The 2025 Premier Lacrosse League season is just past the mid-point with every team having played six of their 10 regular season games. Let’s take a look at some of my favorite futures and award picks heading into PLL Week 8.
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.
Use code “Lax10” to get 10% off your Streaker Sports order!
PLL Award Picks
The awards markets are finally taking shape and there are some clear-cut favorites for both MVP and Rookie of the Year. Back in June ahead of Week 2, I gave out Michael Sowers to win MVP at +1500 and he is now no longer than +140 (bet365). With four weeks left to play, Sowers hasn’t wrapped up the award yet, but I do think it’s his to lose at this point.
While Sowers certainly has a talented supporting cast (and it is going to be even better with first overall pick CJ Kirst set to make his debut this weekend), no one is more valuable to their team than he is, in my opinion. Sowers currently leads the league in points (28), assists (19) and assist opportunities (43), with his teammates scoring on 44.2% of his feeds. No disrespect to future hall of famer Kieran McArdle, but take Sowers out of the Philly offense, and you’re left with an offense lacking a do-it-all playmaker who’s equally as efficient as he is productive. If you haven’t bet Sowers to win MVP yet, you’ve missed out on a lot of value, but I don’t think the train has completely left the station. If you have no MVP bets yet, then I’d make Sowers to win MVP at plus money the first and likely only one you make.
Some other players near the top of the MVP odds board are having phenomenal seasons. Connor Shellenberger (+800 on DraftKings) is second in points with 14 goals and 11 assists, and still has a great chance at cashing our +4000 bets on him to finish with the most regular season points. Yet, his linemate and reigning PLL MVP Jeff Teat (+1000 on DraftKings/FanDuel) is also having a great year, even if it pales in comparison to his record-breaking season in 2024. Then, Atlas netminder Liam Entenmann (+1000 on DraftKings) has not only been one of the best goalies in the league, but has carried New York at times this season. All deserve a ton of praise, but in the same breath, negate each other’s case for “most valuable.” Atlas would not be as good with either of those three missing, but they’d still be a very strong team.
The Denver Outlaws have a similar “dilemma” when it comes to Pat Kavanagh (+1000 on bet365/FanDuel), Logan McNaney (+1200 bet365), and Brennan O’Neill (+10000). I gave out Kavanagh at 100-1 in the preseason and 200-1 three weeks into the season, but I wouldn’t bet him at his current odds and he and O’Neill have Shellenberger-Teat situation going on (though I wouldn’t fault anyone for taking a stab at O’Neill at 100-1). Jared Bernhardt’s presence should also be noted when discussing this offense’s recent resurgence.
Yet, McNaney actually has some value at MVP despite still being a longshot to win the award. If you have a bet on Sowers already, now is a good time to hedge and McNaney has a solid shot at being a finalist for the award. Denver went 0-2 before starting McNaney and since he became the starter, the Outlaws have won four straight and held their opponents to an average of 8.75 goals per game. McNaney also leads the PLL in save percentage at 64.5%, with the next closest being Blaze Riorden at 58.9%.
In my mind, McNaney has a stronghold on the 2025 PLL rookie of the year award and being a goalie separates him from some of the other talented offensive rookies given how similar players like Aidan Carroll, Andrew McAdorey, Chris Kavanagh, Coulter Mackesy, Jake Taylor, Matt Traynor and Sam King are in points. If you follow me in the Action App, you’ve been able to grab a position on all of the aforementioned players with a chance to profit on any of them, but if I had to pick a winner right now, it’d be McNaney.
If you haven’t made a single rookie of the year bet, then I’d recommend betting McNaney at -250 on bet365. I don’t see his odds getting into plus-money territory again and he’s done more than enough to win the award even if an offensive player puts up prolific numbers in their final four games. Given all I just laid out, I also think Logan McNaney to win MVP at +1200 on bet365 is also worth a small bet if you already have a position on Sowers.
Finally, I still like TJ Malone’s odds to win MVP despite him recording just two points in his last two games. If Malone has a productive final four games and the Whipsnakes sneak into the playoffs, he’ll rightly get the majority of the credit. Maryland has lived and died by Malone and I’d argue that no one is more valuable to his team than Malone right now. If you didn’t already bet him when I gave him out a few weeks ago at +1000,, you already have a position on Sowers AND you think Maryland will make the playoffs, then he has value at +1500 on FanDuel.
Yet, if any one of those prerequisites is lacking, then you’re better off passing and hoping he still cashes our bets on him to go over 34.5 regular season points.
PLL Playoff Picks
As for the PLL playoff picture, there are a few bets I recommend making right now.
We’re already bet Outlaws to make the playoffs at -220 and Whipsnakes to make the playoffs at -250 earlier in the year and it’s looking like only one of those will cash right now. Yet, now is a great time to bet two other teams to miss the playoffs at their current odds.
The Utah Archers and California Redwoods sit at the bottom of the West, but I think both have a better chance at making the postseason than Carolina does even with Chaos holding a one-game league. Carolina still has a -15 goal differential and hasn’t shown the ability to blow any team out, even in their three wins. Rather than bet Utah or California to make the playoffs, the best way to bet the West is to bet Carolina Chaos to Miss the Playoffs at +210 on bet365. I’ll discuss the Archers in greater detail soon, but they have two games against Carolina left and can quickly move up the standings following this upcoming weekend.
I already bet a 0.4 unit on California to miss the playoffs at +775 and 3.5 units on Carolina to miss the playoffs at -175 earlier in the year, but my pick right now would be the Chaos to miss given their goal differential. They’ll likely need to finish a game ahead of both the Archers and Redwoods to make the playoffs, and, with two games against Utah remaining (and games against Denver and Philly also on the schedule), their path is the toughest.
As for the East, we’re also considering goal differential and betting a little on the Boston Cannons to Miss the Playoffs at +320 on bet365. It would take some big collapses for New York or Philly to miss at this point. While Boston has one game up on Maryland, their -5 goal differential is concerning. They still have to play a doubleheader in the final weekend of the season—no team has won both doubleheader games this season—and their final game against the Whipsnakes could very well determine whether they make or miss the playoffs. I still tend to think they’ll sneak in, but their defense has struggled lately, their offense lacks dodgers who can win their matchup, and their schedule to finish the season is a gauntlet. When considering all that, +320 has some value.
Picks: Carolina Chaos to Miss Playoffs, Boston Cannons to Miss Playoffs
PLL #1 Seed Bets & championship futures
Finally, let’s talk PLL championship futures. Championship futures continue to be filled with the most discrepancies across sportsbooks. Our bets on Denver to start the season are looking great, while our bet on Maryland is on life support. So, to round out our portfolio, let’s take a look at the best championship bets on the board ahead of PLL Week 8.
Let’s start with the New York Atlas, which is a pair of 16-12 losses away from being undefeated. Despite losing by four goals in both games, New York was very close to winning both games, and currently looks like the most complete team in the league along with Denver. I grabbed New York at +650 following both of their losses, but think there is still value at their current longest odds.
New York has a great chance at the first-round bye and the team that has consistently given them the most trouble (Whipsnakes) might not even make the playoffs. I also expect them to beat California this weekend and their odds to drastically drop after that, making now the best time to buy in. Bet New York Atlas to win the 2025 PLL Championship at +400 on DraftKings.
While their odds are currently the shortest, I also like New York Atlas to earn the #1 Seed at +115 on bet365 and FanDuel. They currently have a +10 score differential, and I expect them to add to it against California this weekend.
As for the West, I’m ready to buy low on the Utah Archers. Yes, their offense has been anemic. Yes, they’re dealing with injuries. Yet, they’ve played arguably the three best teams in their last three games and I think they’re poised for a bounceback. Their defense is still one of the best in the league and I trust Coach Bates to tweak the offense enough to get them going. Expect guys like Sam King, Dyson Williams and Tre Leclaire to feature more heavily going forward. They may be last in the standings, but a big win over Carolina could easily catapult them into second in the West. There is value in them to make the playoffs and go on another championship run at these odds. Bet the Utah Archers to win the 2025 PLL Championship at +750 on DraftKings or FanDuel.
Picks: New York Atlas to Earn #1 Seed, New York Atlas to Win Championship, Utah Archers to Win Championship
PLL Week 8 Lookahead Bet
I also already have a bet for Week 8 in the PLL that I’d recommend betting now.
We’re getting some variety in the total two-point goals market with two games featuring a line of 2.5 and one featuring a 0.5 compared to the typical 1.5 line. While they’re juiced, I think there’s some value in betting a +114 parlay of Under 2.5 Two-Point Goals in Atlas-Redwoods and Over 0.5 Two-Point Goal in Archers-Chaos on FanDuel.
Pick: NY-CAL Under 2.5 2PG & UTA-CAR Over 0.5 2PG Parlay
