A week after their big UFL showdown, the Birmingham Stallions (7-0) and St. Louis Battlehawks (6-1) look to continue their winning ways against the rest of the league in Week 8.
We also will see if the Michigan Panthers, who are already playoff bound, can get to 6-2 with a favorable matchup against the Memphis Showboats (1-6).
It could be a chalky week when all the winning teams are playing the losing teams, and we have 3 teams that are 1-6. The playoff field can already be set this week if the Battlehawks and Brahmas win their games, which would eliminate the Defenders (3-4).
We selected our best bets for the Week 8 schedule below.
Picks Summary
- Panthers -9 (-110)
- Roughnecks-Stallions Under 43 Points (-110)
- Defenders-Battlehawks Under 44.5 Points (-110)
*All odds from Bet365 (check our Bet365 Review)
D.C. Defenders vs. St. Louis Battlehawks
Sunday, May 19, 2024 – 12:00 PM ET at The Dome at America’s Center
The Battlehawks (5-2) dropped a game for the 1st time since Week 1, but they can clinch a playoff spot at home with a win over the Defenders (3-4), who lost 22-9 to the Panthers in D.C. last week.
St. Louis is an 8-point home favorite with a total of 44.5 points. We are looking at that total.
Both Quarterbacks Are Banged Up
This game may have delayed the UFL betting lines this week as we don’t know if Jordan Ta’amu and A.J. McCarron will be ready to go Sunday afternoon after both were injured during last week’s games.
Ta’amu did not finish his game, which is usually a bad sign. He was limited in practice during the week. The D.C. offense was already struggling as is, and the St. Louis pass defense is very solid, ranked No. 1 in yards per pass allowed.
McCarron finished his game against Birmingham, but he wasn’t moving around a lot after his ankle injury. Adrenaline can help you finish a game, but things can always get worse in the days after the injury. The Battlehawks signed a quarterback this week (Drew Pitt) which suggests there is some concern about their star quarterback’s health status going into this important game.
Week 5 Recap: Battlehawks 45, Defenders 12
While St. Louis put up a big number on the scoreboard in Week 5 against this team, we want to point out why that might not be a great indicator for how the offense performs this weekend, especially in light of McCarron’s ankle injury.
The Week 5 matchup did not see great offense from St. Louis, which had 280 yards, averaged 5.3 yards per play, and was just 4-of-8 in the red zone. A late 80-yard touchdown pass from McCarron accounted for 37.6% of his passing yards in the game, and this St. Louis offense usually doesn’t produce long plays like that.
Both teams were a combined 4-for-24 on 3rd down. But the Battlehawks still thrived because they scored 25 points off 4 turnovers by the Defenders. The Battlehawks poured it on late with 2 touchdown drives that covered just 9 and 7 yards.
Don’t let that 45-12 score fool you. It was not easy pickings for the St. Louis offense that day. It was however a brutal game for the D.C. offense, which had 163 yards and averaged 2.9 yards per play.
The Pick
It sure is tempting to take the over when the Battlehawks covered it themselves with 45 points in the Week 5 win over the Defenders. But that’s why we like the idea of the opposite playing out this time with quarterbacks who are less than 100%.
The Battlehawks can lean more on their superior defense to get the win, but we don’t expect as many fireworks this time. Take the under for your UFL picks.
UFL Pick: Under 44.5 (-110) at Bet365
Memphis Showboats vs. Michigan Panthers
Saturday, May 18, 2024 – 04:00 PM ET at Ford Field
The Showboats (1-6) were smoked 47-23 by winless Arlington last week in the highest-scoring game in the UFL this season. The Panthers put in another workmanlike performance in a 22-9 win over the Defenders.
The Panthers are a 9-point home favorite with a total of 47.5 points at top-rated sportsbooks. We are looking at that spread for your UFL picks.
Memphis: Brutal on Both Sides
The Showboats have now been outscored by a league-worst 88 points this season. The team hasn’t won since Week 1, and that was against Houston, the worst-scoring team in the UFL.
It’s actually a wonder Memphis isn’t last in scoring as the offense is last in yards gained. But this is thanks to the Showboats leading the UFL with 59 points off turnovers, so short fields have been kind.
Just not kind enough to win since Week 1. Memphis is still dead last with 4.9 yards per pass and not doing well on the ground either with 3.5 yards per carry. Only Houston (3.3) is lower.
Michigan’s Solid Play
If we are just being honest, Michigan stands little chance against the Stallions or Battlehawks in a big playoff game. Sure, the Panthers beat the Battlehawks in Week 1 thanks to a 64-yard field goal. But that is unlikely to repeat itself.
But Michigan is solid enough to handle these other 1-win teams in the USFL and XFL divisions. The Panthers might have better quarterback play now with Bryce Perkins, who was 11-of-13 for 116 yards last week in a 22-9 win. He also handed the ball off 16 times for 137 yards from running back Matthew Colburn II.
The Panthers are going to show up, play respectable defense, and they are now looking to run the ball better and manage the quarterback position. It’s not flashy, but it’s going to be successful against the non-Birmingham and non-St. Louis teams in the UFL.
The Pick
The Panthers are up to No. 3 in scoring defense at 18.6 points per game. Meanwhile, the Showboats allow a league-worst 31.1 points per game, a full touchdown ahead of the next worst team (Arlington).
We’ll trust the home team to move to 6-2 with a comfortable double-digit win for your UFL picks.
UFL Pick: Panthers -9 (-110) at Bet365
Houston Roughnecks vs. Birmingham Stallions
Saturday, May 18, 2024 – 08:00 PM ET at Protective Stadium
The Stallions survived a back-and-forth game with St. Louis to improve to 7-0 with a 30-26 win. Can they go undefeated? They sure don’t seem like they’ll get a great test from the 1-6 Houston Roughnecks, who lost 32-9 to these Stallions in Week 5 and lost 15-12 to the Brahmas a week ago.
The Stallions are a 16.5-point home favorite with a total of 43 points. We are looking at that total.
Roughnecks Simply Can’t Score
This team puts the “Rough” in Roughnecks as they just can’t score this season. The Roughnecks have reached 20 points once all season, and that was back in Week 3 when they lost 34-20 to Michigan, their only game this season to go over 41 points.
Meanwhile, the Stallions have arguably the best defense in the league and just did a good job against a hot St. Louis offense. They intercepted A.J. McCarron and came close on a few more picks in that game.
The Roughnecks managed just 9 points in the Week 5 matchup with Birmingham, which ended 32-9. It would be a surprise if Houston scored much more than that after failing to top 12 points in each of the last 3 weeks.
Stallions Remain Perfect
The Stallions proved again they are the best team in the league after coming back to drop the Battlehawks 30-26 last week. That was a high-scoring game between great teams, but they won’t need that many points to beat the Roughnecks.
Birmingham can run the ball as well as anyone in the league, and a big part of that is quarterback Adrian Martinez, who should be the frontrunner for MVP. Since taking over the starting job, he has added a whole new dimension to this offense with his dual-threat ability.
A good running game can keep the clock moving too, limiting possessions and keeping the score down. The Stallions do not need to air it out a lot to defeat the Roughnecks.
The Pick
Like we said before, only 1-of-7 Houston games all season went over 43 points. The last meeting was 32-9 and we could see something similar with the largest spread of the season in this game. Birmingham is on a whole different level from Houston. We’ll take the under in a rout.
UFL Pick: Under 43 (-110) at Bet365
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