The Premier Lacrosse League kicks off Saturday with a championship preview as the New York Atlas take on the Utah Archers at 2:30 PM ET on ABC. New York is favored by 1.5 points and the total is a weekend-high 27.5. Let's take a closer look at how I'm betting on this epic battle.
Utah Archers vs. New York Atlas
Utah (+1.5) Odds Money Line: +116New York (-1.5) Odds Money Line: -142Total 27.5 HoursSaturday 2:30 PM ETTVABC
Odds via FanDuel
Great Utah team
The total is high at 27.5, but I actually think it will get closer to that amount once the dust settles. Instead, I'm targeting the Utah Archers to win outright.
The Archers are still a top-three team, losing two by one possession and losing the third by allowing five two-point shots despite scoring the same number of points. The Archers have the ability to beat New York in both a low-scoring slugfest and a high-scoring shootout, and at odds of +110 or higher, they are worth betting on to win it all, not just the cover.
New York's defense is still heavily supported by the Atlas offense and will have a hard time against the Archers' deep team. Utah's defense struggled last weekend, but has been really good since former Defensive Player of the Year Graham Hossack returned. It's no easy task to defend Jeff Teat's offense, but I expect the Archers to hold off the Atlas and take the win.
Betting on Utah to win at +116 on FanDuel.
3 Target Player Props
I am also betting on three player props, the first one I am betting on is Connor Shellenberger and he has a points prop of 3.5.
Shellenberger was the front-runner for Rookie of the Year right from the get-go, but nagging injuries have plagued him and his production has declined in recent weeks. He has scored four or more points in just two of his seven games this season and has scored 3.5 points or less in his last five games. On Saturday, he'll face an Archers defense that is allowing the third-fewest points per game, but will likely be limited in scoring again. FanDuel is a -113 bet that Shellenberger stays under 3.5 points.
Conversely, I'm betting on Connor Fields to score a hat trick on Saturday. Fields is a model of consistency, scoring three or more goals in 13 of his last 17 regular-season games (76.5%), including six of his seven games in 2024. He's second on Utah in shots and touches and leads the team in shots on goal. The chances are there, and at -128 on FanDuel, the odds on betting Fields to score three goals again are still excellent.
Finally, I am betting a half unit on Tre Leclerc to score in the first quarter at +164 on FanDuel. With Matt Moore injured, Leclerc and Grant Ament will likely spend time on offense, but history has shown that coach Chris Bates prefers starting Leclerc lower down the field. Whether on offense or running through midfield, Leclerc should draw favorable matchups and have a better than 38% chance of scoring in the first period.
Picks: Utah Archers ML; Connor Shellenberger under 3.5 points; Connor Fields over 2.5 goals; Tre Leclerc 1st quarter goal scorer (0.5 units)
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