Below, I break down my favorite player prop bets for Saturday evening’s game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Michigan State Spartans.
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.
For easy access to tail my CFB picks swiftly, click here to join the CFB Committee Betting Group on DraftKings Sportsbook.
ND vs. Michigan State player props
Cam Edwards o47.5 rushing yards (-115)
Notre Dame is a substantial defensive upgrade from Michigan State’s first two opponents, but Cam Edwards’s workload warrants a wager nonetheless. The UConn transfer has carried 48 times for 250 yards as a Spartan, including 21 totes for 152 yards against Eastern Michigan. As far as Pat Fizgerald is concerned, Cam Edwards is the alpha and the omega to this run game.
I’m expecting a much less efficient outing in South Bend, to be sure. The Irish have allowed merely 2.0 yards per team rush so far. Edwards could reach the low 60s with 18 carries at roughly 3.5 yards each, an afternoon that would scarcely trouble Notre Dame’s broader control of the game, which they should seize as the game goes on.
A large early deficit could take carries away, which is why I’ve reduced Edwards’s workload from his opening average in my projections. Even still, 47.5 asks surprisingly little of a back Fitzgerald has used so heavily through the first two games. I’ll take the over and will not worry one stinking bit about whether or not those yards translate to Sparty touchdowns.
CJ Carr o249.5 passing yards (-114)
CJ Carr’s opened the ’26 campaign with 492 passing yards, six touchdowns, and no interceptions, and Notre Dame has needed every bit of it. Their rushing attack is still under serious construction. The Irish have averaged just 3.6 yards per carry, compared with 9.7 per pass attempt when they let Carr spin it. That says to me the market’s expecting CJ to do most of the work gaining the forecasted separation between ND and Sparty today.
Michigan State’s secondary is soft, having allowed 6.7 yards per pass attempt thus far. That’s against Toledo and Eastern Michigan, too. Carr represents a gargantuan difficulty jump in passing quality, and I expect he’ll be aggressive on early downs.
With Notre Dame favored by roughly four touchdowns, Carr may eventually run out of reasons to keep throwing. I expect about 275 yards before that becomes a problem, based on roughly 30 attempts at a reduced nine-plus yards apiece.For easy access to tail my CFB picks swiftly, click here to join the CFB Committee Betting Group on DraftKings Sportsbook.
