Illinois vs Nebraska: Friday CFB DFS Picks for PrizePicks
College football teams begin conference play in CFB Week 4, and the Illinois vs. Nebraska showdown on Friday night will be one of the highlighted games from the Big Ten.
For college football DFS, Illinois vs. Nebraska offers opportunities to get real money action on PrizePicks. Whether you pick Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola to have a big game or Illinois’ Luke Altmyer to put on a show, we’ll give you the best picks for the top-25 matchup below.
Let’s analyze the top picks for Illinois vs. Nebraska for CFB DFS.
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No. 24 Illinois vs. No. 22 Nebraska: Time, TV, Location
Date: Friday, September 20, 2024
Time: 8 p.m. ET kickoff
Location: Memorial Stadium , Lincoln, Neb.
TV: FOX
Nebraska's true freshman quarterback and Patrick Mahomes-impersonator Dylan Raiola led Nebraska to a 3-0 start, but the competition will intensify this week. Illinois has also started 3-0, with quarterback Luke Altmyer having a great start and the defense looking much better than last season.
With the new 12-team College Football Playoff format, these teams will want to impress the committee just in case they don’t win their conference. These ranked wins will be needed for one of those at large bids, so we’ll look for the top players to shine in the big game.
Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola: 1.5 Passing Touchdowns — Less
The numbers for Raiola aren’t mind-blowing — he has thrown for 670 yards and five touchdowns so far. But his 73.8% completion rate and 162.2 passer rating show maturity early in his career.
This will be his first challenge against Illinois, which has only allowed 26 points in the first three games this season. We’ll see how much weight that holds, as their opponents included Central Michigan and Eastern Illinois.
Illinois has been far better at defending the pass, especially against wide receivers, with all of their starting cornerbacks having a PFF coverage grade of 70 or better.
Head coach Matt Rhule has not pressured his young quarterback to take over games, and they’ve shown balance with the run and pass. He could certainly score a passing touchdown, but it will be tough to score multiples.
Be sure to check out the Specials tab for Raiola + Patrick Mahomes combo projections for this weekend.
Related PrizePicks Projection: Dylan Raiola + Patrick Mahomes 479.5 pass yards OR 3.5 Pass TDs (Specials Board)
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Illinois QB Luke Altmyer: 0.5 Passing Touchdowns — More (Goblin)
The Fighting Illini decided to stick with Altmyer after inconsistencies last year, and it might have paid off because he looks good thus far. He seems more comfortable in the pocket, which has made him a better passer.
This season, his 79.1 PFF passer grade is the best of his career, along with his 8.3 yards per pass. Most importantly, he hasn’t thrown an interception; he had seven in three games last year.
Though his passing yards haven’t been jaw-dropping — 215.6 yards per game — his lowest total of 192 came against an excellent Kansas passing defense. The Jayhawks’ coverage rating is 88.1, while Nebraska isn’t far behind at 87.3.
This is the same Nebraska team that shut down a highly hyped Colorado team, holding them to just ten points. Experts are leaning this toward a low-scoring battle; like Nebraska’s side, don’t look for Illinois to go to the air too often.
Illinois RB Kaden Feagin: 60.5 Rushing + Receiving Yards — Less
There were concerns about who would be the featured back going into this season with Reggie Love III entering the transfer portal. Feagin was behind Love last year and was a great second option at 4.6 yards per carry. The number is a little lower this year at 4.1 yards, which could be due to losing Isaiah Adams, their best run-blocking offensive lineman.
Last week’s 10 carries for 25 against Central Michigan is scary to look at; they have a 73.8 PFF run defense grade, while Nebraska’s is 82.0.
We will lean on the higher number of rushing and receiving yards because Feagin is a below-average pass catcher and won’t factor in that with just three catches for 25 yards this year so far.
Related PrizePicks Projection: Kaden Feagin 49.5 Rush Yards
Nebraska RB Rahmir Johnson: 24.5 Receiving Yards — More (Demon Pick)
The wide receivers for Nebraska have been much of a factor this season, with three players with ten or more catches — Johnson is one of them. He’s only behind Isaiah Neyor and Jaylen Lloyd in receiving yards, and both have catches of over 50 yards.
Raiola has loved checking down to Johnson, and he’s a dynamic runner who gets yards after catch. Johnson has reached this number in each of his last two games.
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This Illinois vs Nebraska matchup is important for both teams as they want to get that first Big Ten conference win. Illinois would love to get back into the Big Ten championship conversation after a difficult 2023 season, same with Nebraska, and it would give Raiola his first signature win.
With PrizePicks, you simply pick more or less on at least two CFB player projections, lock in your lineup, and watch the game. Just stay in the green to win real money when it’s all said and done.
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