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The Houston Roughnecks (1-4) travel to meet the St. Louis Battlehawks (4-1) Saturday at the Dome at America’s Center. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET (FOX). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Roughnecks vs. Battlehawks odds and make our expert UFL picks and predictions.
The Roughnecks have had a rough season, winning just a single game in 5 tries, and that came against a winless Arlington team in Week 4 at Rice Stadium. Houston was pounded 32-9 against Birmingham last week, failing to cover as an 8.5-point underdog at home.
The Roughnecks are just 1-3-1 against the spread (ATS) through 5 games, while the Under holds a slight 3-2 edge.
St. Louis picked up a 4th straight win in Week 5, routing the D.C. Defenders on the road at Audi Field, 45-12. The Battlehawks easily cashed as 3-point favorites, and they’re now 4-0 ATS in the past 4 games since losing as a favorite in Week 1 at Michigan. The Over has cashed in 4 in a row, too, with St. Louis going for 31 or more points in 3 straight games.
These teams met in Houston in Week 7 of the XFL season in 2023, with the Battlehawks coming away with a 24-15 win as a 3-point underdog as the Under (44.5) connected.
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Roughnecks at Battlehawks odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:35 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Roughnecks +525 (bet $100 to win $525) | Battlehawks -750 (bet $750 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Roughnecks +11.5 (-110) | Battlehawks -11.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 47.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Roughnecks at Battlehawks key injuries
Roughnecks
- QB Kenji Behar (undisclosed) out
- TE Woody Brandom (leg) injured reserve
- RB Tiyon Evans (undisclosed) out
- QB Nolan Henderson (undisclosed) out
- WR Isiah Hennie (undisclosed) out
- TE A.J. Lewis (undisclosed) out
- RB Kirk Merritt (wrist) injured reserve
Battlehawks
- WR Ja’Marcus Bradley (undisclosed) out
- RB Mataeo Durant (toe) out
- WR Kevon Latulas (undisclosed) out
- QB Brandon Silvers (undisclosed) out
Roughnecks at Battlehawks picks and predictions
Prediction
Battlehawks 33, Roughnecks 16
Moneyline
The Battlehawks (-750) will set you back 7½ times your potential return, which is crazy risk for not nearly enough reward.
While it’s unlikely the Roughnecks (+525) will be able to pull off the road upset, St. Louis just doesn’t provide enough of a return.
PASS.
Against the spread
The BATTLEHAWKS -11.5 (-110) are just the 2nd double-digit favorite this season, with Birmingham also favored by double digits in its game in Memphis in Week 6.
The Battlehawks are on a roll with QB A.J. McCarron completing 68.5% of his pass attempts for 1,051 yards, a league-high 10 TD and just 1 INT. St. Louis would be even more effective if it could protect the signal caller, as the Battlehawks have allowed 11 sacks, 1 of just 3 UFL teams to allow double-digit sacks to the QB. As long as St. Louis can contain Ethan Westbrooks, who has racked up 3.5 sacks for Houston, the Battlehawks pass attack should roll.
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Over/Under
OVER 47.5 (-110) is the lean, but go with a half-unit play at most.
The Battlehawks rolled up 45 points at D.C. last weekend, and the offense is averaging 33.8 points per game (PPG) in the current 4-0 run to the Over. The defense has allowed 17 or more points in 4 of 5 games, so the Roughnecks should be able to help Over bettors somewhat.
Houston has scored 17 or more points in 3 of the past 4 games, although Birmingham stymied the Roughnecks offense last weekend, holding them to just 9 points.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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