Below, I break down my favorite player prop bets for Week 1’s game opener between the Cal Golden Bears and the UCLA Bruins.
Here’s how I’ll play it. I’ll be pumping out these predictions for individual games all season, with plenty of coverage here on DraftKings Network. Follow my handle @dansby_edits for more betting plays.
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Cal vs. UCLA player props
Wayne Knight o57.5 Rushing Yards (-115)
UCLA opens Bob Chesney’s tenure as the program’s HC with a new offensive centerpiece in Wayne Knight. The fifth-year back followed Chesney and OC Dean Kennedy from James Madison after an All-American season. Knight rushed 207 times for 1,373 yards and nine touchdowns, averaging 6.6 yards per carry. He also averaged 98.1 rushing yards, nearly 41 above Saturday’s market line.
Kennedy’s 2025 JMU offense ran on 59.7% of its plays, the nation’s 17th-highest rate. UCLA darn near plug-and-played this same scheme into their program.
Across the line of scrimmage, California allowed 156.4 rushing yards per game, 4.7 per carry, and 24 rushing TDs last season, and while there’s been some turnover, it’s not a unit I’m expecting to suffocate right out the jump. That’ll be UCLA and Knight’s best shot at sustained offense. Knight can clear 57.5 with 12 carries at 4.8 yards each, well below his 2025 efficiency. Anthony Woods and Jaivian Thomas will rotate in to spell Knight and keep his legs fresh, although Knight enters as the clear and explicit lead option. A close spread, in theory, suggests his workload remains live throughout the second half. I project 14 carries for 80-85 yards.
Nico Iamaleava u206.5 Passing Yards (-115)
Nico Iamaleava begins his second UCLA season learning ball under a new offensive scheme and, mercifully, less expected of him in the passing game. He racked up 1,928 yards across 11 games last year, averaging 175.3 while throwing 13 touchdowns—it was fine. But not nearly good enough. Iamaleava exceeded 200 passing yards just three times, and each one of those instances required at least 34 attempts to get there. I’d say that volume looks unlikely in Bob Chesney and Dean Kennedy’s scheme, and especially in their first game.
See about about Wayne Knight and their emphasis on the run game. Cals pass defense, on the other hand, surrendered only 205.4 yards per game and 6.36 per attempt. UCLA also is working with four new starters on the offensive line. Chesney and Kennedy won’t be doing anything other than controlling Nico’s dropbacks, keeping him steady. UCLA is favored narrowly, so I see a a 20-to-25-attempt script as more likely than anything loftier. Call it 23 attempts and 180-190 yards.
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