While the UFL is a new league, that doesn't mean we don't have some knowledge that can prove useful for bettors looking to make a couple smart bets. Daniel Dopp and Matt Willis are here to break down what you need to know about betting on Week 8 of the UFL. Check back every Friday as Daniel and Matt take you all the way through to the UFL championship game on June 16.
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Dopp: I can't believe we only have five more weeks of the UFL season! It feels like the weeks have flown by with a ton of memorable moments so far. Kickers keep dominating, Adrian Martinez keeps rolling through defenses and there have been more than a few wide receivers that have showcased their talents. Guys like, Hakeem Butler, Marcus Simms, Kelvin Harmon, Jontre Kirklin, Deon Cain, Daewood Davis, the list just keeps going on and on! I just started to get to know all of these teams and the season is almost over! At least our futures pick, the Birmingham Stallions (+300 at the time) is holding up well. You ready for another week of the UFL, Willis?
Willis: Absolutely, Daniel! I hope that the week has treated you well, and you, like me, have been glowing in the aftermath of us hitting two of our three game picks and three of our four player props last week! And that's just left me thirsty for more. Almost as thirsty as for a tall glass of... wait, do we have a beverage sponsorship yet?
Dopp: I don't think we do, but that's now number one on the docket for next year! A beverage sponsorship would certainly take us up a level, we just gotta make sure it'll fit with our beloved beer snake in DC!
Willis: The question of who will take this tremendous sponsorship opportunity is still in the air. But we did get some answers last week of who the UFL's best team is. Birmingham pulled out a four-point home win over the St. Louis Battlehawks. Daniel, did you have any takeaways?
Dopp: Of course I had some takeaways. Even though the Stallions only beat the Battlehawks by single digits, it felt like they were in the driver's seat for the majority of the game. Adrian Martinez is such a dual-threat weapon in the pocket, especially with someone like Deon Cain leading that receiving corps. Their defense continues to play tough, leading the UFL in takeaways and ranking second in sacks this season (23). I still think it's the Stallions championship to lose, but I don't think the Battlehawks are out of the conversation.
Willis: The stats say that Birmingham probably should've won by more, but the Battlehawks hung with the Stallions on their home field. Let's keep in mind that the UFL Championship game will be in St. Louis this year, and the +225 title odds currently on St. Louis are the best you're going to see.
Dopp: If I wasn't already on the Stallions, I'd strongly consider that line given the homefield situation for the Battlehawks. Alright, we have to give the people what they want and dive into these Week 8 lines.
Willis: Let's do it! I'm going to start right with the Battlehawks, who are hosting the D.C. Defenders this week. The Defenders suffered a big home loss to the Michigan Panthers last week and were limited to just nine first downs. D.C. has the worst third-down offense in the league, and they've been even worse over the past three games, going 7-for-33 (21%). Not to mention, Jordan Ta'amu is coming off a concussion. He should be good to go for Sunday, but leading receiver Kelvin Harmon is out. The Battlehawks should be able to take advantage of a bad Defenders rush defense and cover the 7.5 points. Remember, St. Louis beat the Defenders by 33 back in Week 5.
Dopp: I'm with you on that line for all of the reasons you mentioned. The Battlehawks are clearly the better team and the Defenders just showed us how bad they can struggle with the aforementioned loss to the Panthers. I'm with you on the Battlehawks covering in this one. I'm interested to know what you think of Panthers-Showboats this week. I want to take the Panthers, but -8.5 is a pretty big number. Don't get me wrong, Memphis is bad at a lot of things and offense is one of them. The Showboats rank dead last in total yards per game and second to last in rushing yards per game. Another area they struggle with is defense. Memphis allows an average of 31.1 points per game, the most in the UFL. It's tough to do well when you're bad at both offense and defense.
Willis: Not only have the Showboats failed to cover in each of their past five games, they also hit the over in every game over that stretch. Each loss has been between 15-24 points and they just lost by 17 at home to this same Panthers team. Memphis has allowed more than 37 points per game over the past five weeks. I like Michigan laying the 8.5 points and would consider a same-game parlay with over 47.5 as well.
Dopp: Yeah, the Panthers are middle of the pack offensively with a nice ground game and a pretty stout defense. The QB spot doesn't inspire as much confidence as I would like, but I've been cheering on Michigan from day one and I'm pumped they've made the playoffs in their first year. So, I'm going to have some fun and lay the points in this one. What's next for you, Willis?
Willis: Arlington finally got into the win column last week, and this week they'll take on the San Antonio Brahmas, who are still fighting for a playoff spot. The Brahmas have allowed fewer than 20 points in six of seven games this season and were down 12-3 in the fourth quarter last week before rallying for a 15-12 win. Arlington's offensive numbers took a boost with a 47-point outburst last week over Memphis, but the Showboats' defense is terrible. I think both the Renegades and Brahmas' defenses stay strong in Week 8 and I'll take the under 46.
Dopp: It's about time Arlington got a W! I really didn't want any winless teams this year, that's just not fun. Speaking of not being fun, usually we have some player props, but this week we're focused on games lines and over/unders. So with that, we're gonna wrap up another week of our UFL betting column. As always, thanks to Matt Willis for bringing the heat when it comes to UFL stats and analysis. Appreciate you, my friend.
Don't forget to love each other, be kind to yourself, enjoy the games, and we'll see everyone next week!
If you still want more UFL content on top of this, check out Daniel Dopp, Skubie Mageza and Joe Gioia every Sunday night at 6:30 p.m. ET for the definitive UFL recap show! UFL Today will bring fans the top moments from the weekend, with game highlights, airing live on ESPN's YouTube, Facebook and the ESPN App, in most cases following the last game of the weekend.
Follow Dopp and Willis on X @danieldopp and @WillisOnNascar.