Week 2 in the Premier Lacrosse League continues with two matchups between winless teams on Saturday afternoon. Not only do I have five best bets for Saturday, but I even built a PrizePicks entry to wrap up the weekend.
Let’s take a look at my favorite plays for PLL Week 2.
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.
Whipsnakes LC vs. Atlas LC (-1.5)
| Atlas Odds | -115 |
| Whipsnakes Odds | -105 |
| Total | 23.5 |
| Time | Saturday · 3 p.m. ET |
| TV | ABC |
Odds via bet365.
Two of the favorites to win the 2023 PLL Championship at the beginning of the season meet on Saturday seeking their first win. The Atlas and Whipsnakes are both listed as favorites depending on the sportsbook, making this game essentially a pick'em on paper. The total ranges from 23.5 to 24.5 depending on the sportsbook.
While I think the perennial contenders known as the Whipsnakes should edge out Atlas for the seventh straight time, I think there are better angles to bet what should be a tightly contested matchup.
It’s sometimes feast or famine for Jack Concannon when it comes to saves, but I like him to surpass his saves prop of 12.5 (-128) on Saturday. The line opened at 11.5 and moved earlier in the week, but I still think the number is too low given the matchup. Concannon made more than 12.5 saves in five of 11 games last season, and had less than 11 saves only twice last year— and those only two times were games when he didn’t play the full 48 minutes.
He’ll face a Whipsnakes offense with a lot of shooters, and I expect him to get peppered with shots on Saturday – and successfully stop many of those shots. Win or lose, Concannon has shown up against the Whips every time he’s faced them. He had 17 saves in both meetings with the Whips last year and has averaged 16.16 saves in his six games against the Whipsnakes, never recording fewer than 15 saves in those contests. Bet Concannon to surpass 12.5 saves.
Another Atlas player prop I’m targeting is Romar Dennis’ points prop. Dennis is a downhill dodger who has developed a reputation for his range as a stretch shooter. Yet, he has struggled with accuracy issues, and despite having the ability to shoot from beyond the arc, he’s scored only four two-point goals in his last two seasons and just six in 37 total PLL games.
Furthermore, Dennis has stayed under 1.5 points in four of his last 10 games and seven of his last 20 games. I think this Whipsnakes defense will keep Dennis in check on Saturday, and I recommend betting him to stay under 1.5 points at +118 on FanDuel.
Picks: Jack Concannon Over 12.5 Saves (-128 at FanDuel) | Romar Dennis Under 1.5 Points (+118 at FanDuel)
Cannons LC vs. Chaos LC (-1.5)
| Chaos Odds | -150 |
| Cannons Odds | +110 |
| Total | 22.5 |
| Time | Saturday · 5:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
Odds via bet365.
The final matchup of the weekend features the two worst regular-season teams last year. The Chaos are short favorites entering this game, and the total is the lowest of the weekend at 22.5 on bet365 despite being 23.5 at most other sportsbooks.
Despite a great defensive effort from Chaos in Week 1, I like this total to go over 22.5. The Cannons were exposed often on fast breaks by the Archers last week, and I think the Chaos will push in transition more now that the majority of their starters have returned to the lineup. The Cannons also showed that their offense can thrive even without last season’s leading scorer, Lyle Thompson.
While betting an over in a game featuring 2021 PLL MVP Blaze Riorden is always risky, I think the Cannons will be able to get some quality shots against the Chaos netminder. The past two meetings between these teams have seen 24 goals scored in each, and I think we could see even more goals scored given the new shot clock rules. I think both teams have offenses that can expose the opposing defense, and the Chaos, in particular, should get a scoring boost in the form of Josh Byrne, Chris Cloutier and Chase Fraser, who are making their 2023 season debut. Bet this game to go over the total of 22.5 (-120 on bet365).
While betting the over can be seen as a fade of these goaltenders, I’m also looking to fade Cannons goaltender Adam Ghitelman directly. Ghitelman’s saves prop is currently 12.5 – a number he’s stayed under in seven of his last 10 games, making his true odds closer to -233.
Ghitelman is one of the older goaltenders in the league, and he’ll face a Chaos offense that had four offensive players shoot over 30% last season. There’s also no guarantee Ghitelman will finish the game, with Coach Brian Holman getting second-year goalie Colin Kirst some time last game and even stating to the sideline reporter that he’d be monitoring Ghitelman’s minutes.
While the juice has moved from +106 to now -106, I think this is still a great spot to bet Ghitelman to stay under 12.5 saves.
My final best bet from this game is over 0.5 two-point goals. While these two teams historically don’t take too many two-point attempts, there are plenty of players on both rosters who can shoot from range. We saw Marcus Holman score a two-point goal last weekend, and other Cannons such as Chris Aslanian, Matt Rees and Matt Campbell can also shoot from range. On the Chaos side, long-stick middies CJ Costabile, Troy Reh and even Jarrod Neumann at times have shown the propensity to pull up from beyond the arc in transition.
Both Chaos and Cannons also gave up eight and seven two-point goals last season, which were the second- and third-worst in the league. I think the odds are good that someone scores a two-bomb on Saturday. Bet over 0.5 two-pointers at -138 on FanDuel.
The Picks: Cannons LC vs. Chaos LC over 22.5 (-120 at bet365) | Adam Ghitelman under 12.5 Saves (-106) | Over 0.5 Two-Pointers (-138 at FanDuel)
PLL Week 2 PrizePicks Entry
I covered my first two legs in this week’s PrizePicks entry as prop bets in the game previews above, so I won’t re-explain why I like Concannon to go over his saves prop and Ghitelman to stay under his.
The final pick of this PrizePicks entry is Ryan Smith to go over 1.5 points on Saturday. Smith has recorded two or more points in nine of 20 career games, and with Dhane Smith (no relation) out of the lineup again this week, I think he’ll have plenty of opportunities to record two or more points against this Cannons defense. Smith recorded two points last week and should benefit from Chase Fraser’s return to the right side of this Chaos offense.
Add him as the third leg in our PrizePicks lineup and risk one unit in flex play (pays out 2.25x for three correct legs and 1.25x for two correct legs.)
PrizePicks Flex Play: 1 Unit on Jack Concannon Over 12.5 Saves, Adam Ghitelman Under 12.5 Saves, Ryan Smith Over 1.5 Points
