By Zach Thompson, DraftKings Network
Week 6 is the start of the second half of the UFL season, and we’re starting to get a clear picture of where teams stand coming into the stretch run. A few clear favorites have emerged, but every team is still in the playoff chase at this point, with five games down and five games to go before four teams make the playoffs with a chance to play in the United Bowl Championship on Saturday, June 13 in Washington, D.C. Week 6 gets underway on Thursday, April 30, so let’s run down what to expect with the help of some of the odds from DraftKings Sportsbook. Bookmark this UFL betting splits page and check back throughout the season for DraftKings Network’s ongoing coverage.
The Louisville Kings host the St. Louis Battlehawks in The Derby Classic Presented by DraftKings on Thursday night to start the week on FS1. Friday night features another solid matchup between the Houston Gamblers and the Columbus Aviators at Historic Crew Stadium on FOX. Saturday’s ABC matchup features two of the top teams in the league as the Dallas Renegades visit the DC Defenders, and the week closes out with a 4:00 p.m. ET Sunday afternoon matchup between the Birmingham Stallions and Orlando Storm on FOX. Let’s take a closer look at each contest with the help of some odds from DraftKings Sportsbook.
St. Louis Battlehawks at Louisville Kings (+3.5)
The new UFL franchise in Louisville has tried to tap into the local focus on the Kentucky Derby coming up this weekend. The inaugural Derby Classic presented by DraftKings encourages fans to bring the Derby vibes and feel the royal energy! The team’s name and mascot are drawn from the annual event, and this should be a great way for the team to kick off the week of festivities in Louisville.
The Kings themselves are coming off a huge win last week, as they galloped past the Dallas Renegades in a big upset. The defense picked off Austin Reed four times, including two pick-sixes, while the run game racked up 147 rushing yards, led by Ian Wheeler’s impressive four-touchdown performance. Wheeler and James Robinson split the workload and both running backs looked excellent.
The Kings were making a big shift after trading starting QB Jason Bean and inserting Chandler Rogers. Making his first start, Rogers was very efficient, completing 13 of his 18 pass attempts for 150 yards and adding 22 yards on the ground.
The Battlehawks also got a big win in Week 5, handing the Storm their first loss of the season. St. Louis got off to a fast start, building a 25-0 lead and holding off a late Orlando charge. Harrison Frost led the offense with both a rushing and a passing touchdown, and he held off the newly acquired “Spring King” Luis Perez for the starting job coming into this matchup.
St. Louis is undefeated at the Battledome, but on the road, they have been a little less consistent. Since they’re playing on the road for the second straight week and on a short week, going into Derby week and getting a win will be a challenge.
After their win last week, the BattleHawks are 3-2, while the Kings are 2-3. If Louisville pulls off the upset, they’ll have won three straight games and push both teams to 3-3, creating plenty of drama as the teams chase the postseason.
I’m a believer in the Kings’ turnaround the last few weeks under coach Chris Redman, and in what should be a festive environment, I think he’ll lead the Kings to a third straight win this week.
Best Bet: Kings Moneyline (+164)
Houston Gamblers at Columbus Aviators (-5.5)
These two teams met last Sunday in Houston, and the Gamblers got a tough victory, 17-13. The Gamblers’ defense stepped up and shut out the Aviators in the second half, although Columbus had several chances to close the gap or get the win late.
The Gamblers were led by Nolan Henderson on offense and Marvin Moody Jr. on defense, who both came up big to get their team their second win of the season. At 2-3, the Gamblers are still in the playoff chase, while the Aviators slipped to 1-4, tied for the worst record in the UFL.
Columbus was coming off a nice win at home over Dallas for their first franchise victory, but they were once again mistake-prone on offense and weren’t able to convert their important drives into points.
Coach Ted Ginn Jr. will try to get them back on track at home, and ultimately, they could get the win if a few more bounces go their way. However, the point spread in this game is just too much for me since I don’t have confidence in Columbus. Rather than try to figure out who edges out the other team, I’d rather take the points and count on this game being another hard-fought, low-scoring game, with a similar style to what we saw from these squads last week
Best Bet: Gamblers +5.5 (-105)
Dallas Renegades at DC Defenders (-3)
This matchup is definitely the marquee matchup of the weekend between the two teams that are most likely to claim the UFL Championship, according to the futures market on DraftKings Sportsbook. The defending champion Defenders have the shortest odds on the board at +150, while the Renegades are +300 after dropping back-to-back games.
The Renegades started the season hot, but they have hit some snags in the last few weeks against the Aviators and the Kings. QB Austin Reed looked like an MVP candidate early in the year, but last week at home, he threw four interceptions, including two pick-sixes. In his last two games, Reed has completed 27 of his 55 passes (49%) with three touchdowns, but also five interceptions. Greg Ward took over for the last drive of the game and completed 6-of-7 passes for 74 yards and a touchdown.
Reed and the Renegades will have to try and get back on track on the road in a hostile environment against DC, who has turned things around after losing the season opener in St. Louis. The Defenders are outscoring opponents 162 to 83 over that four-game span with an average winning margin of 17.5 points per game. The closest game during that stretch was a six-point win over the Battlehawks in Week 4.
Last week, the Defenders got another big game from Jordan Ta’amu, who threw for 275 yards and four touchdowns, while not turning the ball over at all on his way to a 150.6 QB rating.
Ta’amu ran for 33 yards as well, while Xazavian Valladay had 50 yards and two scores on the ground in the lopsided win over Birmingham.
DC has established itself as the team to beat at 4-1, sharing the top record in the league with the Storm, who have had a more favorable schedule and have looked much less dominant.
With DC on a roll and the Renegades struggling, I’ll gladly give the three points and take the home team on Saturday afternoon
Best Bet: Defenders -3 (-110)
Birmingham Stallions at Orlando Storm (-6)
In the final game of the week, the 3-1 Storm look to bounce back from their first defeat of the season as they host the 1-3 Birmingham Stallions. The Storm fell behind early to the Battlehawks last week, and their late rally came up just short.
Their offense was concerning in the first half, totaling only 28 yards, and ultimately never got going, converting only 3-of-14 third downs. Elijah Badger stepped up with a team-high 37 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown, while Elijah Dotson added the rushing score after a blocked punt.
Jack Plummer attempted a season-high 44 passes and completed 24 for 143 yards while adding 32 rushing yards. He’ll need to be more efficient in this week’s matchup against the Stallions, even though Birmingham has had quarterback issues of its own.
Last week, the Stallions acquired Dorian Thompson-Robinson from the Storm and inserted the dual-threat QB right into their starting lineup. DTR completed 28-of-43 (65%) pass attempts for 313 yards and two touchdowns while adding 43 yards and a third touchdown on the ground. He had a big statistical game, but the Stallions defense was stampeded by the Defenders in the team’s 45-28 defeat.
Thompson-Robinson has a lot of individual upside, but the team still needs lots of work before they’re ready to go on the road and take down the Storm, who are still title threats despite last week’s letdown.
Best Bet: Storm -6 (-110)
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