Week 3 of the college football season kicks off with a fun Thursday night game. These are the best player prop bets to consider on DraftKings Sportsbook for the matchup between the NC State Wolfpack and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
NC State at Wake Forest Props
CJ Bailey Anytime Touchdown (-115)
NC State has started its season strong with two wins against solid competition. ECU is always a tricky opponent for its rivals in the Carolinas, and the Wolfpack already got an ACC win over UVA in a shootout last week. Heading into this game, the Wolfpack are road favorites over Wake Forest and are hoping to move to 3-0 with a 2-0 conference record. NC State has a great rushing attack and it will be facing a Wake Forest defense with major flaws. The Demon Deacons have yet to face a serious opponent this season, but last season, they gave up 32.5 points per game, the second-worst mark in the ACC.
NC State quarterback CJ Bailey should be able to run all over the Wake Forest defense on Thursday night. Bailey is now in his second season in this offense and looks much more comfortable. Across two games, he has 518 passing yards and 65 rushing yards. He is primarily a passer, but once the Wolfpack get close to the end zone, they utilize Bailey’s athleticism to make life miserable for opposing defenses. In the first two games of this season, Bailey has three rushing touchdowns on just 13 total carries. He doesn’t often run the ball, but when he does, it’s because he has a path to the end zone. Bailey should make it three straight games with a rushing touchdown to start the season against this porous Wake Forest defense.
Robby Ashford Anytime Touchdown (+135)
Robby Ashford transferred to Wake Forest after spending a season in the backup quarterback role for South Carolina and two seasons at Auburn prior to that. The reason Ashford was never able to break through in the SEC is that he is simply an incompetent passer. That is one of the main requirements for playing the quarterback position, which is why he had such a tough time. He has done a solid job through two games at Wake Forest, but it has been against incredibly weak competition, Kennesaw State and Western Carolina. Even against those teams, Ashford has leaned on his legs. He has 25 carries for 108 yards and two touchdowns through two games.
Against NC State, Ashford should rely on his legs even more. He was able to move the ball through the air to reasonable success against those subpar defenses, but NC State will be a much tougher test. While NC State is a much tougher opponent with better athletes, it has its own defensive issues. It gave up over 500 yards to UVA last week, with 257 of them coming on the ground. Wake’s best chance of getting the win is moving the ball on the ground, working the clock and keeping it out of CJ Bailey’s hands. While NC State should be too good for Wake Forest over the course of the game, there should be at least one drive where Ashford is able to break a run and find the end zone for the third consecutive game.
