Man, I hope I'm not the only one this jacked up for the PLL to be back after what felt like an eternity the past two weeks Sure, we had the PLL All-Star Game, which was great, but where I'm at right outside of Philly, we had no lines to bet on. So, I'm ready to get back to the REAL action!
Two weeks back we had another winning week for our Weekend Wagers with UNDER 25.5 in the Whips-Woods game coming through (shoutout to the co-host with the co-most Doug Greenberg), Cannons (+2.5) getting a much needed win and cover against Archers and our lone loss coming with the Cannons (-1.5) against the Waterdogs. So we move to 8-4 for our Weekend Wagers and 16-9 overall ATS. We'll look to keep the cash-train rolling this weekend in Colorado!
PLL Goal Totals
While I've laid off handicapping totals the past few weeks, I rolled with Dougie Fresh and cashed one so I'll do the same with our first ever guest on Bet On Lacrosse, Justin Byers.
J-Dog joined us to preview this weekend's action and dropped some knowledge on why he's looking at UNDER 23.5 in Saturday's Redwoods-Archers tilt. He talks about the slower pace of the Redwoods and their ability to slow down other offenses as well. The numbers back up what Justin's eyes tell him, as the Redwoods rank first in settled offense, scoring on 38% of their six-on-six possessions. The Redwoods, who rank last in transition offense and second-to-last in transition defense, want to slow the game down to a screeching halt, which bodes well for the under.
Furthermore, the Archers defense ain't to shabby either, they still allow less than 10 scores per game on average and are 75% on penalty kills. They also should be ultra-motivated to get back to form after dropping three straight games straight-up and ATS, so I don't think they'll mind what pace this game moves at. I'm riding with J.B. and UNDER 23.5.
Week 6 Play: UNDER 23.5 in Redwoods vs Archers
PLL Game Spreads / Money Lines
I'll start with Friday's Atlas vs Chrome matchup which ties into Sunday's action as well. Look, anyone who's followed along with me all season knows I've been the conductor of the Atlas hype train since even before their Week 1 blowout. Now I don't think the train is going to come screeching into the station, but I do think the Atlas could be in some trouble this weekend.
Who NEEDS this game more? A four-win Atlas team who's covered five straight games or a two-win Chrome team who indicated with their huge signing of Dylan Molloy this week that they aren't just rolling over to end the season. With as rough as a start to the season as Chrome has had, they, along with all the teams at the bottom of the standings, remain in striking distance of landing a playoff spot.
These teams also played earlier in the season and the Bulls came away with a 16-10 game, something that I've seen plenty of talk about from players and the Chrome's social media pages. Chrome is going to be up for this game and while we don't know how much of an impact Molloy will have this weekend, it's worth a free roll on Chrome coming out fired up on Friday night. I'm backing the #ChromeBack +1.5 Friday evening
Week 6 Play: Chrome +1.5 vs Atlas
It pains me to fade my guys in blue all weekend long but I'm also going back to the Cannons as underdogs well that hasn't failed me yet this year. Despite only having two wins on the year, Cannons are a perfect 4-0 ATS as underdogs, most recently getting an outright win as +2.5 dogs against Archers.
Cannons know this is do-or-die time and while they can't technically be eliminated this weekend, I don't think captains Paul Rabil, Lyle Thompson and Brodie Merrill want to go into the final week of the regular season with just 2 wins to show for their efforts. While I won't be so bold to take them on the money line this weekend, I will be rolling with the Cannons +1.5 on Sunday.
Week 6 Play: Cannons +1.5 vs Atlas
Last one for me on a loaded card this weekend sees us going back to the Archers and Woods tilt.
While my betting strategy usually keeps me off laying any juice over -150, this is a case where I'm willing to pay a premium in order to take the Archers getting points for the first time this season.
This one is simple for me, Archers are on a three-game skid after starting the year 3-0 ATS and straight-up. Now the team is staring at the possibility of dropping below .500 after rolling through the competition to start the year. As I said above, even with three straight ATS and straight-up losses, Archers LC still leads the league in fewest scores allowed per game.
On the other sideline, it's not like the Woods have been all that dominant as favorites this season, only covering twice when laying -1.5. Sure, they sit in first place but it wouldn't shock me one bit to see a team who hasn't been great against the number come out a bit flat against a highly motivated and skilled offense like the Archers. Even with the faceoff edge at the stripe for the Woods rookie TD Ierlan, the Archers defense should be able to neutralize any potential unsettled looks for the Woods. So even if I have to lay -170 to do it, I'm rolling with the Archers +1.5 in a bounce back spot.
Week 6 Play: Archers +1.5 vs Redwoods
Two weeks off = a loaded card! That'll do it for me, for deep dives on every game check out the Bet On Lacrosse podcast and as always, best of luck with your bets this weekend!