XFL Week 1 Odds: Home Teams Favored in Two of Four Games

The latest iteration of the XFL gets underway this weekend, with all eight teams seeing action on Saturday and Sunday (two on each day). Bettors that want to get in on the action can find XFL Week 1 odds at PointsBet and Caesars.

Optimism is high for the XFL 3.0, with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson involved with the league as one of its owners. But in the end, it will not matter who’s involved if the product on the field is lacking. But if the opening odds are any indication, fans are in for close, hard-fought, competitive games.

Odds for XFL Week 1

It isn’t easy to pick a winner when the teams have yet to play a game. But there are a couple of key indicators bettors can use to help make educated decisions:

• What’s the coaching staff like?
• Who’s the starting quarterback?

Vipers vs. Renegades: Moneyline, Point Spread, and Total

Arlington is a 2.5-point favorite for the 2023 XFL season opener.

With only six weeks to get game-ready, neither team will look great. How well they play will depend on how good a job their coaching staffs can do, which gives the Renegades a slight advantage.

Head coach Bob Stoops is a spring football veteran, having coached in the XFL 2.0. His team went 2-3, but the offense looked good when he had a healthy quarterback. As for Vipers head coach Rod Woodson, this is their first head coaching job. He has previously only served as a position coach.

While he could do a great job, he is bound to have growing pains that will slow down his team’s maturation. His choice of quarterbacks will undoubtedly factor in this week, too. Will he go with Brett Hundley or Luis Perez?

Hundley was a standout in college but struggled to catch on in the NFL. Perez is a spring football veteran, having played in the XFL 2.0 for the Guardians and Wildcats and the USFL’s New Jersey Generals last season. He led the USFL in passer rating and completion percentage.

Our Pick: Under 37.5

It takes time for offenses to start to click, while defenses can make plays from Day One. Both offenses will struggle; the winning team will likely be the one that has one or two solid drives. Who that will be is a mystery, but the score will be low.

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Guardian vs. Roughnecks: Moneyline, Point Spread, and Total

Houston was undefeated at 5-0 when the XFL 2.0 shutdown; they opened the season as a 2-point favorite.

Orlando has some talent on the roster, but their head coach and coordinators have never served in their current capacities. This puts the Guardians at a disadvantage against one of the most experienced head coaches in the league, Wade Phillips. His experience should help Brian Stewart craft one of the better defenses in the XFL.

This will be A.J. Smith’s first job as a coordinator, but he was an integral part of the Roughnecks staff during the 2020 season (when Houston was 5-0 and had a solid offense).

Brandon Silvers gives Houston an experienced spring football quarterback. Orlando will have to choose between Paxton Lynch and Deandre Francois. Lynch was a standout at Memphis in college but struggled in the NFL and was unimpressive with the Michigan Panthers (USFL) last season.

Francois exploded onto the college scene at Florida State, leading the Seminoles to a 10-3 record as a redshirt freshman. But injuries and off-field issues hounded him for the rest of his college career. He’s the more athletic of the two quarterbacks, but Silvers’ experience should make him a frontrunner for the job.

Our Pick: Roughnecks, -2

Pitting a team with one of the most inexperienced coaching staffs in the league against one with one of the most experienced staffs was not nice. Wade Phillips will have his team better prepared this week.

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BattleHawks vs. Brahmas: Moneyline, Point Spread, and Total

San Antonio is the only home underdog this week.

While Hines Ward does not have much coaching experience, his coordinators have been around the block a few times, which should help the offense and defense get up to speed. Ward will have a solid but unremarkable quarterback under center in Jack Coan (former Wisconsin and Notre Dame starter).

St. Louis has the advantage at quarterback in former Alabama star and one-time Cincinnati Bengals quarterback A.J. McCarron. However, the BattleHawks also have the most inexperienced head coach in the league (Anthony Becht).

Offensive coordinator Bruce Gradkowski has coached at the high school level, but his lengthy career in the NFL should benefit the BattleHawks offense. Defensive coordinator Donnie Abraham has a wealth of experience at the high school level. Still, he has previously served as a defensive backs coach for an arena football team (Tampa Bay Storm, 2011-12) and the Orlando Apollos (AAF, 2019).

Our Pick: Under 36.5

There is nothing overly impressive about either team. A.J. McCarron has potential, but it is hard to say how much with the roster he has behind him and the coaching staff. Jack Coan could be a solid game manager, but don’t expect him to get the team in the end zone more than once or twice.

Sea Dragons vs. Defenders: Moneyline, Point Spread, and Total

Seattle is a 1.5-point road favorite in their season opener against the Defenders.

The Seattle Sea Dragons may have the most experienced coaching staff in the XFL, with head coach Jim Haslett, defensive coordinator Ron Zook, and offensive coordinator June Jones. However, their offense may still struggle because they do not have a solid quarterback to work with.

Ben DiNuci will likely start. While he was remarkable in college, he looked awful when he got the opportunity to play for the Dallas Cowboys. As for the other two QBs on the roster, Steven Montez was a solid college quarterback but has yet to play professionally.

Harrison Frost, their third quarterback, only played sporadically in college for West Georgia.

The Defenders could have the best defense in the XFL in Week 1 with former NFL great Gregg Williams as the defensive coordinator. Fred Kaiss brings a solid background as a college coordinator to the offense and will have two athletic quarterbacks to choose from in Jordan Ta’amu and D’Eriq King.

Our Pick: Under 36.5

With a solid defensive coordinator on each team, this game will likely get dominated by both defenses resulting in a low score.

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