The Premier Lacrosse League heads to Rafferty Stadium in Fairfield, Connecticut, this weekend for Week 7 action and throwback week. All eight teams will be back in action, with the Denver Outlaws and Philadelphia Waterdogs kicking off the action at 6:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+ Friday night, July 19th. Let’s take a look at my PLL picks and best bets for Week 7.
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PLL: Premier Lacrosse League Picks and Best Bets for Week 7
Last week was All-Star week for the PLL, with East facing the West for the first time in league history. The All-Stars took to the University of Louisville’s Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky. The East took home the crown with a final score of 15-12, the East completing their comeback with a seven-point fourth quarter.
Denver Outlaws (+1.5) vs Philadelphia Waterdogs (-1.5)
The Denver Outlaws are coming off an embarrassing beatdown in Week 5 against the New York Atlas, where they lost 17-4. Denver fell to 2-2 as rookie All-Star Brennan O’Neill was shut down. Even four games into their season, it’s hard to know which Outlaws team you’ll get, the one capable of beating Utah or the one who gets smoked 17-5.
It’s the same with Philadelphia, although they entered the season with much higher expectations. It’s been a season of mostly downs with the Waterdogs, who sit worst in the league at 1-4. After finally addressing the face-off specialist and scoring a win in Week 4 against the Chaos, they turned around and lost to the Cannons in Week 5.
The bottom line is these are two teams still searching for their identity. It’s hard to know when they are going to show up. That being said, the only way to go on this one is to take the underdog and hope it’s the Outlaws’ week to shine.
Pick: Outlaws +1.5 (+110)
Carolina Chaos (+1.5) vs Maryland Whipsnakes (-1.5)
The Chaos haven’t played since Week 4 when they lost to the Waterdogs, having a bye in Week 5 and then last week’s all-star break. They scored 16 points in Week 1 against the Outlaws and have had the league’s worst offense since.
It’s gotten worse each game, with a season-low of just six points last time out. Their defense still seems to show up each week, led by Goalie Blaze Riorden and their defensive trio of Jack Rowlett, Will Bowen, and Jarrod Neumann. Now, they just need to find their offense again.
Maryland is just 2-3 and has one big win against the Atlas in Week 4, the Atlas’ only loss of the season. Their only other win was a close-fought battle against the Waterdogs, whose season hasn’t been impressive. They hung around with the Archers last season for a while before ultimately losing by five.
Back like he NEVER left. 👏 @JNardss
After missing all of last season due to injury, Joe Nardella is back in full force, leading the league in F0% and earning his FIFTH All-Star nomination.🌟 pic.twitter.com/zayV2x4U0C
— Maryland Whipsnakes (@PLLWhipsnakes) July 11, 2024
The Chaos don’t seem like they can be trusted at this point. While Maryland has had their ups and downs, they’ve proven they can hang with the big dogs. Their star rookie, TJ Malone, keeps making a bigger difference each game, and I think that’ll show up again this week.
Pick: Whipsnakes -1.5 (+124)
New York Atlas (-1.5) vs Boston Cannons (+1.5)
The Atlas suffered their only loss of the season to the Whipsnakes in Week 4 and bounced back big time in Week 5. They put a beatdown on the Outlaws 17-4, reminding everyone why they are the best team in the league. They are the unanimous #1 in everyone’s power rankings and the heavy favorite to win the title (+185).
Depending on who you ask, the Cannons may be the second-best team in the league behind the Atlas. They sit second in the league with a record of 4-2. One of those losses to this Atlas team in Week 1, and the other was an embarrassing homecoming loss in Week 5 to the Redwoods of California.
This should be the match of the week. It’s the Atlas chance to prove they are the undoubted #1 team in the league. It’s the Cannons’ chance to prove they are going to be a major factor going forward and avenge their Week 1 loss.
I just can’t go against Jeff Teat and company right now. They already beat this team by seven points, and Boston lost to California just two weeks ago. Atlas show why they are the team to beat this week.
Pick: Atlas -1.5 (-130)
Utah Archers (-1.5) vs California Redwoods (+1.5)
The final matchup of the weekend has the leaders of the west taking on last place in the west. The Archers sit at 3-2 on the season and are coming off a five-point win against the Whipsnakes in Week 5.
The first three quarters of games haven’t been an issue for the defending champions. Scoring in the fourth quarter has caused them the most trouble. If they can just figure out how to make in-game adjustments, they could be pretty scary.
The Redwoods pulled off a big win for their lone win of the season in Week 5. When they took down the Boston Cannons in the opening game of Boston’s homecoming. Still having only played four games, the Redwoods are one of the tougher teams to get a strong read on.
They only lost by one to the Chaos in Week 2 and then hung with the Atlas for a while in Week 3. Then, they had a disappointing loss to the Outlaws in Week 4 before the low-scoring upset in Week 5.
While the Redwoods could prove to be sneaky in the right spots, I’m not sold on them yet. The only reason this line isn’t 2.5 for Utah is because the Redwoods pulled the upset last time out. Let’s not overreact to that too much and stick with the favorites here.
Pick: Archers -1.5 (-130)
