New York Guardians at St. Louis Battlehawks odds, picks and best bets
The New York Guardians (1-1) visit the St. Louis Battlehawks (1-1) Sunday of Week 3 in the XFL. Kickoff at The Dome at America's Center is set for 3 p.m. ET. Below, we break down the Guardians-Battlehawks Week 3 matchup, with XFL betting picks and tips.
Guardians at Battlehawks: XFL Week 3 preview, betting trends and notes
- Both East Division opponents enter Week 3 with +1000 odds to win the XFL Championship April 26. They're tied for the fifth-best odds to win the eight-team league's inaugural championship game.
- The Battlehawks have scored six touchdowns with four allowed through two games. The Guardians had both scored and allowed three touchdowns.
- Battlehawks QB Jordan Ta'amu ranks second among all passers with 493 passing yards through two games. RB Matt Jones leads his team and the league with 129 rushing yards. Ta'amu has added another 109 rushing yards.
- Guardians QB Matt McGloin completed just eight of 19 pass attempts for 44 yards and two interceptions last week. He was replaced by backup Marquise Williams, who completed four of eight attempts for 50 yards.
- Both teams took their first losses of the season last week after opening the 2020 XFL season with Week 1 victories. The Guardians were shut out, 27-0, on the road against the DC Defenders. The Battlehawks took a narrow 28-24 road loss against the Houston Roughnecks.
Guardians at Battlehawks: Key injuries
Guardians
- OL Garrett Brumfield (hand) out
- DB Garrett Dooley (ankle) questionable
- WR Joe Horn (shoulder) questionable
- DE Ryan Mueller (wrist) probable
- OL Ian Silberman (groin) probable
- DB Andrew Soroh (thigh) probable
- RB Darius Victor (head) probable
Battlehawks
- WR L'Damian Washington (ankle) questionable
- DL Will Clarke (calf) questionable
- RB Keith Ford (knee) questionable
- RB Matt Jones (knee) questionable
- WR Brandon Reilly (back) questionable
- DB David Rivers (head) questionable
Guardians at Battlehawks: Odds, betting lines and prediction
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports' betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Saturday at 10:50 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Guardians 26, Battlehawks 20
Moneyline ( ?)
The GUARDIANS (+300) are the biggest underdogs on the Week 3 slate with the Battlehawks (-400) the most-heavily favored team. With both teams sharing the same futures odds to win the XFL Championship, these moneyline odds should be much tighter, and it's a good spot to chase the value early in the XFL season.
New York looked much better in a 23-3 win over the Tampa Bay Vipers in Week 1, with McGloin completing 15 of 29 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown. Back the visitors to bounce back.
Against the Spread ( ?)
The safer play is to back the GUARDIANS (+9.5, -106) to stay within nine points in a loss or win outright. The Battlehawks beat the Dallas Renegades by a 15-9 score on the road in Week 1 before last week's 4-point loss in Houston.
Three of the four games in the XFL last week were played within a one-possession margin after three teams won by double digits in Week 1. Expect the tighter-scoring trend to continue as the season progresses.
Over/Under ( ?)
The projected totals across the league have been lowered significantly after the Under has been a common theme in the early-going of the season. Back the OVER 40.5 (+100) on the lowest number of the week. The projection is an over-adjustment by the books.
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Esten's XFL betting record: 1-6
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