The New York Guardians (2-2) are tied for second in the XFL East and will be underdogs again this weekend as they take on the Dallas Renegades (2-2), who are tied for second in the XFL West.
The Guardians are coming off a narrow victory last weekend that saw them kick a go-ahead field goal late in the fourth quarter to defeat the visiting LA Wildcats, 17-14. All eyes will be on third Guardian quarterback of the year Luis Perez as fans look to see if they finally have a passer in the pocket they can trust to protect the football.
Renegades are heavy favorites despite injury to Landry Jones
Dallas quarterback Landry Jones has been sidelined for at least two weeks after re-aggravating his knee injury from training camp at the end of last week’s loss to the Houston Roughnecks. Online sportsbooks DraftKings and 888 Sport are still pricing the Renegades at -7.5 with FanDuel at -8 and Bet365 offering -7.
Here are this weekend’s odds for betting this contest against the spread at four major online sportsbooks:
DraftKings
Guardians +7.5 (-114)
Renegades -7.5 (-107)
888 Sport
Guardians +7.5 (-114)
Renegades -7.5 (-107)
FanDuel
Guardians +8 (-120)
Renegades -8 (+100)
Bet365
Guardians +7 (-105)
Renegades -7 (-115)
Guardians have a history of staying under
New York Guardians games have stayed under this week’s projected total of 37 points three out of four times to start the XFL season. The lone exception came against the St. Louis Battlehawks in Week 3 where the Battlehawks’ special teams play produced 15 points, leading to a 29-9 victory. These points came in the form of three made field goals and the first-ever kickoff return for a touchdown in XFL history.
The Guardians are the XFL’s worst offensive team statistically. They rank dead last in:
- Points per game (12.8)
- Offensive yards per game (230)
- Pass yards per game (142.8)
- Yards per play (3.2)
New York’s defense is only giving up 18.2 points per game, which ranks 3rd among XFL teams and makes for another strong argument for betting under on the total.
Here are this weekend’s odds for betting the total at four major online sportsbooks:
DraftKings
Over 37 (-112)
Under 37 (-109)
888 Sport
Over 37 (-112)
Under 37 (-109)
FanDuel
Over 37 (-115)
Under 37 (-105)
Bet365
Over 37 (-110)
Under 37 (-110)
Defense gives Guardians path to moneyline victory
New York is tied for second in the league with 10 total sacks and 21 QB hits so far this year, and defensive tackle Cavon Walker is leading the league with 2.5 sacks to his name.
Turnovers have also been a bright spot for New York as players have produced four interceptions and a fumble recovery through four games so far. In fact, during Week 1 the Tampa Bay Vipers dominated the Guardians in every single statistical category except turnovers. New York went on to win its home opener easily, 23-3.
The Guardians have not been good on the road this year. After their decisive victory Week 1 versus Tampa Bay, the next two weeks of travel ended in blowout losses and saw head coach Kevin Gilbride bench two of his quarterbacks before settling on Perez. Luckily for New York, the Renegades are 0-2 at home to start the season and will be giving the start to backup quarterback Philip Nelson in place of the injured Jones.
Here are this weekend’s moneyline odds from four major online sportsbooks:
DraftKings
Guardians +255
Renegades -335
888 Sport
Guardians +255
Renegades -335
FanDuel
Guardians +255
Renegades -330
Bet365
Guardians +255
Renegades -330
Renegade OC breaks leg in unlikely collision
Dallas offensive coordinator Hal Mumme broke his leg during a sideline collision with fellow Renegade Cameron Artis-Payne last week. While he was able to finish out his coaching duties from the sideline, a Monday morning examination revealed the break and he has made the decision to call plays from the coach’s booth in this week’s game.
