UFL Best Bets: Week 2 Picks

April 4, 2025

RotoBrady provides picks on every spread and O/U for Week 2 of the 2025 UFL Season.

Well, the opening week is always full of curveballs, and 2025 was no exception. We actually saw the Birmingham Stallions lose a game, looking bad in the process. Overall, I went 3-3-1 on spreads and over/unders last week, so a bit inconvenient that neither parlay worked out. It is a short season, so the pressure is already on to get right and tap into exactly what is going on with these eight teams. Statistically, it was a very strange opening week to say the least.

I know that the bottom two teams in the league are not going to go winless, but unless it is a matchup with each other, I just don't see myself ever picking one of them to come out on top on a week-by-week basis, but I will hold out some hope for my Showboats with Ken Whisenhunt back with the team. I think we will see a ton of movement for the rest of the regular season for the top six teams in the power rankings below.

In Week 2, we have two rematches of the 2024 UFL playoffs and two teams who looked absolutely spectacular in Week 1 taking on teams that they should handle easily in theory. I will exude as much confidence as possible with my picks today, but in all honesty, I am always ready to be shocked again. Call it "Orlando Guardian Syndrome." So, without further ado, let's dive into another week of Spring Football action with picks for every game of Week 2.

Week 2 Power Rankings

1. Arlington Renegades--strictly the highest quality win of the week.
2. Michigan Panthers--took care of business as they should have.
3. St. Louis Battlehawks--very impressive, now do it against a team besides Houston.
4. D.C. Defenders--beat Birmingham, but how much of that falls squarely on the Stallions?
5. Birmingham Stallions--obligatory with the loss, but I would be shocked if they don't make a big leap immediately.
6. San Antonio Brahmas--maybe use that Anthony McFarland Jr. guy a little more?
7. Memphis Showboats--honestly, this could have been much worse.
8. Houston Roughnecks--get comfortable here.

Week 2 Picks

Birmingham Stallions at Michigan Panthers (Friday, April 4, at 8PM ET)

Stallions (-2.5), -135 ML, O/U 38.5

Starting today with the most challenging call of the week to make. As many have said this week, the Birmingham Stallions do not lose twice in a row, and you have to think that last week was largely the product of Alex McGough getting back in the swing of things against the also continuity-driven Defenders who had their best player back in the mix. Ricky Person Jr. and C.J. Marable were not on point last week, but having Jace Sternberger back in the lineup should be the jolt the entire offense needs.

The Panthers' rushing game was surprisingly ineffective last week, but the passing game was reciprocally solid behind Bryce Perkins and a balanced receiving core. To no one's surprise, the defense was again phenomenal. There is more fan interest for this game in Detroit, so that matters, but I can give Birmingham the benefit of the doubt one more time. To really call my shot here, I see 20-18 for Birmingham. So take the points with Michigan, the ML for the Stallions, and a very, very slight lean to the under.

Memphis Showboats at D.C. Defenders (Saturday, April 5, at 8PM ET)

Defenders (-8), -395 ML, O/U 37

The Showboats have HC Ken Whisenhunt back on the sidelines, so that is a plus. Those hopeful about Memphis's backfield were in for a rude awakening last week in the 26-12 loss to Michigan, but the E.J. Perry/Troy Williams QB situation did alright as Jonathan Adams had himself a day. The defense was just porous, and unless the rushing game sees improvement, it is hard to see Memphis out-scoring the upper-tier teams in the league.

D.C. did the unthinkable last week in handing Birmingham an 18-11 loss to open the campaign on the strongest note possible. This week, they again play at Audi Field, where the Beer Snake will be slithering. Abram Smith wasn't most efficient in the backfield, but the workload is where he picks up steam. Jordan Ta'amu is similarly situated--and importantly, Matt McCrane looked fantastic at kicker. I see a final score range of 18-10 to 26-14, so lay with D.C. and favor the under.

Houston Roughnecks at Arlington Renegades (Sunday, April 6, at 12PM ET)

Renegades -10, -550 ML, O/U 39

I will start off by saying a couple of positive things about Houston that existed in Week 1. First, Justin Hall still managed to haul in 40 yards and a touchdown, and the QBs were probably the brightest spot for Houston. Unfortunately, Nolan Henderson and Anthony Brown were not good in the passing game, only in the rushing game. St. Louis absolutely decimated the defense across the board, and Curtis Johnson is still the head coach, so that's bad.

We saw what Arlington did to a better Texas team last week at home, winning 33-9 in almost as good a win as Houston's 31-6 loss was bad. For the Renegades, Luis Perez was on point, the top two pass-catchers played as such, the Kalen Ballage-led backfield was superb (De'Veon Smith = three TDs), and the defense was soul-crushing against a talented Brahmas squad. I got Arlington -8.5 early this week, but the feeling hasn't changed: I see a final score of 28-6 to 33-10, so lay the points with Arlington and slightly lean under.

San Antonio Brahmas at St. Louis Battlehawks (Sunday, April 6, at 6:30PM ET)

Battlehawks (-7), -355 ML, O/U 39.5

Yikes. Unless Anthony McFarland is compromised in some way, there is no excuse for him only receiving three carries (five total touches) when he gained 32 yards. Jashaun Corbin and Kellen Mond were also good on the ground--it is just hard to see where this went so wrong. Mond wasn't great, but nothing on offense was devastating--they just failed to stack any success into consistent scoring drives. The defense on paper is good, they just got torn apart by a really good running back.

If San Antonio hated playing on the road in Week 1, they will really hate it in Week 2. St. Louis was dominant against the Roughnecks. The O-lineline, Manny Wilkins, Jahcour Pearson, Jacob Saylors, Jarveon Howard--everyone looked tremendous while the defense made life miserable for Houston. St. Louis and their fans badly want revenge for the 2024 XFL championship loss, and if the Brahmas couldn't handle Arlington's ground game, I don't see how that is fixed a week later. Let's say, 24-22 to 35-14 Battlehawks. So lean on the lay and take the over.

Parlay of the Week

Defenders (-8), Renegades (-8.5): +264

Boy, did I snag that Renegades line at a good spot early in the week.

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