It’s Week 5 for the Premier Lacrosse Week. The Boston Cannons will celebrate their homecoming this week, hosting the Week 5 festivities at Harvard Stadium in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Let’s dive in and look at the PLL best bets for Week 5!
CHECK OUT THE SPORTS GAMBLING PODCAST’S DAILY BEST BETS
PLL: Premier Lacrosse League Picks and Best Bets for Week 5
Last week was a big one in many ways, with all the teams in action after the bye week. The New York Atlas suffered their first loss of the season, as the Maryland Whipsnakes convincingly defeated them 16-12. The Waterdogs of Philadelphia finished off the weekend, finally getting a win in their column after starting 0-3. They took down the Carolina Chaos 10-6. Carolina has the Week 5 bye.
California Redwoods (+2.5) vs Boston Cannons (-2.5)
This game kicks off the weekend on Friday, July 5th, at 6:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+. The California Redwoods have struggled mightily this season, losing each of their last two games by five points.
Their offensive inconsistency is the biggest storyline. They were held scoreless last week for a 24:36 spell. 21 turnovers on offense as well didn’t help. They remain the only winless team in the league at 0-3.
The Cannons have a nice matchup here to open their homecoming. After a Week 1 loss to the Atlas regarded as the league’s best team, it’s been all wins for Boston since. They took down the Archers by five in Week 4 by setting a two-point record with five two-point goals.
In two of the Redwoods’ three games they’ve lost by five points, and that seems like the more likely situation again this week. The Cannons kick off homecoming with a solid win here.
Pick: Cannons -2.5 (-115)
Denver Outlaws (+2.5) vs New York Atlas (-2.5)
The Friday nightcap will take place at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+. Led by their rookie duo, Brennan O’Neill and Graham Bundy Jr., the Outlaws took down the lowly Redwoods 13-8 in Week 4.
This win moved Denver into first place in the Western Conference with a record of 2-1. Their defensive effort looked much-improved post-bye. Was this a case of playing the Redwoods or improving in their time off?
The Atlas have been the top dogs since the season started but finally suffered their first loss in Week 4. Jeff Teat started the game off with three points in the first eight minutes but ended the day with only five points.
New York suffered an 11-minute scoring drought during that game. This seemed to be more of a letdown game than anything for New York, and I’d expect them to bounce back quickly.
This is a tough one to pick, especially with the Outlaws juiced up to -140 on the line of +2.5. Denver has been impressive and their rookies have looked strong. You’ve got to think the Atlas will bounce back here and finish the job, though. That, along with +110 on their side of things, has me leaning that way.
Pick: Atlas -2.5 (+110)
Utah Archers (-1.5) vs Maryland Whipsnakes (+1.5)
Saturday starts at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+. The Archers fell to the Cannons in Week 4, losing their spot atop the Western Conference standings. This team returned all their offensive starters from the 2023 championship, yet they’ve struggled mightily through four games.
They’ve already had five eight-minute scoring droughts and can’t seem to close games out on the offensive side of the ball. As we’ve seen, the potential is there; the question is, can they tap into that?
The Whipsnakes are coming off the ultimate high. New York was the team to beat going into Week 4, having won their first four games by at least three points each.
The Whipsnakes were led by their trio of rookies, Levi Anderson, Adam Poitras, and Jack Koras. The rookies combined for seven points, while goalie Brenden Krebs had 10 saves in the first half alone.
Much like the Outlaws/Atlas game, this is another tough one to pick. Utah has struggled but is still a good team. Maryland is coming off such a high that it sets up for a big letdown spot.
If the Whipsnakes pull this one off, they should shoot up your power rankings, no doubt. I’m going to side with the more proven team and, again, the better number (+110).
Pick: Archers -1.5 (+110)
Philadelphia Waterdogs (+1.5) vs Boston Cannons (-1.5)
The weekend will end on ESPN Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. ET. The Waterdogs finally got in the win column after losing close game after close game. The team finally signed a faceoff specialist and the return of Jack Hannah was huge for the team.
The Waterdogs championship future number dropped from 10/1 to +650 in just one game.
The Cannons will play the second game of their homecoming with a much tougher opponent than the first one. I can’t not take the Waterdogs as underdogs here, and I’m even willing to pay the juice on this one.
They’ve kept every game close and finally got that win last week. I think Boston gets it done in game one but either falls or wins a nail-biter here.
Pick: Waterdogs +1.5 (-145)
