Week Four in the PLL and it feels like it’s been forever since we’ve seen the PLL in action. A huge Saturday and Sunday slate that will give some great matchups. Be ready for some action as the stall ball from the World Championships goes away and we’re back to some end-to-end action. Two story lines stand out in this one. How many Team USA players make an impact this week? The Chrome are down J.T. Giles Harris and Jesse Bernhardt, and the Whips are without Matt Rambo this week. The other story line is the impact of the shot clock post faceoff win. There are rumblings about at least one team not dressing a FO man so we will have to see if this becomes a growing trend.
Chrome(+1.5) vs. Waterdogs(-1.5) Saturday July 8th 6pm – ESPN+
Brendan Nichtern is in, Dylan Molloy is out. The Chrome have struggled to score, and Nichtern may give them the shot in the arm they need. Expect some rust early on, but he should be a nice addition. The real question this weekend is will Chrome be able to defend? J.T Giles-Harris and Jesse Bernhardt are both on the PUP and that will put added pressure on them defensively. The rumor is that the Waterdogs will be without a faceoff man this week which will give the Chrome a huge advantage in the possession category. Will that be the deciding factor? For the Chrome to win this one they will need Sean Sconone to have a monster game.
Pick: Waterdogs
Cannons(+1.5) vs. Atlas(-1.5) Saturday July 8th 8:30pm ESPN+
It feels like it’s been forever since the Cannons won their first game of the Brian Holman era. This week it doesn’t get any easier as they face an Atlas team that is as dangerous as anyone in the league. Jack Concannon is going to be a factor in this one and if he can put together a full game, it’s going to be hard to beat the Atlas. Marcus Holman has been on fire all season and the Cannons need him to continue being that sharpshooter he’s been so far. Fresh off a World Title, Trevor Baptiste is back at the X for the Atlas and giving this offense possessions is bad news for the Cannons.
Pick: Atlas
Redwoods(-1.5) vs. Chaos(+1.5) Sunday July 9th 2:00pm ESPN2
Did the break help or hurt Ryder Garnsey? He’s been a magician so far this season and the smart money says he’s going to continue his great season. This has the potential to be the best game of the weekend and the hardest game to pick. Can the Redwoods stop the Chaos offense? Josh Byrne was on full display at the World Championships. We got a glimpse of what he can do coming out of the box, so expect to potentially see that moving forward. He’s a matchup nightmare all over the field. TD Ierlan will be the X factor in this one. If Redwoods can control possessions they will take this game.
Pick: Redwoods
Archers(-1.5) vs. Whipsnakes(+1.5) Sunday July 9th 4:30pm ESPN+
Matt Rambo is out for the Whipsnakes. The leading scorer went to the PUP list on Thursday leaving a big hole for the Whipsnakes offense. A huge missing piece for them, but a huge storyline in this one will be the battle at the X as Mike Sisselberger faces off against Petey LaSalla. Sisselberger has been dominant at 65 percent and that will be the key to the Archers success. Keep an eye out for Connor Fields in this one. He had a great world games, and expect to see that transition over to the next portion of the PLL season.
Pick: Archers
Week 4 Minnesota – PLL Bets – Something to Watch
- How the World Team players bounce back after two weeks of games. Some have gone to the PUP list, but others don’t have the luxury to do that.
- The Shot Clock – How will teams adapt to the 32 second shot clock after a FO win? Will we continue to see FO stay on and force teams to play 5v5? Two weeks is an eternity for coaches to gameplan. Expect to see some new tweaks to the gameplan.
