As we enter the second quarter of the inaugural UFL season, things are starting to shape up with a few obvious favorites and a few teams that need to turn things around immediately.
Week 4 gets underway on Saturday with one game in St. Louis, one in Birmingham, AL, and one in San Antonio. It will conclude on Sunday with one game in Houston.
Check out my free betting picks and UFL predictions for Week 4.
UFL picks for Week 4
Picks made on 4/19 at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
Week 4 UFL odds and predictions
Memphis Showboats vs St. Louis Battlehawks
Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET, ABC
| Showboats | Battlehawks | |
|---|---|---|
| +7.5 (-110) | Spread | -7.5 (-110) |
| +280 | Moneyline | -355 |
| Over 45.5 (-110) | Total | Under 45.5 (-110) |
Odds courtesy of DraftKings as of 4-19.
The Week 4 UFL kickoff game will feature one team that is leading the XFL Conference and one team that is fighting to stay afloat in the USFL Conference. The Memphis Showboats are currently 1-2 and are coming off a 33-14 blowout loss to the Birmingham Stallions on the road. Meanwhile, the St. Louis Battlehawks are 2-1 while exiting a big 31-24 road win over the San Antonio Brahmas.
One of the biggest surprises of the season is the disappointing effort from the Showboats. They came in with a roster full of some of the best talent from the defunct teams of last year’s USFL season. The fact that they are unable to get anything going in the ground game with Darius Victor while being mediocre in the pass game with Case Cookus is concerning.
Meanwhile, the Battlehawks are coming in hot, scoring 27 points against the Arlington Renegades and 31 points against the Brahmas. AJ McCarron has found a couple of favorite targets in Marcell Ateman and Hakeem Butler, and they should continue to roll this week at home against a struggling offense.
Pick: Battlehawks -7 (-110 at DraftKings)
D.C. Defenders vs Birmingham Stallions
Saturday, 7:00 p.m. ET, FOX
| Defenders | Stallions | |
|---|---|---|
| +9 (-110) | Spread | -9 (-110) |
| +320 | Moneyline | -410 |
| Over 46.5 (-110) | Total | Under 46.5 (-110) |
Odds courtesy of DraftKings as of 4-19.
Two of the hotter teams in the UFL will clash on Saturday night. The DC Defenders are 2-1 and are coming off a nice comeback win on the road in Arlington, 29-28. The Stallions are a perfect 3-0 without a game decided by less than seven points after their dominant win over Memphis last week.
The Defenders failed to live up to their name in Week 3, allowing 419 total yards to the Renegades before storming home with 11 points in the last 48 seconds to sneak out a victory. They now rank sixth in scoring defense and seventh in total defense in the league of eight teams. Meanwhile, the Stallions are No. 1 in both categories.
The Defenders will be without many key skill position players due to injury, including wide receiver Keke Coutee. The Stallions will continue to roll on offense with Adrian Martinez, Deon Cain, and Jace Sternberger, as they are coming off a game where they racked up 424 yards of total offense. The Stallions will continue their domination with another double-digit victory.
Pick: Stallions -9 (-110 at DraftKings)
Michigan Panthers vs San Antonio Brahmas
Saturday, 7:00 p.m. ET, FOX
| Panthers | Brahmas | |
|---|---|---|
| -1.5 (-110) | Spread | +1.5 (-110) |
| -122 | Moneyline | _102 |
| Over 41.5 (-110) | Total | Under 41.5 (-110) |
Odds courtesy of DraftKings as of 4-19.
While Birmingham and St. Louis have proven to be the best teams in the league, these two teams are right there breathing down their neck. The Michigan Panthers are 2-1 and fresh off a 34-20 win at home against the Houston Roughnecks. The Brahmas are also 2-1 but coming off a home loss against the Battlehawks.
The Panthers defense has been excellent, allowing 16, 20, and 20 points, respectively, in their three games with the first two coming against the Top 2 teams in the league. Last week, they showed off their offense with 332 total yards and 34 points. Quarterback E.J. Perry threw for 208 yards and ran for 60 yards to go with three total touchdowns.
The Brahmas also have an excellent defense but were let down last week against the Battlehawks. They still rank second in total defense and third in scoring defense. I expect both teams to get back to their roots of playing defense first and expect a much lower-scoring game here.
Pick: Under 41.5 (-110 at DraftKings)
Arlington Renegades vs Houston Roughnecks
Sunday, 2:00 p.m. ET, FS1
| Renegades | Roughnecks | |
|---|---|---|
| -3 (-118) | Spread | +3 (-102) |
| -155 | Moneyline | +130 |
| Over 46.5 (-110) | Total | Under 46.5 (-110) |
Odds courtesy of DraftKings as of 4-19.
Something has got to give in this Week 4 finale, as both teams enter the game winless. The Renegades have been extremely close each of the last two weeks, but just came up short each time. Last year in the XFL, the Renegades went 4-6 and still won the whole league, so they can still turn things around. The Roughnecks have struggled on all fronts and may very well be the bottomfeeder in this UFL season.
Both defenses have been dreadful and rank last and next to last in points allowed. The Renegades also rank last in yards allowed while the Roughnecks rank fifth. The Renegades have yet to allow an opponent to score less than 27 points. That will be put to the test against a Roughnecks offense that has yet to surpass 20 points in a game.
While I do believe Arlington is set to get their first win of the season this week, that defense is still very scary to trust. The Roughnecks have struggled mightily to put up points but scoring 20 points last week against the Panthers is a sign they can easily reach 20 again this week against the Renegades. I will just stick with the Over instead of taking Arlington against the spread.
Pick: Over 46.5 (-110 at DraftKings)
Not intended for use in MA.
Affiliate Disclosure: Covers may receive advertising commissions for visits to a sportsbook or betting site.
