs snapped the ball 2.59 times per minute in Week 1, which ranked 16th nationally and could have been even higher if it wasn’t a 56-7 blowout of an FCS team. 

This game style will lead to some shootouts and plenty of offensive fireworks. The Sun Devils will look to take advantage of this game script after looking like a well-oiled machine in the opener, demolishing Wyoming 48-7 while posting 499 total yards of offense on 7.0 yards per play. 

Their WR1 this year should be Jordyn Tyson, who led the team with eight targets in Week 1. No other player had more than three, and the vacancy is there for the speedster to be the alpha of the group. He had a healthy 2.23 yards per route run in the opener and was frequently targeted downfield with a 15.4 aDOT. 

Tyson is a bit of a forgotten man after posting 470 yards and four touchdowns as a true freshman on a terrible Colorado team in 2022. He missed last year to injury after transferring to the Sun Devils, but all reports out of camp positioned him as the alpha wide receiver for a team that lost last year’s target hog Elijah Badger to the transfer portal. 

No returning receiver had more than 226 yards last year, and none other than Tyson impressed in the opener, so he should see a healthy workload going forward and is a dangerous player who can make those reps count. This is a plus matchup against a Mississippi State team with a very inexperienced secondary — its starters combined for just seven career games entering the year.

Prop bet #3: Josh Kelly 70+ receiving yards

Best odds: +100 at DraftKings

The Texas Tech Red Raiders found themselves in a barn-burner in Week 1, narrowly hanging on for a 52-51 victory over Abilene Christian. If that game is any indication of what’s to come this season, the Red Raiders could be in plenty of shootouts. 

The defense was burnt to a crisp, surrendering 615 total yards on 7.2 yards per play against an FCS team. The secondary was especially woeful, allowing 506 passing yards and three scores. 

That’s concerning for anyone, especially considering their next opponent is a pass-happy Washington State Cougars team that dropped 70 points in its opening game. 

One should expect plenty of offense in this game as the two teams combined for 122 points a week ago. Bookmakers agree, establishing this total at 65.5.

Texas Tech will need its offense to be at its best yet again in a game where both teams will operate with tempo — Tech ranked eighth in yards per play (2.85), while Washington State was 20th (2.55) in Week 1. Star running back Tahj Brooks is banged up and is considered questionable, so Behren Morton and the passing attack may be counted on heavily. 

This is a revenge spot for Texas Tech WR1 Josh Kelly, who racked up 923 yards and eight scores receiving at Pullman a year ago. He looked like the clear top option in the passing game in Week 1, taking 13 targets for 10 catches, 156 yards, and a touchdown. 

Washington State’s defense didn’t look formidable in the opener, allowing 449 yards on 5.4 yards per play to Portland State. Kelly will have every opportunity for a big game on Saturday and I’m betting on him reaching 70+ yards against his old team.