XFL Week 4 Preview: Roughnecks at Renegades

• The Dallas Renegades (2-1) will host the Houston Roughnecks (3-0) in what will be the premier matchup in Week 4 XFL action.

• This game opened as a pick’em while the total opened at 48.5 points, the highest of the slate by a wide margin. Therefore, oddsmakers are expecting some offensive fireworks in this contest, and for valid reasons. CLICK HERE to view the live odds or CLICK HERE to view the full game page!

• The Renegades enter this matchup with the following records: 2-1 overall, 2-1 ATS.

• The Roughnecks enter this matchup with the following records: 3-0 overall, 2-1 ATS.

• Continue reading our Roughnecks Renegades prediction to find out which team is the best bet against the spread, on the moneyline and if the over or the under is the preferred option. 

Renegades

Dallas is coming off of a comeback 24-12 victory in Seattle against the Dragons in Week 3. Down 12-6 at halftime, the Renegades rallied back to tie the game and scored 12 unanswered in the fourth quarter to seal the deal. Some noticeable ex-NFL players grace Dallas’ roster. Led by ex-Steeler Landry Jones at quarterback, their backfield consists of ex-Panther Cameron Artis-Payne and ex-Cowboy Lance Dunbar. Meanwhile 6’8 Donald Parham is quickly making a name for himself and is coming off of a 101-yard, two-touchdown performance. Dallas is a pass-first squad, but concentrates their offense around the three aforementioned playmakers. Artis-Payne had 19 touches for 110 yards from scrimmage and Dunbar had a team-leading 11 targets and ended up with 17 touches for 79 scrimmage yards. Therefore, that trio ended up with 41 touches, while their teammates combined for 10. Therefore, expect all three to continue to be heavily featured moving forward. It’s worth mentioning that this Renegades offense has been stout so far and has allowed 15, 18 and then 12 points. It’s early and they’ll certainly have their work cut out for them in this contest, but they’ve been the most consistent defensive unit in the XFL. 

Roughnecks

P.J. Walker is the clear-cut favorite to win the XFL MVP, if that matters through three weeks. He’s accounted for 10 passing touchdowns compared to just one interception and has also proven to be a capable runner, as indicated by his four-carry, 34-yard, one-touchdown performance on the ground en route to Houston’s 34-27 win over the Vipers in Tampa Bay last week. It’s worth noting how much Houston trusted Walker in that contest. Not only did they rush the ball 12 times total (not including Walker’s four attempts) compared to 36 passes, but they were effective doing so. Walker racked up 306 yards and three touchdowns and pretty much did whatever he wanted to do against a defense that surrendered the least amount of yards per game heading into their battle. So far, Walker and wideout Cam Phillips have been a two-man wrecking crew. Phillips is coming off an eye-opening stat line in which he caught eight passes for 194 yards and three touchdowns and will look to carry over the momentum into this one. Defensively, this Houston squad has some question marks at the moment. Not only did Taylor Cornelius and Quinton Flowers move the ball against them, but they also allowed both quarterbacks to score rushing touchdowns last week. That won’t be an issue against Jones, who isn’t exactly fleet-footed, but it’s slightly concerning that the Vipers put up 27 points against the Roughnecks after the BattleHawks put up 24 against them a week before. All three of Houston’s games have gone over the total due to their style of play, explosive offense and lack of a defense that can consistently create stops. 

Best Bets

After reading our Roughnecks Renegades prediction, you should feel confident in the following bets: Renegades against the spread/on the moneyline and the OVER. Walker and Phillips could build off of their incredible Week 3 performance, but the fact that Dallas’ defense has been so solid casts a bit of doubt on Houston’s offensive abilities, especially since the Roughnecks will be on the road. Further, having two former NFL backs and a 6’8 weapon on the outside that no one has heard of until now will only help Jones and Dallas’ offense moving forward. Both teams will be slinging the pigskin all over the field and for the first time this XFL season, there are reasons to expect large offensive outputs on both sides of the scoreboard.

Check out live odds, public betting data, line movement data, previews for all four games and more analysis on BetQL!