College Football Week 2 Player Props: Best Bets & Picks

The Week 2 slate is loaded with action, from Power 4 headliners like Oklahoma vs Michigan and Texas vs Ohio State to must-see matchups at the Group of Six level like Memphis vs Boise State and North Dakota State vs Air Force, and it all gets started at noon ET on Saturday. 

With the massive Week 2 college football slate right around the corner, it’s time to get into my favorite player props on the slate. For more traditional wagers, find our CFB best bets and our CFB picks on every FBS game throughout the season.

CFB Player Prop: Nate Sheppard (DUKE) Over 13.5 receiving yards (-114)

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook at the time of publishing. Playable to 18.5 (-115). 

Nate Sheppard is one of the best young running backs in the country, but he’s also an excellent pass-catcher out of the backfield. Even more, he is excellent after the catch. While he was fifth in targets and receptions last year as a freshman, he averaged the most yards after catch per reception among his teammates with at least 10 targets, while he was third on the team in total yards after catch according to PFF. That total YAC mark was good for second in the ACC last year and seventh overall at the Power 4 level -- ahead of current pros like J’Mari Taylor, Jeremiyah Love, Nicholas Singleton and Mike Washington Jr. 

Illinois is likely going to form a game plan to slow Sheppard on the ground, but after finishing with the second-most targets on the team last week, he’s clearly very much part of the passing attack, and this number is very attainable. He surpassed this number eight times last year and did so again in Week 1, as he now averages 7.6 yards per reception with 40 catches in his 15 collegiate contests. Plus, Duke is an underdog -- and while I think the Blue Devils cover and have winning upside in this matchup, the traditional game script of a road underdog is beneficial for pass-catching running backs. 

Get our expert's massive Week 2 college football parlay at +1218 odds

CFB Player Prop: Keelon Russell (ALA) Under 51.5 rushing yards (-114)

Odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook at the time of publishing. Playable to 48.5 (-110). 

True sophomore Keelon Russell looked great at home last week against East Carolina in his first start as Alabama’s signal caller, but things are going to be more difficult this week when he not only plays his first conference game but his first true road game as a college quarterback. Lexington is expected to be lit for this one given the hype surrounding new coach Will Stein, so we’re going to see what Russell is made of in a hostile environment pretty quickly. 

Taking the under on Russell’s passing yards has appeal, but I pumped the brakes there given how elite the Alabama receiver room is. They can turn two-yard out-routes into 25 gains with ease. Instead, I’m taking the under on his rushing yards mainly because I don’t trust this Alabama offensive line on the road yet and due to sacks counting against individual rush yards at the college level. For reference, this is a completely new offensive line for the Tide, one that includes a freshman, two sophomores, a Cal Poly transfer and a transfer from Mississippi State who was the worst-graded starter on that unit last season. I’m expecting the fan noise to cause communication issues among Alabama’s line on Saturday, and Kentucky’s aggressive defense should benefit from that by getting into the backfield. Russell will escape from time to time, but look for the Wildcats to bring him down at least a couple times for losses.

The level of competition is vastly different, but Kentucky had a nice scout for Russell last week when they played Youngstown State. The Penguins have a dual-threat quarterback in Beau Brungard that won the FCS’ version of the Heisman and rushed for almost 1,500 yards last year, and the Wildcats held him to 29 yards on 12 carries, including three sacks -- which is at least encouraging from a schematic standpoint. 

Check out our full Alabama vs Kentucky preview

CFB Player Prop: Ryan Wingo (TEX) Over 51.5 receiving yards (-118)

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook at the time of publishing. Playable to 54.5 (-115)

Cam Coleman is the shiny new toy in the Texas wide receiver room, but Ryan Wingo is ol’ reliable. Wingo led the ‘Horns in receiving last year and after catching seven passes on eight targets for 121 yards and a touchdown in a blowout against Texas State, it seems he’s on his way to leading this team again in 2026. For what it’s worth, Wingo also finished 11th among qualified Power Four wide receivers in yards after catch per reception (8.3) last year and top-40 in yards per route run (2.35), so he’s dynamic not only as a route runner but as a playmaker after the catch, too. 

Ohio State had their way with Wingo in the 2024 playoffs and in Week 1 last year, but the Buckeyes were loaded in the secondary then. All of their top pieces are in the NFL now, leaving behind the likes Jermaine Mathews Jr., Devin Sanchez and Jay Timmons at the cornerback positions with Jaylen McClain and FSU transfer Earl Little Jr. at the safety positions. Unfortunately for OSU, Mathews and Sanchez had the worst PFF coverage grades in the secondary last year and were both outside the top 95 in the Big Ten among qualified corners and safeties with at least 100 snaps. Not to mention, Timmons is a true freshman and Little was inconsistent in Tallahassee last year. 

Coleman will command attention and targets, but Wingo is Manning’s trusted security blanket at this point and has experience playing against this Ohio State team multiple times over the past two years. Look for him to be an integral part of the game plan, and don’t be afraid to ladder this up for additional plus-money payouts.

Now find our Ohio State vs Texas SGP at +445 odds

College football Week 2 Picks

Check out our expert college football predictions for the biggest games in Week 2 below:

• Ohio State vs Texas prediction
• Oklahoma vs Michigan prediction
• Oregon vs Oklahoma State prediction
• Arizona State vs Texas A&M prediction
• Penn State vs Temple prediction
• Howard vs Indiana prediction
• Western Kentucky vs Georgia prediction
• Alabama vs Kentucky prediction
• Duke vs Illinois prediction
• Rice vs Notre Dame prediction
• Eastern Michigan vs Michigan State prediction
• Memphis vs Boise State prediction
• Texas Tech vs Oregon State prediction
• Iowa State vs Iowa prediction
• Arkansas vs Utah prediction
• Louisiana vs USC prediction