While we’re only three weeks into the PLL season, it’s never too early to start discussing regular season awards.
There have never been more options to bet on PLL awards than this year, with multiple sportsbooks offering MVP, Rookie of the Year and Coach of the Year odds — and I have a bet for each!
Now is the time to use what we’ve seen through three games and bet awards futures at favorable prices before the market catches up.
If you’re an avid bettor who’s new to lacrosse or a lacrosse fan who’s new to betting, check out my guide on how to bet on lacrosse for some tips to use when placing a lacrosse bet.
Bet This PLL Player to Win Rookie of the Year
Since DraftKings, bet365 and BetMGM started posting Rookie of the Year odds, Tucker Dordevic has emerged as the heavy favorite — and rightly so. The Whipsnakes midfielder is tied for 10th in points and leads all rookies with five goals, two two-point goals and two assists.
Dordevic opened at +450 following Week 1 and got as low as +175 in subsequent weeks before settling at his current price of +200. It’s tough to tell how much longer Dordevic’s odds will get, but they’ll probably remain in this range for the next couple weeks barring a major performance or scoreless outing.
I think Dordevic is the frontrunner and I like him to ultimately take home the award, but I’d wait to see how he fairs against a tough Archers defense to see if you can get a slightly better price. Instead, there is a dark horse candidate I like that you should at least consider creating a position on right now.
Atlas defender Gavin Adler has defied pro lacrosse convention. Before Atlas selected Adler with the top pick in the 2023 PLL Draft, a defender had been selected first overall only once — and that occurred 22 years ago. Likewise, only one defender— future Hall of Famer Brodie Merrill — has ever won Rookie of the Year honors in MLL/PLL history. If there's another defender who could do it, Adler seems poised to be that guy.
Adler opened at +1500 following Week 1 and has continued to build his case. He has been stellar in his matchups this season, holding Michael Sowers, Zed Williams, Rob Pannell and Ryder Garnsey to a combined 2-for-14 (14.3%) shooting.
For those keeping track, that’s the 2022 PLL Championship MVP, 2020 PLL MVP, 2018 MVP and this year’s leading scorer. Adler is making a case to not only be Rookie of the Year, but Defensive Player of the Year!
And sportsbooks have already reacted as such, with his odds shifting from +600 to +300 on DraftKings. However, bet365 is still offering +650 and BetMGM +600.
While I think Dordevic is the pick to win it all, now is the time to build your Adler position. The Atlas defender has a favorable matchup against Cannons this weekend and I don’t see his odds getting any longer than +400.
Pick: Gavin Adler to Win Rookie of the Year.
Bet this PLL Coach to Win Coach of the Year
BetMGM is currently the only sportsbook offering Coach of the Year odds, and while it’s a difficult market to handicap, there is one coach I recommend betting on right now.
There are two new PLL head coaches this season. First-year head coach Mike Pressler inherited an Atlas team that has been at the top of the standings the past two seasons and possessed two of the top three picks in this year’s draft. Meanwhile, Brian Holman inherited a Cannons team that finished last in the standings — 1-9 record in 2022 — and had their best player (Lyle Thompson) take a leave of absence this season—- a much less advantageous situation.
Still, Holman has been effective in building a competitive team via free agency and the waiver wire — the result has been a team that's been competitive in all three of its games. While no game in the PLL is easy, the Cannons have a fairly advantageous next two games before the All-Star break. They’ll face an Atlas team that has a tendency to play down to their opponent's level and then a Chrome team that they just beat last week.
While historically the Dick Edell Coach of the Year award has been given to a coach whose team has ranked near the top of the regular season standings, I think the narrative is there for Holman to win, especially when you consider the past two winners came from teams that saw massive turnarounds.
Andy Copelan won the award in 2021 after turning an expansion Waterdogs team that finished last in 2020 into the team with the best record and top seed in the playoffs. Likewise, Tim Soudan won the award in 2022 with a Chrome team that finished second in the standings just a year after missing the 2021 playoffs.
If Holman can take the Cannons from a 1-9 team to a 5-5 team, or better, and make the playoffs, I think he’ll be one of the better candidates to win. He currently has the longest odds at +1600.
While Andy Towers (+600) or Chris Bates (+400) could also have a case by the time the season ends, I think the value lies with Holman right now.
Pick: Brian Holman to Win Coach of the Year.
Bet this PLL Player to Win MVP
It’s still way too early to make a determination on who will win PLL MVP, but with five sportsbooks offering, there’s plenty of opportunities to build positions around certain candidates. If you’re like me, betting a portfolio of MVP candidates is the preferred approach to betting this market, and the key to staying profitable is finding value on players before they gain recognition.
That’s why I’ll continue to bang the drum for a former MVP finalist who consistently helps his team win in a variety of ways. This player is currently first on his team in caused turnovers (4), first in ground balls (12), second in goals (4) and third in points (7). In fact, he’s second in groundballs in the entire league among non-faceoff specialists and is getting set to take a healthy amount of the Waterdogs' faceoffs this weekend after Coach Copelan made the decision to not dress a specialist.
If you haven’t figured it out already, this player is Waterdogs midfielder Zach Currier — and he’s still as long as +3000 to win PLL MVP.
Currier belongs in the MVP conversation every season due to his versatility and ability to make so much happen for the Waterdogs. Need a timely caused turnover? Need a critical ground ball? Need a goal to tie the game? Currier can do it all.
While Michael Sowers, Kieran McArdle and Connor Kelly tend to dominate the spotlight, if you asked any player on the Waterdogs who the team’s MVP is, odds are it’s likely Currier. Furthermore, the other PLL players and coaches who vote on the award finalists likely share that sentiment.
With Currier set to take faceoffs and play a larger role on offense due to Kelly’s injury, now is the time to bet Currier to win MVP at this price (+3000 on BetMGM and DraftKings.)
Pick: Zach Currier to Win MVP.
