College Football Props of the Week: Week 8

After Week 7 of the college football season, I’ve come to the conclusion that we should stay far away from props involving Iowa State running backs. They can’t seem to decide who they’re going to use consistently which is an unnecessary headache that we just don’t need. If anything, I’ll take the under for them, but they won’t be featured again anytime soon.

Even with last week’s miss, we are still in the green and have a pair of props on tap that will get us back on track. Let’s get into it.

Luther Burden (Missouri) 80+ Receiving Yards

(-105, DraftKings Sportsbook)

After a slow start, Burden has started to ascend once again, which is what we expected after such a strong 2023 season. He has only surpassed this mark twice in six games, but context is everything as they’ve been involved in four blowouts. In closer games against Boston College and Vanderbilt, he had his best statistical output of the season. 

The matchup against Auburn is a 4-point spread, and we can expect QB Brady Cook to force feed his star receiver. Burden has been targeted 40 times through six games and has a stat line of 31-398-4 with a catch rate of 77.5%. The defense has to account for fellow receivers Theo Wease and Mookie Cooper which will put Burden in situations where he can dominate 1-on-1 coverage.

Zeon Chriss (Houston) 50+ Rushing Yards

(+130, DraftKings Sportsbook)

The Houston offense has been stuck in neutral all year long with Donovan Smith at the wheel, but the staff turned to Zeon Chriss against TCU and he delivered a marquee performance that led to a 30-19 victory. As soon as Chriss took the field, the offense became much more dynamic, and the defense was completely befuddled when it came to dealing with him.

He threw for a moderate 141 yards and a TD, but it was his rushing ability that really shined through in the win. He racked up 97 yards on 11 carries with yet another touchdown. Now I have to admit most of it came on a 71-yard touchdown run, but that shows you that he has major wheels for a quarterback and is a threat to take it to the house at any time.

It’s a great DVP spot for Chriss as mobile QBs have thrived against the Jayhawks this season. ASU’s Sam Leavitt (77 rushing yards), West Virginia’s Garrett Greene (87 rushing yards) and former UNLV QB Matthew Sluka (124 rushing yards) have gone fully nuclear in this matchup. You can get 80-plus rushing yards at +650, which is worth a sprinkle as well.