Our Week 8 best bets cover two key marquee matchups, which consist of a pair of clashes between teams with plenty of talent on both sides of the ball.
Read on for a look at which Week 8 UFL betting scenarios catch my eye on DraftKings and FanDuel Sportsbook.
Birmingham Stallions at St. Louis Battlehawks Best Bets (Saturday, May 17, 1:00 p.m. ET)
One of multiple marquee matchups on the Week 8 slate unfolds at The Dome – the site for the UFL's biggest homefield advantage by far – in this interconference showdown. The two squads check in with identical 5-2 records and co-first-place spots in their respective conferences, making this a particularly high-stakes scenario.
Birmingham head coach Skip Holtz is making an interesting move at quarterback, affording J'Mar Smith the start after he stepped in for an ineffective Case Cookus in Week 7 and compiled 72 total yards and a rushing TD. Smith last started for an extended period in the inaugural 2022 USFL season, contributing to the Stallions' first of three straight spring league championships. However, passing efficiency hasn't traditionally been his strong suit, as he completed only 54.8 percent of his throws that season and was also under 60.0 percent in two of his three final college campaigns at Louisiana Tech.
He'll now be in a hostile road environment against a talented Battlehawks defense that's allowed the second-fewest points per game (16.3) and second-fewest total yards per contest (261.6). St. Louis has been opportunistic on that side of the ball, picking off a league-high eight passes while tying with Birmingham for the third-most sacks (15) and recovering four fumbles. Additionally, the Battlehawks have conceded the second-lowest completion rate (57.3 percent) and allowed a league-low 5.9 yards per attempt, numbers that don't bode well for a quarterback that's had trouble being consistent through the air.
On the other side, Battlehawks QB Max Duggan appears to be getting more comfortable by the week. The mobile signal-caller played his most complete game yet in the Week 7 win over the Showboats, connecting on 65.2 percent of his passes for 158 yards with a touchdown and an interception and adding 57 yards and another score on 10 rush attempts. Duggan's dual-threat capabilities have played a role in every game he's seen extended action in, as he's logged exactly 10 carries in four straight contests and is averaging 5.1 yards each time he runs the ball.
Birmingham and Holtz in particular has an extensive body of work at this point that corroborates their ability to play hard every week, often dominate opponents, and come out on the right side of the scoreboard much more often than not. However, St. Louis has won three of four home games and comes in riding a three-game winning streak, and I see the 'Hawks doing just enough here, with the help of their famed home crowd, to squeak by in what should be a thriller.
UFL Picks for Stallions at Battlehawks
- Battlehawks moneyline (-118 on DraftKings Sportsbook)
Arlington Renegades at DC Defenders (Sunday, May 18, 12:00 p.m. ET)
Another intriguing clash will take place in the nation's capital and close out the Week 8 slate, and given the tendency of both squads to play games that go down to the wire, we could be set for another late-season treat the likes the UFL has been serving up quite a bit lately.
Arlington has some of the top defensive metrics in the league – the Renegades have allowed a league-low 47.5 percent completion rate and are second with 18 sacks, for example – but they're 0-2 on the road, have lost three straight coming into this matchup, and have allowed 37 and 25 points in two of the last three contests. The former total notably came in the first meeting between these two teams in Chocotaw Stadium back in Week 5.
They also happen to be running into a quarterback in Jordan Ta'amu who hasn't slowed down whatsoever in the two games since. After throwing for 308 yards and three TDs in that 37-33 win for DC, Ta'amu compiled 259- and 278-yard efforts through the air in Weeks 6 and 7, along with a 5:0 TD:INT. The loss of dynamic wideout Ty Scott (IR-arm) in Week 3 has led to the rest of a deep Defenders pass-catching corps stepping up, with the likes of Chris Rowland, Braylon Sanders, Cornell Powell and even TE Briley Moore-McKinney all thriving to varying degree.
The Defenders have seen RB Abram Smith struggle to bounce back from last season's torn ACL, but former Indianapolis Colt Deon Jackson has begun to establish himself as the leader of the backfield by rushing for 92 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries in the last two games. Jackson has the explosiveness Smith lacks at the moment and also has untapped potential as a pass catcher, adding another dimension to a Defenders offense that's averaging a league-high 339.4 total yards per game and the second-most points (23.3) per contest.
On the other side, Renegades QB Luis Perez is coming off a season-best 314-yard passing day against the Panthers in Week 7, a game Arlington still lost on a last-second touchdown. It was Perez's second straight especially impressive performance through the air in the last three games, as he'd compiled 268 yards while completing 69.7 percent of his passes against the Defenders in that Week 5 meeting. Perez has had the advantage of plenty of continuity on his side of the ball for multiple seasons, and that was on display in Week 7 when he and longtime target Tyler Vaughns connected on nine occasions for 127 yards and a touchdown.
Perez also has plenty of other options when he drops back, including wide-receiver-like tight end Sal Cannella (6-92-1 in Week 7), Deontay Burnett and JaVonta Payton. The Defenders have been a good defense for QBs since Gregg Williams' departure from the defensive coordinator position, as DC is now tied with the Battlehawks for second-most TD passes allowed (eight) and is allowing the third-highest completion percentage (62.6).
DC has been even more vulnerable on the ground, yielding a UFL-high 4.8 yards per carry, the second-most rushing yards per game (119.9), and tying with the Roughnecks for the second-most rushing TDs surrendered (nine). Even if Kalen Ballage can't get back from his shoulder issue this week, Dae Dae Hunter, who averaged over 6.0 yards per carry in each of his last two college seasons, should continue filling the lead role and has the explosiveness to capitalize. The debuting Tony Jones Jr., who has plenty of NFL experience, could also play a solid complementary role.
Given the factors at play and the fact 70 total points were scored the last time these two teams met, I'm in the camp of the Over.
UFL Picks for Renegades at Defenders
- Over 42.5 points (-110 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
UFL Week 8 Best Bets Recap
- Battlehawks moneyline (-118 on DraftKings Sportsbook)
- Renegades-Defenders Over 42.5 points (-110 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
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