The 2025 Premier Lacrosse League season is almost here and there are a variety of preseason futures available. Whether it’s win totals, No. 1 seed odds, playoff picks or player awards or championship futures, I break down each team ahead of the 2025 PLL season and give my best bets for each squad.
Let’s take a look at how to bet every PLL team before the start of the season.
Note: The odds presented below are those at the time when Hutton sends his picks out on the Action App and are subject to change. Picks are sent out at least 20 minutes in advance of articles published on Bet On Lacrosse.
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Boston Cannons
We’ll start with the Boston Cannons in the Eastern Conference. You could honestly show me all 16 possible East standings scenarios and I wouldn’t be surprised given how much parity there is in this conference. With that said, the Eastern Conference team I like the most is the Boston Cannons. This team had only a few weaknesses last year and they addressed almost all of them. The lefty attack spot was a revolving door, but Will Manny makes his PLL return and will fit in nicely on an attack line with Marcus Holman and Asher Nolting to start the season. Rookie Coulter Mackesy should also thrive once he makes his debut.
The defense may have ranked second in scores against average, but they were exposed in spots and played without a real nucleus. Jack Kielty was the heart of this defense in the years prior, but missed all of last season due to injury. His return might be the most underrated addition of the season. I also wasn’t too thrilled with how Bryce Young played last season and while he’ll still feature heavily in this defense, the addition of Owen Grant along with Kielty should allow this defensive unit to play even better in front of Colin Kirst.
Jonathan Donville’s return from injury is another impactful roster move flying under the radar. While Bubba Fairman’s injury hurts, Coach Brian Holman added both TJ Comizio and Ben Ramsey to fill the void on SSDM in his absence.
The faceoff position is the only spot still lacking. While Zac Tucci performed admirably in several spots last year, he is ultimately still no match for the “big four” of Joe Nardella, Mike Sisselberger, TD Ierlan and Trevor Baptistse.
All this is to say, I like the Boston Cannons to have another successful regular season and potentially make a deep run in September. Rather than bet their championship odds ahead of their opening weekend matchup with the New York Atlas, I’m betting the Boston Cannons Over 5.5 Wins at +110 on BetMGM or ESPN Bet.
I’m also betting Asher Nolting to win MVP at +1100 on FanDuel. His odds already dropped from +1400, but I still like this price for a player who has been an MVP finalist in back-to-back seasons. His impact on this Boston offense can’t be understated and he has even more weapons to feed in his fourth season as a pro. I think a 40+ point season is in his future and think now is the best time to bet his MVP odds.
Picks: Boston Cannons Over 5.5 Wins, Asher Nolting to win MVP
California Redwoods
The California Redwoods are a team in transition. They have a new head coach, general manager and roster of players. Nat St. Laurent is no longer at the helm, Rob Pannell left in free agency and Jack Kelly is currently injured. And yet, it’s hard not to be excited about both the rookies and veterans on the team. They’ll need time to gel, but I think the roster has a lot of potential—which makes them a tough team to bet right now. I anticipate them being one of the bottom-two teams in the Western Conference, but they could still surprise with 4+ wins and a playoff berth given the new playoff format where three teams from each conference make it. So instead, I’m targeting two of their rookies in the awards and season-long points markets.
Chris Kavanagh is an elite goal-scorer who has the benefit of getting to play with his college offensive coordinator in Ryder Garnsey, a former PLL rookie of the year in Brendan Nichtern and a Tewaaraton winner in Dylan Molloy. Those elite playmakers should alleviate some pressure from the defense and I love Kavanagh’s chances at a big debut this weekend. CJ Kirst is rightly the heavy favorite to win Rookie of the Year, but his injury opens the door for other players to take a lead in the ROY race to start the season. Kavanagh’s odds are as low as +400 on FanDuel, but you can still bet him at +1200 on BetMGM or DraftKings. At those odds, I recommend betting Chris Kavanagh to win Rookie of the Year.
Rookie midfielder Andrew McAdorey could have a claim to Rookie of the Year too, but with Kavanagh on attack, there is a higher chance that he leads the team in the necessary scoring categories. Instead, I’m betting Andrew McAdorey to go Over 19.5 regular season points at -115 DraftKings. McAdorey will be relied on heavily this season and his versatility should allow him to run out of the box and draw plenty of short-stick matchups. He can definitely average two or more points per game and should go over this mark rather easily.
Pick: Chris Kavanagh Rookie of the Year, Andrew McAdorey Over 19.5 Regular Season Points
Carolina Chaos
The Carolina Chaos is another team that underwent a full overhaul, with a new coaching staff and plenty of new players on the roster. I don’t think the roster is as weak on paper as others may think, but I do expect them to rank near the bottom of the overall standings.
Right now, I expect the Carolina Chaos to miss the playoffs, but given the new playoff format, I’d rather bet them to stay under their win total than their playoff odds, especially since they’re no longer at +200. At least one of the Redwoods or Chaos will make the playoffs and Carolina very well could finish with three or four wins and still make the playoffs if Redwoods also struggle. Bet Carolina Chaos Under 4.5 Wins at -125 on ESPN Bet or -128 on FanDuel
Pick: Carolina Chaos Under 4.5 Wins
Denver Outlaws
While I have low expectations for the previous two West teams, I view the Denver Outlaws as true contenders. They’ll be getting a close-to-healthy Logan Wisnauskas back, added Pat Kavangh via a trade with Boston, signed defensive midfielder Zach Geddes in free agency, drafted goaltender Logan McNaney and picked up defenseman AJ Pilate. That’s as good of an offseason as one could ask for (and they’re also one of the favorites to land Jared Bernhardt in his return to lacrosse.) With Carolina and California undergoing major roster overhauls, Denver has a great shot at finishing with Utah at the top of the West and could even dethrone them.
Then, if you look at their early schedule, it starts to become clear that the time to buy in on this team is now, not later. Denver faces three teams that finished below .500 in 2024 to start the season (California, Carolina, Philadelphia) before facing Utah in Week 4 and then the Redwoods again in Week 5. A 4-1 or 5-0 start before the all-star break is extremely possible for this team. I recommend betting Denver Outlaws Over 4.5 Wins at -120 on DraftKings for those reasons. I also think this team has championship potential and don’t want to wait to bet their title odds. Caesars flashed a +750 yesterday before it was taken down overnight, but I still recommend a bet on the Denver Outlaws to win the Championship at +650 on most sportsbooks.
Finally, the last angle I like for the Outlaws is for them to finish at the top of the West. Utah should still be the favorites, but Denver was just one win away from claiming the top seed in the West last year and they’ve made up some ground between them and the back-to-back champions. Bet the Denver Outlaws to earn the No.1 seed in the West at +300 on DraftKings.
Picks: Denver Outlaws Over 4.5 Wins, Denver Outlaws to win Championship, Denver Outlaws to earn No.1 Seed
Maryland Whipsnakes
I have high hopes for a Whipsnakes team that made it to the championship last season. The addition of Rob Pannell is impactful, even with the veteran getting up there in age, and they added some more depth at midfield and defense through the draft. Additionally, could Jared Bernhardt choose to play with his brother Jake instead of Jesse and join the Whipsnakes? It’s also very possible.
There is some value on the Maryland Whipsnakes to win the championship at +600 on bet365 and FanDuel, but a potential loss to the Archers this weekend should make their odds longer after the weekend. The better way to approach a potential successful season is to bet the Maryland Whipsnakes to earn the No.1 seed in the East at +350 on bet365.
I’m also expecting big things out of TJ Malone again this year. There’s some value on his MVP odds at +1300 on BetMGM or +1200 elsewhere, but the presence of Rob Pannell could hurt him narratively if both have big seasons. I won’t fault anyone for betting it, but I’m instead betting TJ Malone to finish with the most regular season points at +1200 on FanDuel and TJ Malone Over 34.5 regular season points at -115 on DraftKings. Malone was tied for third in the league with 37 points last year and was seventh in the league in touches. He’ll have plenty of chances as both a scorer and feeder and should not only go over this line, but be in the running for most points in the league at the end of the season.
Picks: Maryland Whipsnakes to earn No.1 Seed, TJ Malone Most Regular Season Points, TJ Malone Over 34.5 Regular Season Points
New York Atlas
I don’t think New York will take a step back, but replicating their strong season could be difficult with all the other East teams also getting better. Still, I love the new additions at the midfield and their continuity on attack and defense sets them apart from other teams. I think they’re a tad overrated in the team futures market, but their Week 1 doubleheader does present an opportunity to bet a pair of award futures.
Jeff Teat’s 64-point season last year was historic and probably won’t be matched for a while—even by Teat himself. Yet, the sportsbooks are opening themselves up for some early action on Jeff Teat with his current odds. DubClub subscribers and I bet Jeff Teat to win MVP at +800 when it opened on DraftKings, but I’d still bet him even at +600.
His odds opened at +750 last year before DraftKings removed Lyle Thompson and adjusted his odds to +650. Then Teat proceeded to record 18 points in the opening weekend and his odds dropped to no longer than -110. I thought surely his odds would go back up, but they were never longer than +100 from that point on. We’re not making the same mistake again this season. If Teat has back-to-back games with 4+ points, his odds will drop drastically. Now is the best time to get a position in on a likely MVP finalist again this year.
The same doubleheader logic can be applied to Atlas rookie Matt Traynor. Traynor didn’t get to practice as much with New York during training camp, but his skill set will fit perfectly in this offense. We could see Traynor put up some points as opposing defenses are occupied trying to defend Teat, Connor Shellenberger and Xander Dickson. It was +2500 on BetMGM before the market got taken down, but I still recommend betting a small amount on Matt Traynor to win Rookie of the Year at +1600 on FanDuel.
Pick: Jeff Teat to win MVP, Matt Traynor to win Rookie of the Year
Philadelphia Waterdogs
The Philadelphia Waterdogs are a tough team to gauge. If you followed me last year, you already know I was beating the drum that this Philly team was better than their record all of last season… they just could never get over the hump. Whether you blame the lack of an effective faceoff option early (and still later in the season as Alec Stathakis struggled in his rookie year), a steep learning curve for head coach Bill Tierney, or just good old-fashioned bad luck, the Waterdogs were a huge disappointment. I expect them to win more than two games this season, but can they get back to above .500? The East is extremely competitive and I really don’t know how it will shake out. The additions of Jake Taylor and CJ Kirst when he’s healthy bolster an inconsistent offense and Dylan Hess will fit in perfectly on an already solid SSDM unit.
Yet, can Stathakis take a big step in year 2 after a season in the PLL and NLL? Can Tierney embrace and utilize some of the unique nuances of the PLL, such as the two-pointer and short shot clock? Will Dillon Ward return to 2022 PLL Championship form or struggle to save shots from beyond the arc again?
I don’t have the answers to these questions and we won’t find out any earlier than Week 2. So, I don’t have a bet on anything Waterdogs-related just yet. I already bet CJ Kirst to stay Under 31.5 Points in the event his hand(s) injury keeps him out a few weeks, but that was quickly taken off the board when he hit the PUP list.
The best course of action right now is to join Philly in sitting tight and waiting to see what unfolds in Week 1.
Utah Archers
Finally, we have the two-time defending champion Utah Archers. The market thinks highly of Utah and tend to agree with their assessment, which means there is little preseason value on the champs. Yet, for many of the same reasons I like the Denver Outlaws, I like Utah.
Their schedule features Carolina and California twice as well and the Archers still managed to improve this offseason. They landed arguably the steal of the draft in Sam King and also added depth on defense in Brendan Lavelle and Mitchell Dunham. I also expect 2025 NLL Rookie of the Year Dyson Williams to make a big leap in year 2.
Ultimately, I expect this team to once again get to 6+ wins and am comfortable laying the juice to bet Utah Archers Over 5.5 wins at -140 ESPN Bet or -146 FanDuel. The Archers have finished with six wins in their last three seasons and I don’t expect anything less in 2025.
Pick: Utah Archers Over 5.5 Wins
It Could Happen…
Now let’s go to my favorite longshots—and by longshots I mean bets that are 100-1, but with a greater than 0.99% chance of hitting, in my opinion.
We’ll start with the two Utah Archers in Tom Schreiber and Mac O’Keefe. Schreiber may be getting up in age, but the Utah offense still very much runs through him when he’s on the field. Then, Mac O’Keefe tends to be more of a goal-scorer, but his ability to score from beyond the arc and underrated ability as a passer makes him also worth a flyer to finish with the most points. Bet 0.1 unit on both Tom Schreiber and Mac O’Keefe to have the most regular season points at +10000 on bet365.
Logan Wisnauskas is another player with the potential to finish with the most points. While he’ll be on an attack line that features fellow Tewaaraton award-winners Pat Kavanagh and Brennan O’Neill, Wisnauskas will likely draw the most favorable matchup of those three. Bet another 0.1 unit on Logan Wisnauskas to have the most regular season points at +10000 on FanDuel.
If you prefer an MVP longshot at 100-1, then look no further than Pat Kavanagh. Kavanagh will get the opportunity to quarterback this Outlaws offense and I’m expecting a breakout season in his second year. Now, his odds of winning MVP are slim given the presence of O’Neill and all the other likelier candidates in the league. Yet, if this Outlaws offense ends up as good as I expect, he should get a lot of the credit. It’s worth another 0.1 unit bet on Pat Kavanagh to win MVP at +10000 on FanDuel.
Picks: Tom Schreiber Most Regular Season Points, Mac O’Keefe Most Regular Season Points, Logan Wisnauskas Most Regular Season Points, Pat Kavanagh to win MVP
