With the DC Defenders and Houston Roughnecks among the early stars of Vince McMahon's spring football league, the hunt for the revived XFL's inaugural championship, now apparently set for late April in Houston, is well underway.
Now, it's time for Week 2. Will P.J. Walker keep up his highlight-reel action against an underrated St. Louis team? Can Cardale Jones stay unbeaten as a starting quarterback? Can Bob Stoops help the Renegades rebound from a disappointing debut? Might former NFL veterans Landry Jones and Josh Johnson make their XFL debuts?
This weekend, we'll find it all out. A week after yours truly went .500 picking the XFL's opening slate of games, we're back with yet another rundown, complete with odds and picks against the William Hill spreads:
BENJAMIN'S RECORD
Season (straight up): 2-2
Season (against the spread): 1-3
Who should you back against the spread and on the total in every Week 2 XFL game? And which team dominates the competition? Check out the latest XFL odds below, then visit SportsLine to see their Week 2 XFL cheat sheet, all from the pro football expert who has crushed the world's most prestigious handicapping tournament.
New York Guardians at DC Defenders
Saturday, 2 p.m. ET (ABC)
Point spread: Defenders -5.5
How much of the Guardians' Week 1 defensive dominance was a result of their own talent, and how much was a result of the Vipers just being atrocious? That's the key question for them moving forward. No matter what, it's going to be a challenge for New York to hit the road and outplay DC. Maybe the Guardians get after Cardale Jones, but even then, the Defenders' secondary should pose just as many, if not more, problems for Matt McGloin. Simply put, Pep Hamilton's squad is more talented. DC should be 2-0 by Saturday night.
Prediction: Defenders 23, Guardians 19
Is the XFL here to stay? Brady Quinn joins Will Brinson to break down the new football league on the Pick Six Podcast. Listen below and be sure to subscribe for daily NFL goodness fired into your eardrums.
Tampa Bay Vipers at Seattle Dragons
Saturday, 5 p.m. ET (Fox, fuboTV)
Point spread: Vipers -2.5
Oddsmakers really believe Marc Trestman's offense will rebound if they're giving the Vipers points on a big road trip. That might only be because Trestman could be forced to turn to former USF star Quinton Flowers in the wake of Aaron Murray's Week 1 injury. And there's no doubting that could help. Seattle's also got its own QB health concerns, with gunslinging Brandon Silvers questionable to go. Still, the Dragons showed fight in their debut, and as long as Austin Proehl is getting the ball, they should steal their first "W."
Prediction: Dragons 22, Vipers 20
Dallas Renegades at Los Angeles Wildcats
Sunday, 3 p.m. ET (ABC)
Point spread: Renegades -4.5
Josh Johnson returning would be a welcome boost for L.A., which made headlines this week for axing its defensive coordinator after just four quarters of football. Would even that be enough to get them in the win column, though? Not with Landry Jones set to make his first start under old friend Bob Stoops. Dallas almost literally can't be worse on third downs than it was in Week 1, and the Wildcats are probably going to need more than a few days to shore up all their apparent defensive holes. Give it to the Renegades.
Prediction: Renegades 34, Wildcats 24
St. Louis BattleHawks at Houston Roughnecks
Sunday, 6 p.m. ET (FS1, fuboTV)
Point spread: Roughnecks -8
Last but certainly not least, this could easily be the most entertaining of the Week 2 matchups. St. Louis is supremely underrated with young Jordan Ta'amu guiding a ground-first attack and leaning on an opportunistic "D." Houston, meanwhile, boasts maybe the biggest early star of the league in P.J. Walker, who looked like a legitimate NFL-caliber QB in a four-touchdown debut. By season's end, the BattleHawks should be contending for the playoffs, but here and now, it's impossible to pick against Walker and his arm.
Prediction: Roughnecks 29, BattleHawks 20