We started the 2024-25 National Lacrosse League season nearly perfect, with my NLL Week 1 best bets going 3-1 for +1.675 units and the Full Field Ride’s three picks all hitting with the +589 winning parlay being the cherry on top. If you bet all six individual bets and a 0.25 unit on that three-leg parlay, you walked away with +5.148 units and an ROI of +79.2%. Now let’s take a look at an early bet I have for NLL Week 2.
Rochester Knighthawks at Buffalo Bandits
| Rochester Moneyline/Spread | +130 / +1.5 |
| Buffalo Moneyline/Spread | -160 / -1.5 |
| Total | 22.5 |
| Time | Saturday · 7 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+/TSN+ |
Odds via bet365 Sportsbook
Only a few NLL Week 2 games have odds, but bet365 posted a notable total of 22.5 for the Buffalo Bandits vs. Rochester Knighthawks game, despite BetMGM, ESPN and FanDuel posting a 24.5. While I expect both defenses to be better than last year, both are going to have their hands full against these opposing offenses. Last year, Buffalo led the league in goals per game with 13.2 and Rochester wasn’t too far behind in fifth with 11.9.
I’m also severely downgrading Rochester’s defense after projected starter Rylan Hartley was placed on the IR just hours before the Knighthawks’ first game. His replacement, Riley Hutchcraft, started the majority of last season and the result was the worst adjusted goals against average among starters (13.52 GAAa via LaxMetrics). Hutchcraft also just gave up 12 goals to Las Vegas in Week 1 and I expect him to get peppered by and even better offense in Buffalo.
Every meeting between these teams since 2023 has gone over this mark (29, 28, 28, 23, 27) with the average total sitting at 27 goals. I expect another high-scoring game in upstate New York and recommend betting Over 22.5 at -130 on bet365.
Pick: Over 22.5
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