The 2023 Premier Lacrosse League heads to Charlotte for the weekend and features two games on Friday night. The four undefeated teams all play, with the Chrome and Archers leading off the weekend and the Redwoods and Waterdogs following shortly after. I have four bets for Friday, including two plus-money bets on a side and a pair of player props.
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Chrome LC vs. Archers LC (-1.5)
| Archers Odds | -120 |
| Chrome Odds | +100 |
| Total | 24.5 |
| Time | Friday · 6 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
Odds via Caesars Sportsbook
This game is essentially a toss up on paper, but I’m confident in one team in particular to come away with the victory and improve to 2-0.
I’ve spoken multiple times about how I think the Chrome are the most complete team in the PLL and they proved it last week with a gutsy win over the perennial powerhouse Whipsnakes. Chrome is taking on an equally balanced Archers team, but I think this matchup favors Chrome.
For starters, the Archers will be without attackman Grant Ament. Last weekend, Ament reaggravated the hamstring that caused him to miss half of last season. While Archers have depth on offense, they’ll be without a valuable part of their offense while facing a defense that was one of the league's best a season ago. Furthermore, the Archers rookie faceoff specialist, Mike Sisselberger, managed to go 80% at the faceoff stripe last week, but he’ll have a much tougher opponent in Chrome’s Connor Farrell. Archers goaltender Brett Dobson also played really well against Cannons, stopping 59.3% of the shots he faced. However, he could have a bit tougher of a time against a deep Chrome offense.
Meanwhile, the Ament-less Archers will face a stout Chrome defense that's led by goaltender Sean Sconone, who ranked third in save percentage (56%) last weekend. Despite all of that, the Archers are still an underdog at some sportsbooks, including Caesars, which has Chrome priced at +100 on the moneyline. Bet Chrome to win outright on Friday night at even money.
I am also targeting Mac O’Keefe’s points total. Last weekend, we cashed in on O’Keefe’s goal prop of 1.5 and sportsbooks adjusted accordingly this week, increasing his goals prop from 1.5 to 2.5 and his points prop from 2.5 to 3.5. While I think these numbers are more in line with what they should be for the rest of the season, I think the absence of Ament and the matchup with Chrome provides an opportunity for us to bet O’Keefe to stay under his points prop. While the Archers still have players like Tom Schreiber and Connor Fields to feed O’Keefe, I think a four-point performance is a lot to ask against this Chrome defense.
Furthermore, O’Keefe has only recorded four points in one game during his PLL career and that was back in July 2021. O’Keefe will continue to be a key part of this Archers offense, but this is a great spot to bet him to stay under his points prop of 3.5 (-155 on DraftKings).
Pick: Chrome Moneyline, Mac O’Keefe Under 3.5 Points
Waterdogs LC (-1.5) vs. Redwoods LC
| Waterdogs Odds | -140 |
| Redwoods Odds | +118 |
| Total | 24.5 |
| Time | Friday · 8:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
Odds via Caesars Sportsbook
The second Friday night game features the Redwoods and Waterdogs in just their fourth ever meeting. The Waterdogs have never beaten the Redwoods, but enter this game as the favorite.
The Waterdogs escaped Week 1 with a one-goal win over a depleted Chaos team, while Redwoods surprised fans (but not bettors who tailed us last weekend) with a one-goal win over Atlas. I think fans are in for another “surprising” Redwoods win on Friday night.
Jack Kelly made the necessary saves last week and the defense played well, holding a loaded Atlas offense to 26.1% shooting. While the Redwoods offense got a few breaks, it did a great job of creating space to shoot.
The Waterdogs didn't look great in their 2023 debut. The offense never seemed to get into rhythm and struggled with shot selection throughout the game. The lack of rhythm could be attributed to the Chaos’ dominance at the faceoff stripe as Waterdogs faceoff man Zac Tucci was just not up for the challenge.
This week, the Waterdogs opted to go with rookie faceoff specialist Justin Reilly, but he’ll have a tough matchup against Redwoods faceoff specialist TD Ierlan. Ierlan has dominated the Waterdogs at the stripe in previous meetings and will have a favorable matchup against Reilly. The Waterdogs’ wing unit of Ryland Rees and Zach Currier is one of the best in the league, but the team could find itself in a similar situation as last week and be forced to play a lot of defense.
Dillon Ward will likely get the start for the Waterdogs following a long NLL season that culminated in an NLL Finals Game 3 loss. While Ward is one of the best goalies in the world and an upgrade over Matt DeLuca, he’ll have his work cut out for him against a Redwoods offense that scored 13 goals last week.
Ward has also struggled against the Redwoods in the past, posting save percentages of 36.8% and 36.4% in their previous two meetings.
Furthermore, this Redwoods offense is not only returning the majority of their top offensive weapons, but also added an offball finisher in Wes Berg, who recorded a hat trick last week. Ryder Garnsey also looked much more comfortable back on his natural lefty side in Week 1. I’m not ready to crown the Redwoods as a contender just yet, but I like this spot for them to secure an outright win over the defending champs. Bet the Redwoods on the moneyline at +118 on Caesars.
I also am targeting Berg’s goal prop. Berg was at his best when previously on the Redwoods, scoring nine goals in eight games in 2019. After stints with Waterdogs and Chaos, Berg has earned a starting role and immediately made an impact with three goals and an assist in Week 1. I expect Berg to find the back of the net again and recommend betting him to go over 1.5 goals at +144 on FanDuel.
Pick: Redwoods Moneyline, Wes Berg Over 1.5 Goals
