Arlington Renegades at St. Louis Battlehawks odds, picks and predictions

The Arlington Renegades (2-1) and the St. Louis Battlehawks (2-1) meet Sunday at The Dome at America’s Center. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET (ESPN2/ESPN+). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Renegades vs. Battlehawks odds, and make our expert XFL picks, predictions and bets.

The Renegades are expected to turn to QB Kyle Sloter for his 2nd consecutive start. Although Arlington has a winning record, it has struggled a bit and both wins are against winless teams (Vegas and Orlando). And those 2 wins are by a combined 3 points, so pump the brakes a little on Arlington’s expectations.

Arlington also has a 2.5 rushing yards per attempt average, easily the lowest in the XFL. On the flip side, the Renegades are very good against the run, but mediocre against the pass, and that’s bad news against St. Louis.

To make matters worse, Arlington’s secondary is banged up. It lost CB Josh Hawkins to a torn ACL, and he is the 3rd defensive back to land on the reserve list already this season.

The Battlehawks play their 1st home game of the season, and it should be a raucous crowd in St. Louis with more than 30,000 fans. QB AJ McCarron is 3rd in the XFL with 636 passing yards, 7 TD and 2 INT through 3 games.

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Renegades at Battlehawks odds

Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Saturday at 11:01 p.m. ET.

Moneyline (ML): Renegades +155 (bet $100 to win $155) | Battlehawks -190 (bet $190 to win $100)
Against the spread (ATS): Renegades +4.5 (-115) | Battlehawks -4.5 (-105)
Over/Under (O/U): 36.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)

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Renegades at Battlehawks key injuries

Renegades

LB Otaro Alaka (ankle) doubtful
LB Edmond Robinson (thigh) doubtful

Battlehawks

WR Marcell Ateman (hamstring) questionable
WR Hakeem Butler (hamstring) questionable
RB Brian Hall (hamstring) questionable
OT Jaryd Jones-Smith (suspension) out
WR Steven Mitchell (quadriceps) questionable

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Renegades at Battlehawks picks and predictions

Prediction

Battlehawks 29, Renegades 15

Moneyline

The Battlehawks (-190) are just a little too expensive for my liking, over my personal limit for a moneyline play, especially for the XFL.

PASS, and look to the spread instead.

Against the spread

The BATTLEHAWKS -4.5 (-105) might be my favorite play, not only of the XFL weekend, but of the entire season so far.

I think that the line is a little lower because the Renegades +4.5 (-115) have a winning overall. However, they barely won against Vegas and Orlando, the 2 worst teams in the league. Arlington might be the 6th-best team, but the line suggests otherwise.

Meanwhile, St. Louis is opening the upper deck at the dome, and you can expect a super raucous crowd. Toss in the fact the secondary is dinged up for Arlington, and the Battlehawks are a pass-happy team, and this one could get super ugly. I’d go 2 full units on St. Louis to cover.

Over/Under

OVER 36.5 (-110) is a concern, as Arlington has really had some difficulty making things happen on offense. However, St. Louis will do most of the heavy lifting here, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Battlehawks flirt with 30 points. It’s gonna be pass, pass, pass for St. Louis, taking advantage of the depleted secondary of Arlington.

If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW. Plus, try out the USA TODAY Parlay Calculator. Please gamble responsibly.

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