The Los Angeles Wildcats (1-3) host the Tampa Bay Vipers (1-3) Sunday of Week 5 in the XFL at Dignity Health Sports Park. Kickoff is set for 9 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN. Below, we break down the Vipers-Wildcats Week 5 matchup, with XFL betting picks and tips.
Vipers at Wildcats: XFL Week 5 preview, betting trends and notes
- The Wildcats and Vipers rank sixth and seventh, respectively, among the futures odds for the XFL Championship April 26. Los Angles is +1200, while Tampa Bay is +2000.
- Tamp Bay shut out the DC Defenders 25-0 last week at home. Los Angeles lost 17-14 on the road against the New York Guardians. The Wildcats beat the Defenders 39-9 in LA the week prior.
- Wildcats QB Josh Johnson ranks third in the XFL with 788 passing yards. Vipers RBs DeVeon Smith and Jacques Patrick rank first and third, respectively, in rushing yards.
- Vipers QB Quinton Flowers has requested a trade, citing his timeshare under center with Taylor Cornelius and Aaron Murray. Flowers, who has taken the least snaps of the three, has completed 8 of 15 pass attempts for 106 yards and no touchdowns against one interception.
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Vipers at Wildcats: Odds, betting lines and prediction
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Wednesday at 2:45 p.m. ET.
Prediction
Wildcats 32, Vipers 24
Moneyline (?)
Both teams stumble into Week 5 at or near the bottom of their respective divisions. The WILDCATS (-121) get the nod in what’s projected as the tightest game of the week. They’re 1-1 at home and have a touchdown differential of plus-2 on the season, while the Vipers (+100) are 0-2 on the road and minus-2 in touchdown differential. Home teams are 11-5 straight up through four weeks of XFL play.
The Wildcats are much more stable at the quarterback position, while the Vipers are left with a disgruntled Flowers, Murray and Cornelius.
Against the Spread (?)
Get the better value on the WILDCATS (-1.5, -110) by backing them to win by a minimum of 2 points. There hasn’t been a game decided by fewer than 3 points in the XFL. Los Angeles has scored five more touchdowns than Tampa Bay, while allowing just one more score.
Over/Under (?)
Back the OVER 40.5 (+100) at even money. The Wildcats are just two weeks removed from a 39-point outburst on their home field. The Vipers have put up 52 points over the last two weeks after being held to a total of 12 points in their first two games.
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