College Football Week 1 kicks off on Thursday night with a full slate of games! There are plenty of options at our disposal for PrizePicks CFB player props and best bets. We have you covered at Fantasy Alarm whether you're playing CFB DFS lineups, locking in college football bets, or want some college football player props. The college football Week 1 slate tonight features tons of marquee teams and matchups on Thursday, September 1st. Our CFB PrizePicks top plays include Pittsburgh RB Israel Abanikanda going against West Virginia tonight. If you want to build college football daily fantasy lineups, check out the CFB DFS Playbook for Thursday night's Week 1 CFB slate. Plus, check out college football daily projections to find more winners. Without further ado, let's dive into some PrizePicks player props for tonight''s College Football Week 1 action!

 

 

Israel Abanikanda (PITT RB) – OVER 58.5 Rushing Yards

Last year, the Pittsburgh offense was very pass-centric with Kenny Pickett and Jordan Addison leading the way. That's about to change in 2022 with Pickett, Addison, and offensive coordinator Mark Whipple all gone. All the talk in Pitt camp this offseason is how the offense will be more run-focused with former Boston College OC Frank Cignetti Jr. now in town. The BC offense ran the ball about 60% of the time last year and usually leaned on one workhorse back. That brings us to Israel Abanikanda, who's now the clear-cut starting RB for Pitt after splitting time between two other guys last season. Abanikanda has been getting a ton of buzz in camp and the Pitt coaching staff believes he can be one of the best rushers in the ACC with the offense running the ball more. He averaged 5.3 ypc last year and went over 58.5 rushing yards in five of the six games where he saw double-digit carries. If we believe the reports and offseason movement, Abanikanda should fgo over his rushing prop as he's fed the ball tonight against an average West Virginia rush defense.

Matthew Downing (LT QB) – OVER 207.5 Passing Yards

Matthew Downing is now the starting quarterback for Louisiana Tech after transferring from TCU this offseason. As three-touchdown underdogs to Missouri tonight, LaTech's game script could lead to plenty of passing attempts for Downing. Plus, Missouri's defense was one of the worst in the country last year and it's doubtful it fixed things overnight. Mizzou gave up 301 passing yards to Central Michigan in last year's opener and then 305 pass yards to North Texas in another non-conference matchup. Lesser offenses and small-school QBs had plenty of success and we're banking on Downing continuing that trend. The former Georgia and TCU transfer has never gotten his chance to be a starter in college, but the camp reports show he's motivated to prove something at Louisiana Tech. Getting to over 207.5 passing yards is very possible against a suspect defense with his team likely trailing and throwing it for much of the game. 

JT Daniels (WVU QB) – UNDER -6.5 Rushing Yards

Yes, we’re going with an under for a rushing yards prop that’s already sitting below zero. If you didn’t know, sacks in college football count as negative rush yards for quarterbacks. So, we’re essentially banking on JT Daniels getting sacked once or twice and ending up with at least -7 rushing yards. The former USC and Georgia quarterback is now getting his chance with West Virginia and he faces a tough test right away. Pitt's defense has one of the best D-lines in the country and returns the bulk of starters from an ACC title team a year ago. They forced multiple sacks in most games last year and will look to harass Daniels all night. As for Daniels, he's actually finished with -7 seven rushing yards or fewer in 14 of his 18 games where he played meaningful snaps. He's been sacked 38 total times over those 18 games for an average of at least two per game. He's also not a mobile and likely won't be scrambling much. 

 

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