After an incredible NCAA season, we saw all of our favorite players from the NCAA move on to the big leagues. Now we head into the summer and get to watch the best of the best compete in the PLL. There’s no telling where this season will end up, and we are all heading into this with a blind-eye. We are excited to see what new names will provide an unexpected impact, which teams will elevate to a new level of performance, and which teams will fall short of expectations. At the same time, we’re here to provide you our analysis on betting lines. A quick disclaimer though, this is not financial advice. With as much as we know about the sport, there are no guarantees in gambling, and Vegas always wins.

Game 1: Atlas -1.5 vs Redwoods O/U 24.5

We are kicking off with a huge matchup: In the Redwoods, we have a team built with a foundation  of veterans who contend for the title year in and year out, but haven’t seem to have been able to take that next step. The Atlas seem to have rebuilt their squad the right way with an abundance of youth, including the new NCAA career points leader in Chris Gray. Gray is stepping in alongside Jake Carraway, amongst many other energizer bunnies primed and ready to go for a full 48 minutes. Being that this is the first game of the year, there’s some solid value on Redwoods +1.5 with the amount of experience they bring to the field, especially in the first game of the year. Looking at the O/U line at 24.5, it looks like an under play. The Redwoods have the same great defense from last year, and the Atlas have been trying to reinforce their defense behind their leader Tucker Durkin, so under 24.5 looks to be a decent play.

Game 2: Whipsnakes -1.5 vs Chaos O/U 22.5

A tale as old as time in professional sports: a championship rematch in the first week of the season. You can expect this one to be a battle back and forth to decide the winner. The Chaos are going to be scrambling a little bit for this week, as they will be missing 7 guys since the Buffalo Bandits made it to the NLL finals. The Whips are missing out on Zed Williams, which is a huge missing piece for their offense. Regardless, the Whipsnakes -1.5 looks like the right call on this game solely based on player availability. The Whipsnakes averaged 11 goals per game last year, and the Chaos were around 9 goals per game. The Chaos defense is still intact, but their offense has some missing components, especially this week. Under 22.5 seems to be the bet here.

Game 3: Waterdogs -1.5 vs Cannons O/U 24.5 1pm

On paper, yes the Waterdogs had the best record in 2021; but they were not the best team. The Cannons finished 2021 toward the bottom of the pack as they were trying to get their footing in the league and start building a competitive squad. The Cannons are led Lyle Thompson and the Dogs have Mike Sowers so we’ll be treated with great offense at both ends of the field. Our confidence behind the Waterdogs covering a 1.5 lead isn’t high. The Cannons +1.5 or the over 24.5 is the move here. You need a 12-13 game to cover both, and the Waterdogs like to run in transition which is why they have so many two way midfielders.

Game 4: Archers -2.5 vs Chrome O/U 23.5

Right off the bat the -2.5 spread for the Archers is scary because of Grant Ament isn’t suiting up in the opening weekend.  But, that means we see the ball in Tom Schrieber’s stick more, and his decision making ability is elite.  The Archers are stacked and should have no problem with having a player fill that position; the problem will be generating offense like Grant can.  Being overtaken by opening day optimism, we think the Chrome are going to surprise some fans this weekend and cover the 2.5 spread, but Archers will win the game. Both teams averaged 12 goals per game last year, but we’re expecting a slower game to finish the weekend. Sunday afternoon, last game of the weekend, it has under 23.5 written all over the field.

If you want to get a little spicy, here’s a parlay you can use to get off to the right steps for opening weekend of the PLL.

$20 wins $228.39 +1041 odds

Redwoods +1.5|Whipsnakes vs Chaos UNDER 22.5| Cannons +1.5 | Archers vs Chrome UNDER 23.5

 

This is a friendly office competition, we are not betting real money. To get help for a gambling problem, for yourself, or a loved one, please reach out to: NYS HOPEline at: 1-877-8-HOPENY.