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The St. Louis Battlehawks’ three-game road trip to start the season rolls through Seattle on Thursday when they square off against the Seattle Sea Dragons in the first XFL game of Week 2, at Lumen Field. Last week the Battlehawks (1-0) rallied for an improbable 18-15 victory at San Antonio. After facing Seattle, they will hit the road next week to play the DC Defenders before their first home game, in Week 4. Meanwhile Thursday’s game is the home opener for the Sea Dragons (0-1), who lost on Sunday at DC, 22-18.

Kickoff is set for 9 p.m. ET. Seattle is a 4-point favorite in the latest Sea Dragons vs. Battlehawks odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 38. Before making any Battlehawks vs. Sea Dragons picks, you need to see what SportsLine pro football expert R.J. White has to say.

White, a Fantasy and gambling editor for CBS Sports, consistently crushes against-the-spread picks and went 535-450-30 on his ATS picks from 2017-22, which returned more than $3,500 to $100 players. He also closed the NFL season on an incredible 107-80-6 on his last 193 against-the-spread and total NFL picks during the 2022 NFL season, returning more than $1,800 for $100 bettors.

White has crushed not only the NFL but also the XFL during its abbreviated 2020 season, going 16-4 on XFL ATS picks before the league suspended operations. Anyone who has followed him is way up.

Now, he has locked in on Sea Dragons vs. Battlehawks and released a confident against-the-spread pick. You can head to SportsLine now to see White’s pick and analysis. Here are the XFL lines and trends for Battlehawks vs. Sea Dragons:

Sea Dragons vs. Battlehawks spread: Seattle -4
Sea Dragons vs. Battlehawks over/under: 38 points
Sea Dragons vs. Battlehawks money line: Seattle -190, St. Louis +158
SEA: Jahcour Pearson leads team in receiving (12 catches, 95 yards)
STL: Austin Proehl leads team in receiving (four catches, 49 yards and one touchdown)
Sea Dragons vs. Battlehawks picks: See picks here
Why the Sea Dragons can cover
Despite losing, Seattle arguably outplayed DC last week. The Sea Dragons outgained the Defenders 331-177 and had 20 first downs to DC’s 12. Seattle also had 35 minutes, 30 seconds of possession to the Defenders’ 24:30.

In addition, the Sea Dragons should prove to be a hard team to face on a short week. Offensive coordinator June Jones has brought his pass-happy Run-and-Shoot offense to Seattle, and the team attempted 56 passes last week. Meanwhile the Battlehawks faced just 36 pass attempts last week and don’t get the benefit of a full week to prepare for the Sea Dragons’ unique attack.

Why the Battlehawks can cover
St. Louis has a playmaking receiver in Austin Proehl. The son of former St. Louis Rams receiver and current Battlehawks assistant coach Ricky Proehl, the younger Proehl had four catches for 49 yards and the game-winning touchdown with 16 seconds remaining against the Brahmas last week. On the game-winner, Proehl made the catch despite being the target of three San Antonio defenders.

In addition, St. Louis faces a quarterback, Ben DiNucci, who had trouble taking care of the ball last week. The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback had three turnovers against the Defenders. One of those was a pick-six, which started the DC comeback, and the last was a fumble at the Defenders’ 1-yard line that thwarted the Battlehawks’ comeback attempt and ended the game.

How to make Sea Dragons vs. Battlehawks picks
White has analyzed this matchup and while we can tell you he’s leaning Under on the point total, he has discovered a crucial x-factor that makes one side of the spread a must-back. He’s only sharing what it is and which side to back at SportsLine.

Week 2 of the 2023 XFL season is here and XFL daily Fantasy players are hoping to dial in their XFL DFS strategies based on what they saw in the first week of action. This is the second reboot of the league that lasted one season back in 2001 and there are plenty of former NFL players on these XFL rosters. However, making your XFL DFS selections based purely on name recognition might be a losing strategy with so many hungry young players eager to catch the eye of NFL scouts.

After posting a 1,000-yard season at USC in 2017, Deontay Burnett played for four different teams in the NFL but has been out of the league since 2020. However, the 25-year-old made an impression with eight catches for 90 yards and a score in Week 1 and could be a popular option for XFL DFS lineups in Week 2. Before making any XFL DFS picks on DraftKings for Week 2, be sure to check out the XFL DFS advice, strategy and projections from CBS Sports Fantasy and gambling editor R.J. White.

White, a Fantasy and gambling editor for CBS Sports, consistently crushes against-the-spread picks and went 535-450-30 on his ATS picks from 2017-22, which returned more than $3,500 to $100 players. He also closed the NFL season on an incredible 107-80-6 on his last 193 against-the-spread and total NFL picks during the 2022 NFL season, returning more than $1,800 for $100 bettors.

White has crushed not only the NFL but also the XFL during its abbreviated 2020 season, going 16-4 on XFL ATS picks before the league suspended operations as sportsbooks scrambled to correctly evaluate team quality in a league where little was known heading into the season. Anyone who has followed him is way up.

Now, White has turned his attention to Week 2 XFL action and locked in his top daily Fantasy football picks. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.

Top XFL DFS picks for Week 2
For Week 2 XFL DFS lineups, White is high on Orlando Guardians wide receiver Eli Rogers ($4,100 on DraftKings). The former Steelers receiver largely no-showed in the USFL, but he proved to be an integral part of the Orlando passing attack. He was targeted seven times and caught four passes for 40 yards.

An undrafted free agent out of Louisville, Rogers spent all of his rookie season in 2015 on injured reserve but debuted in 2016 and became a regular target for Ben Roethlisberger. He caught 48 passes for 594 yards and three touchdowns that season and finished his three-year NFL career with 78 catches for 822 yards and four scores.

White also likes Houston Roughnecks quarterback Brandon Silvers ($8,600 on DraftKings). The Roughnecks looked like the most prolific offense in the league during Week 1, putting up 33 points in a dominant win over the Orlando Guardians. Silvers has a trio of quality receivers at his disposal, with Travell Harris, Jontre Kirklin and Deontay Burnett all catching at least five passes for 48 yards.

“Silvers paid off in Week 1 by throwing for 272 yards and two TDs on 42 attempts in the only blowout of the weekend. He and Ben DiNucci appear to be the QBs with the highest floor week in and week out based on the offenses they play in, but you’ll still get a nice discount on Silvers for at least the next few weeks,” White said.

How to set Week 2 XFL DFS lineups
White is also targeting an undervalued player who is set to explode for huge numbers this weekend. This pick could be the difference between winning your tournaments and cash games or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is here.

Generally speaking, success does not last forever in the NBA. Talented teams break up. Dynasties end. If you’re running a team that is in championship contention, you spend as much money as you’re allowed and steal from your future in order to maximize your short-term odds of winning it all. Eventually, inevitably, when you can’t see a path to the top, you must accept reality. This often means going all the way to the bottom.

Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob, however, rejects this life cycle. He believes that the Warriors are an exception to the rule and that they have an “ace in the hole,” Lacob told ESPN’s Baxter Holmes.

“We are the Golden State Warriors,” Lacob said. “I believe in the culture. I believe that word gets out. I could go on and on. I’m not trying to brag. I’m just saying, that’s who we are.

“We’re never going to bottom out. I won’t settle for that. We’re not doing that.”

Lacob is not exactly guaranteeing that the Warriors will never be near the bottom of the standings under his watch. He is saying, though, that he believes they will never have to go there intentionally. In discussing the “tough path” they tried to walk with the two-timeline plan (i.e. developing Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and the since-traded No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman while competing for championships), Lacob described himself as an owner “who doesn’t want to ever be in the lottery, ever.”

He added, “We don’t want to be bad. We don’t want to go through a transition. I just can’t do that.”

Lacob is always thinking big, and he is confident that Golden State can attract top talent. Just before the Feb. 8 trade deadline, he reportedly called Jeanie Buss, the owner of Los Angeles Lakers, to ask about a potential LeBron James trade. (ESPN reported that neither James nor the Lakers were interested.) The team’s dream scenario is somehow landing Giannis Antetokounmpo, and it will explore any avenue it might have to get James, Paul George, or even ex-Warrior Kevin Durant, according to The Athletic.

“I’m not going to comment on something I can’t comment on, but, in general, I just want to win,” Lacob told ESPN. “We just want to win. We want to be the best, and we’re going to try whatever tactic it takes to get there. I am not here to screw around. We are not here to screw around. We are not here to be just ‘some team.’ We’re not going to do that. We may fail. Everyone fails. We may fail occasionally, but it will not be for lack of trying.”

As always, you can either commend Lacob on his confidence and competitiveness or clown him for his cockiness. The “we may fail” bit indicates that he doesn’t think the Warriors are infallible, but there is some arrogance inherent in any team-building plan that dismisses both being in the lottery and being just “some team.” The precise reason that franchises like the Oklahoma City Thunder have decided to build through the draft is that they didn’t want to be just “some team.”

Stephen Curry turns 36 next month, and it’s totally rational that Golden State does not want to think about rebuilding in the near future. It is possible that the team, which is 27-26 but has won eight of its past 10 games, will go on a post-All-Star run and establish itself as a legitimate title contender again this season. It is also possible that the front office will find a way to add another star and extend the Warriors’ championship window. If either of those things happen, though, it will be an incredible feat and a testament to Curry’s sustained brilliance. The NBA’s new collective-bargaining agreement has made it more difficult than ever to keep teams together (and improve expensive rosters), and Lacob himself recently said the Warriors would like to get out of the luxury tax next season.

As determined as Lacob might be to win, at some point – maybe in a few months, maybe only after Curry retires – he and the Warriors will likely find themselves in an extremely uncomfortable position: No shot at a title, with a choice between two unappealing options: rebuilding and mediocrity. No team, not even the San Antonio Spurs, who long served as their model, has been able to avoid this in perpetuity.

NBA teams no doubt have varying philosophies and priorities for how to rank and view players in any given class. Those philosophies and priorities are influenced by myriad factors including job security, team need and overall evaluation. But in my role as an analyst my modus operandi has always been to rank highest the players who present the most star potential in the long term accounting for positional size, athleticism, age, production and other factors.

That’s why rising French star Zaccharie Risacher is No. 1 in my latest mock draft below. Risacher, who would be the second LNB Pro A product to go No. 1 in as many years (Victor Wembanyama from Mets 92 in 2023), combines rare traits with an ideal frame and upside to grow both on the ball as a playmaker and as a defender. He’s still raw in terms of where he is developed physically, which comes as no surprise given he’s just 18 years old, but there’s a lot in his game that could be molded into something spectacular if things go right for him. He’s tenacious as a defender and a timely cutter on offense. The flashes that make you go whoa don’t come every sequence the way they did with Wembanyama, but they’re there, and they are enough to buy in to for a team looking to swing for the fences.

The 2024 NBA Draft class is of course wide open at the top so reasonable minds may differ and preferences — be it positionally or eval-based — could put Serbian star Nikola Topic or French star Alex Sarr at No. 1. They go No. 2 and No. 3 respectively in my mock below to the Spurs and Pistons, respectively.

The below mock is based primarily off of how I rank the class and does not take into account team need and fit given that there is still a huge chunk of the NBA season still left to play and a lot left unsettled for the time being as to how the actual draft order will look this summer. Order is based on odds via SportsLine.

Five games will make up Thursday’s NBA slate with matchups tipping off between 7:30 and 10 p.m. ET. There aren’t a ton of standout bets on the table, but we’ve done our due diligence to find the best value ahead of the action. Are you looking to find an edge? We’ve gone over each pairing to identify a moneyline, spread and player prop pick worth considering.

Moneyline: Toronto Raptors (+110) vs. Chicago Bulls
The Raptors unexpectedly beat the Miami Heat on Wednesday without Pascal Siakam and are home underdogs in the second night of a back-to-back. They improved to 10-10 at home with that victory and it appears like their recent trade additions have given them enough firepower to win games without their star power forward in the mix. Chicago’s starters are finally healthy, but they’re just 6-13 on the road in 2023-24. Half of Toronto’s home wins have come against teams with winning records.

Spread: Oklahoma City Thunder -3.5 (-110) @ Utah Jazz
OKC is enduring a two-game losing streak, while Utah is looking to secure its seventh straight victory. Lauri Markkanen didn’t play when the Thunder handed the Jazz a 14-point loss in December and his presence will be impactful, but he shouldn’t tip the scales too much. The Thunder have endured three two-game losing streaks this season and have avoided dropping three straight each time. They won all three of those contests by at least eight points.

Player prop: Vince Williams Jr. under 3.5 assists (+114)
Williams has made 11 starts for the shorthanded Memphis Grizzlies this season but will be challenged by the NBA’s top defense. The Minnesota Timberwolves are giving up a league-low 107.6 points per game, and only the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers give up fewer assists per game. Williams has gone over three assists just three times, and Memphis doesn’t have any star players on the perimeter, so he could draw a matchup against the very capable Jaden McDaniels.

Oklahoma City Thunder wing Josh Giddey will not face police charges following allegations of his having had an inappropriate relationship with a minor, they announced in a statement on Wednesday.

“After a thorough and exhaustive examination, we have completed our investigation into information that was circulating on social media involving Josh Giddey,” the statement read. “Our detectives have reviewed all of the available information and were unable to corroborate any criminal activity related to Mr. Giddey.”

The Newport Beach (Calif.) Police Department first opened its investigation in late November. The NBA has deferred to the criminal investigation since, and Giddey has declined to speak on the matter.

“I get that you have to ask that, but I have no comment regarding that situation,” Giddey said on Thursday.

From The Athletic:

NBA commissioner Adam Silver told ESPN in December that the league was holding off on any punishment for Giddey until it knew the results of an investigation as it waited for Newport Beach PD to complete theirs.

“Where there is a criminal investigation, we take a back seat,” he said. “So you have an allegation, you have an ongoing criminal investigation. That impacts how the players and the Player’s Association can work with us because of course the player needs to protect his rights. I’m not going to say never ever, but this is the path we have consistently followed … that’s where things currently stand.”

Giddey is having a down season, averaging career lows across the board at 11.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists on 45% shooting. He has upped his 3-point efficiency to 36%, albeit on low volume (fewer than three attempts per game). Giddey’s down year hasn’t hurt the Thunder, who are currently the West’s No. 2 seed with a 27-13 record.

When Bruce Brown made his Toronto Raptors debut on Thursday night, he did so wearing his familiar No. 11, and with $10,000 less in his bank account. That’s because Brown, after he was traded from the Indiana Pacers to the Raptors in the Pascal Siakam blockbuster, decided to make a deal of his own.

Upon arriving in Toronto, Brown discovered that the No. 11 was occupied by Jontay Porter, the Raptors’ two-way player. Seeing as he knew Porter’s brother, Michael, from his time with the Denver Nuggets, and makes many times Jontay’s salary, Brown asked if he could buy the number off the big man.

The answer was yes. More so, the asking price was less than Brown was expecting. After all, what’s $10,000 when you’re making $22.5 million this season?

Bruce Brown said he reached out to his former Nuggets teammate Michael Porter Jr. to ask if brother Jontay would be willing to give up jersey No. 11. “I make enough to try to bribe him a little bit”

How much did it cost? “$10K”

“I thought he was going to ask for more.”

— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) January 19, 2024
Brown wore No. 11 in college at Miami, but was unable to do so initially when he made it to the NBA as the No. 42 overall pick in the 2018 draft by the Detroit Pistons. The No. 11, of course, hangs in the rafters at Little Casears Arena in honor of Hall of Fame point guard Isiah Thomas, who led the Pistons to two titles in 1989 and 1990. Instead, Brown wore No. 6.

When Brown was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in 2020 he couldn’t wear No. 11 there either on account of it belonging to Kyrie Irving. Brown, then just a third-year guard still looking to make his way in the league, did not have the clout to ask a future Hall of Famer to swap numbers. There, he went with No. 1.

Upon signing with the Denver Nuggets in 2022, Brown finally got his first choice and was able to switch to No. 11. After winning a title with Nikola Jokic and co., Brown earned a big payday from the Pacers and was able to keep his number there as well. Now, he’ll get his wish in Toronto after being part of a package deal in exchange for Pascal Siakam.

As the saying often goes, if you look good, then you feel good, then you play good. As it turns out, the $10K was certainly worth it on that front, as Brown went for 15 points and seven rebounds on 7-of-10 shooting from the field in his debut game north of the border.

As for Porter, he made the switch to No. 34, and after putting up 10 points, four rebounds and four assists, went home to count his money. Not bad for a day’s work.

Amid all the excitement over the Pascal Siakam trade on Thursday, a small bit of news flew under the radar. The Toronto Raptors waived second-year big man Christian Koloko in order to complete the blockbuster three-team deal with the Indiana Pacers and New Orleans Pelicans.

Now, we know why. Koloko is dealing with career-threatening blood clots, according to Shams Charania.

Former Raptors center Christian Koloko has a blood clot issue that is threatening his basketball career, details on @TheRally: pic.twitter.com/ZpNV5FG9uJ

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 18, 2024
“The NBA informed teams today that Christian Koloko has been referred to the NBA’s Fitness-to-Play Panel,” Charania said. “That essentially means that he’s unable to play or practice in the NBA until he’s cleared. There’s been no shortage of suitors, of teams interested in Koloko, calling his camp ever since he was waived yesterday by the Raptors to make space for that Pascal Siakam trade. I’m told that the reason he has this career-threatening issue is a blood clot situation, a source close to him told me.”

After flashing dominant defensive potential in college at Arizona, Koloko was selected with the No. 33 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. He appeared in 58 games for the Raptors last season, averaging 3.1 points and 2.9 rebounds, and also spent time in the G League. This summer, however, he was ruled out of Summer League and was not ready for the start of the season either.

The Raptors had been vague about the situation through the entire process, noting only that it was a “respiratory issue.” During a press conference on Thursday, Raptors president Masai Ujiri said that Koloko’s health status is “in the hands of the NBA.”

“This is a player that we felt was really a big part of our future,” Ujiri said. “This was a big one for us and it didn’t work out that way for now. His medical status is now in the hands of the NBA. But that’s a very tough one for us because that’s somebody we really believed in, someone that I know has incredible talent, and we saw has a future on this team, but we’ve exhausted all our options there.”

Per the collective bargaining agreement, the Fitness-to-Play Panel shall “consist of one (1) physician appointed by the NBA, one (1) physician appointed by the Players Association, and one (1) physician appointed by agreement of the first two (2) physicians.” Each panel then operates by majority vote on whether the player can return to action.

The Phoenix Suns look to continue their positive momentum and win their fourth straight game as they head on the road to face the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night. The Suns (22-18), stormed back from a 22-point deficit on Tuesday to defeat the Kings, 119-117, while the Pelicans (25-17) beat the Hornets, 132-112, on Wednesday. The teams haven’t played since December 2022, and they split a four-game series last season. Phoenix is 14-25-1 against the spread, while New Orleans is 24-17-1 ATS in 2023-24.

Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. The Pelicans are favored by 1.5 points in the latest Suns vs. Pelicans odds, per SportsLine consensus, and the over/under is 237 points. Before entering any Pelicans vs. Suns picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 13 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 42-23 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning well over $4,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.

The model has set its sights on Suns vs. Pelicans. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Pelicans vs. Suns:

Pelicans vs. Suns spread: Pelicans -1.5
Pelicans vs. Suns over/under: 237 points
Pelicans vs. Suns money line: Pelicans -123, Suns +112
Pelicans vs. Suns picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Suns can cover
Phoenix staged a stunning comeback in its last outing, outscoring Sacramento 32-8 in the final eight minutes on Tuesday to win the game by two points. Despite having their three top players, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal starting, the Suns were led in scoring by guard Grayson Allen. With 29 points, including nine 3-pointers, Allen helped spur the furious comeback. He also chipped in with six assists and five rebounds in the win.

Durant scored 27 points, while Booker had 16, and Beal 13 in what was a fairly quiet evening for Phoenix’s superstars. Center Jusuf Nurkic delivered 10 points and 15 rebounds and should once again play a key role on Friday night against the lengthy Pelicans. With the Suns mostly healthy, they will need to continue their run of success to climb in the Western Conference standings after a slow first half of the 2023-24 season. See which team to pick here.

Why the Pelicans can cover
New Orleans built on its five-point halftime lead to comfortably defeat the Hornets on Wednesday night. Brandon Ingram was phenomenal, posting a triple-double for the first time all season with 28 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. He also added three steals as the Pelicans’ defense forced 19 Charlotte turnovers.

Fellow forward Zion Williamson had 13 points and nine rebounds, while guard CJ McCollum scored 22 points with five rebounds and six assists in the victory. Unlike the Suns, whose bench doesn’t contribute much, New Orleans had strong efforts from Trey Murphy III and Jordan Hawkins, who scored 18 and 21 points, respectively. Against a dynamic Phoenix team, New Orleans’ bench will be relied upon to contribute a notable impact on Friday night. See which team to pick here.

How to make Pelicans vs. Suns picks
The model has simulated Pelicans vs. Suns 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

Teams looking to improve on sub-par seasons a year ago clash when the Houston Gamblers battle the Michigan Panthers at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis on Sunday. This matchup will be the first of a doubleheader on Sunday. The Gamblers, 3-7 a year ago, were 1-3 against North Division foes in 2022. The Panthers, 2-8 last season, went 0-4 against the South Division. Despite its record, Michigan was the fourth-highest scoring team at 21.1 points per game, while the Gamblers averaged 19.6.

Caesars Sportsbook lists Michigan as the 1-point favorite for this noon ET kickoff. The total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, or the over/under, is 38.5 in the latest Panthers vs. Gamblers odds. Before making any Gamblers vs. Panthers picks or USFL predictions, see what SportsLine expert Emory Hunt has to say.

Hunt is the founder and CEO of Football Gameplan, which has been supplying analysis of all levels of football since 2007. He is a former running back for the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns and knows the game from a player’s perspective. Hunt’s dedication to analysis of all levels of college and professional football helped him start the USFL season 24-18 last year and he’s also off to a fast 21-11 start on his XFL spread picks this season.

Now, Hunt has set his sights on Panthers vs. Gamblers. You can head to SportsLine to see his picks. Here are several USFL betting lines for Gamblers vs. Panthers:

Panthers vs. Gamblers spread: Panthers -1
Panthers vs. Gamblers over/under: 38.5 points
Panthers vs. Gamblers money line: Panthers -120, Gamblers +100
Panthers vs. Gamblers picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Panthers can cover
New head coach Mike Nolan is looking to fix things on the defensive end this year. He is a long-time assistant in the NFL with previous stops in San Francisco and Dallas. He was the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator in 2020. Nolan will have the benefit of having standout linebacker Frank Ginda return, after finishing second in the league with 90 tackles.

Michigan, who led the league in passing in 2022, will welcome back a healthy Josh Love at quarterback. He passed for 791 yards a year ago, splitting time between Pittsburgh and Michigan. He threw for four touchdowns and four interceptions. He will be challenged for the starting spot by Carson Strong, who was signed last month, and has been solid in camp. Strong, who was on the practice squad for the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals, threw for 9,379 yards in college at Nevada, including 74 touchdowns with just 19 interceptions.

Why the Gamblers can cover
The Houston offense is led by quarterback Kenji Bahar, who is looking to improve in his second year with the team. The former undrafted free agent who had signed with the Baltimore Ravens in 2021 before joining the Gamblers last spring, played in seven games last year, including three starts. In those starts, the Gamblers went 2-1. In parts of seven games, Bahar completed 61-of-100 passes for 541 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions.

Houston will also be led by running back Mark Thompson, as the Gamblers try to build on an offense that strives for better ball control. The bruising back led Houston with 463 rushing yards and two touchdowns in 2022. Complementing him is running back T.J. Pledger, who is explosive as a pass catcher. Pledger, who split his collegiate career between Oklahoma and Utah, played in 37 games at that level, rushing for 1,389 yards and 12 touchdowns, and catching 21 passes for 196 yards.

How to make Gamblers vs. Panthers picks
Hunt has analyzed this matchup and while we can tell you he’s leaning Under on the point total, he has discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He’s only sharing what it is, and which side to back, at SportsLine.