There’s a buzz in the air with college football finally back. While the majority of the Week 1 slate is in the books, a three-game Sunday slate keeps the action going today! The Notre Dame Fighting Irish missed out on the College Football Playoff last year, but they’re back with a vengeance heading into their first game of the new season. Their opponent? The Wisconsin Badgers,
If you’re looking for player props for this game, look no further. Here are some of the top picks for Wisconsin vs. Notre Dame on DraftKings Sportsbook.
For easy access to tail CFB picks, click here to join the CFB Committee Betting Group on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Wisconsin vs. Notre Dame player props
CJ Carr 230+ passing yards (-125)
There’s been a lot of turnover in the Notre Dame program – the Fighting Irish lost both of last year’s stud halfbacks and their starting tight end to the NFL. Given some uncertainty in the backfield and that Wisconsin was elite against the run last year (granted, it’s not a guarantee that repeats), it wouldn’t be shocking to see this program lean on the pass here on Sunday.
Enter quarterback CJ Carr. As a freshman in 2025, he posted 2,741 yards with 24 touchdowns and six interceptions, ranking sixth nationally in QBR as well. He should be even better in year two under center, so it’s natural the team may rely on the returning playmaker for plenty of production as the new season begins. He reached 230+ passing yards in four of the 11 contests he was healthy for last year, but bear in mind that this was a run-first team given the backfield talent.
Heading into Week 1, Jordan Faison and Jaden Greathouse are likely the top two wideouts for Notre Dame. The former had 640 yards on 49 grabs last year; the latter missed last season due to injury but had 592 yards on 42 catches back in 2024. Along with former five-star and Ohio State transfer Mylan Graham, they should help Carr do damage through the air against a Wisconsin defense that gave up plenty of big plays last season at 95th in opponent yards per pass (7.6).
Nolan James anytime touchdown (-125)
How the Notre Dame backfield shakes out is a big question mark that should receive clarity in this game. Aneyas Williams is certainly the RB1, but the team hasn’t been very straightforward in listing four other halfbacks with an “or” designation for the RB2 job in the initial depth chart.
The edge likely goes to Nolan James Jr. for now. He’s a sophomore who came to the program as a four-star ranked No. 12 at the position in his recruiting class. At 5-foot-10 and 215 pounds, he’s build to handle a significant workload between the tackles and in short yardage – though Williams is just five pounds lighter at the same height – and could potentially mix in for a significant role. We saw a two-back system out of the Fighting Irish in recent years, so if James can be the thunder to Williams’ lightning, there’s a great chance he can get into the end zone.
That proves especially true given the outlook for this contest. Notre Dame is a 20.5-point favorite with the team total set at 33.5 points, so there’s plenty of room for touchdowns and work from the run game if they build a lead early at home.
