Opening weekend in the 2024 Premier Lacrosse League season continues with two more matchups on Sunday, and we have picks for both of them. The Carolina Chaos take on the Denver Outlaws in the early game, followed by the New York Atlas’ second game of the weekend, featuring their East Conference rival, the Maryland Whipsnakes.
Let’s take a look at the nine PLL bets I've locked in for Sunday, June 2.
Carolina Chaos vs. Denver Outlaws
| Carolina (-1.5) Odds | Moneyline: -120 |
| Denver (+1.5) Odds | Moneyline: -110 |
| Total | 23 |
| Time | Sunday · 1 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
Carolina and Denver face off in a game that is priced as a pick‘em and features the lowest total of the weekend, ranging from 22.5 to 23. This Denver offense has a ton of potential with several key additions in rookies Brennan O’Neill, Graham Bundy and Josh Zawada. Yet, I still think it could take a game or two for this unit to fully mesh and don’t expect a night and day transformation from last year’s worst offense — especially against this Carolina defense.
Chaos is one of the few teams whose defense will feature all of their starters from the 2023 season. It also helps that the starting netminder of that unit is 2021 PLL MVP Blaze Riorden. While Denver’s defense also features all three defenders from their 2023 starting line, Carolina’s overhaul on offense is much less raw despite an influx of new faces.
Carolina’s offense will be led by second-year Brian Minicus, a healthy Josh Byrne and free agent acquisition Jules Heningburg, whose move back to attack should lead to higher production. While Denver added some big-name rookies, Carolina had a combination of veteran additions and impactful rookies join the team. The stability on defense and upside on offense is enough for me to bet the Chaos to not only win but also cover the 1.5-point spread at +124 on DraftKings. If you’re looking to play it a bit more safe, the moneyline is a viable alternative.
I’m also expecting Riorden to have a big game in cage. His saves prop is relatively high at 14.5, but the way I expect this game to play out should give him a quality opportunity to go over 14.5 saves. Riorden cleared this mark in six of 10 games last season and I think Denver’s new pieces on offense will lead to a higher shot volume and actually help him go over this mark. Bet Riorden to make more than 14.5 saves at -102 on FanDuel.
I also expect rookie Shane Knobloch to have success in his debut. Knobloch is a shifty, two-handed midfielder with a quick release and extremely accurate shot on the run. Knobloch’s ability to generate his own shot will allow him plenty of goal-scoring opportunities, and with other playmakers like Heningburg, Josh Byrne and Brian Minicus on this offense, Knobloch could benefit from less attention. I think there’s a great chance he goes over his points prop and potentially his goals prop as well. Bet a full unit on Shane Knobloch over 1.5 points at -125 and a half unit on Knobloch over 1.5 goals at +155 on BetMGM.
Finally, I’m also betting this game to have two or more two-point goals scored. This prop is juiced to the under despite featuring two teams that struggled to defend the two-point shot last season. Both defenses were tied for second-worst in percentage of two-point goals allowed at 17% in 2023. There are plenty of players who like to shoot from beyond the arc on both teams with Tye Kurtz, Sergio Perkovic, Ian MacKay, Troy Reh and CJ Costabile being the likeliest candidates for Carolina and Graham Bundy, Sam Handley, Jake Piseno and even Brennan O’Neill being Denver’s rangiest shooters. Bet this game to go over 1.5 two-point goals scored at +145 on BetMGM.
Picks: Carolina Chaos -1.5, Blaze Riorden Over 14.5 Saves, Shane Knobloch Over 1.5 Points & Over 1.5 Goals (0.5 unit), Over 1.5 Two-Point Goals
New York Atlas vs. Maryland Whipsnakes
| New York (+1.5) Odds | Moneyline: +120 |
| Maryland (-1.5) Odds | Moneyline: -145 |
| Total | 24.5 |
| Time | Sunday · 3:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
Odds via BetMGM
For the longest time, the Whipsnakes owned the Atlas, with New York’s first win over Maryland coming just last season. Maryland enters this game as the favorite once again, but there are better ways to bet this game than on the spread or total of 24.5.
As great as New York looked in their win over Boston on Saturday, I worry the short rest could affect them late in their game against Maryland. So, instead of betting the full game spread, I recommend betting the New York Atlas to be the first to score three goals at -105 on BetMGM.
I expect New York to come out strong again and trust Trevor Baptiste in his faceoff matchup against Petey LaSalla. The Whipsnakes feature some new additions on both sides of the ball and while I think this game will be close, New York should be able to bury three before Maryland. If you want to take it a step further, you can also bet Atlas to score five goals first on BetMGM as well, but I think three goals is the sweet spot.
I’m also targeting three player props in this game, starting with two Whipsnakes attackmen.
Matt Rambo has typically torched the Atlas in years past, recording two or more goals in his last four games against New York. While the star Maryland attacker was fairly banged up in 2023 following a grueling National Lacrosse League season, he still managed to have multi-goal performances in five of his last 10 games. After taking this NLL season off, I expect a refreshed Rambo to start the season strong and go over his goals prop of 1.5 at -120 on bet365.
Maryland also surrounded Rambo with some more complimentary pieces this season, signing his former University of Maryland teammate Colin Heacock and dynamic rookie TJ Malone. Both additions and an already established Jackson Morrill should be able to generate quality scoring chances for Rambo.
I’m also betting the aforementioned Malone to have a big debut. Maryland shockingly parted ways with their 2023 leading scorer Will Manny during training camp. While I didn’t like the decision to cut Manny, the move likely signals a significant role for Malone on this offense and I expect we’ll see him either start on attack or get plenty of shifts out of the box on Sunday. Considering Malone’s playmaking ability and strong training camp showing, I recommend betting him to go over 2.5 points at +110 on BetMGM.
The third prop I’m betting is Atlas attackman Jeff Teat’s goal prop. Teat tied the aforementioned Manny for most points in a single PLL game and set his own career high with 11 points against Boston on Saturday. Teat had four goals and seven assists in the big win. While you can never rule out (and should often expect) a big game from Teat, I do expect him to be more facilitating than scoring on Sunday. Teat’s goals prop is currently at 2.5 on FanDuel and there’s value in betting him to stay under this mark at +126.
Prior to yesterday, Teat had stayed under 2.5 goals in 18 of his last 22 games. While it will be pick your poison for Maryland when deciding if rookie defenseman Ajax Zappitello will defend Teat or Connor Shellenberger, I don’t expect Teat to dodge to score nearly as much as he did against Garrett Epple on Saturday. At these odds, bet Teat to stay under 2.5 goals
Picks: New York Atlas First to 3 Goals, Matt Rambo Over 1.5 Goals, TJ Malone Over 2.5 Points, Jeff Teat Under 2.5 Goals
