Weekend Preview: Week 8 in Dallas
By Josh Schafer | Jul 30, 2022
Grant Ament wasn’t happy with his play last week. After missing the first five games of the season due to injury, the reigning Eamon McEneaney Attackman of the Year didn’t instantly look like himself.
“Shooting zero percent’s never great,” Ament said. “I had a bunch of assist opportunities so it wasn’t all bad. Kind of just trying to get back. I knew it wasn’t going to be perfect. I wasn’t going to come out here and have four-and-four. But I wanted to perform a little better. And as I said on the broadcast probably one of my worst professional games and (we) put up 17.”
A second-half scoring spree showed what the offense can do with Ament, even if he isn’t scoring. That will be crucial this weekend in a matchup against Atlas at 2 p.m. ET Saturday on ESPN.
The game could likely decide who receives the first round a bye, a crucial extra week of rest for either team. With star attack Jeff Teat leading a stout scoring attack for Atlas, how Ament responds from last week’s slow start could determine the Archers path to the playoffs.
We have more on that matchup and the rest of this weekend’s games in a moment. But first here’s my Player Royale squad this weekend:
- Chris Gray, Atlas attack
- Connor Kelly, Waterdogs midfield
- Koby Smith, Atlas defense
- TD Ierlan, Redwoods faceoff specialist
- Blaze Riorden, Chaos goalie
Saturday, July 30th at 2 p.m. ET | ESPN and ESPN+
All-time series: Archers leads 5-2
Stat to know: 36%
With star faceoff specialist Trevor Baptiste out with a lower body injury last week, Atlas struggled at the stripe. One of the league’s best faceoff teams turned in its worst performance of the year at the stripe, allowing for a late Redwoods comeback. Last time Atlas and Archers played, the Bulls won 83% of faceoffs. If Baptiste (questionable) is ruled out and that advantage disappears, that’s a big boost to an Archers team that only lost by one goal in the last matchup on June 25.
Player Royale to consider: Chris Gray, Atlas attack
The rookie has a rocket of shot and is lethal when left open. He showed that last week against Redwoods and will likely do similar whenever defenses opt to focus on Jeff Teat. At a tier 2 value, a player who scored 25 fantasy points last week feels like a decent bet to me.
Why Atlas: If this is a battle of two offenses, Atlas has the defensive advantage. They rank better at the stripe, in between the pipes and on the penalty kill. This game will likely never be out of reach given how quickly each offense can score, but a strong performance from Jack Concannon in goal could seal this for Atlas.
Why Archers: Archers benefit from this game turning into a shootout with the ball often in the sticks of their experienced attack. Another week healthy for Grant Ament, should help the attack better adjust to playing after the injury, something he noted was a challenge last week. Watch for how the Archers powerplay performs. Atlas has allowed just two goals on the penalty kill all year. If Archers can’t gain momentum via special teams, it could be tough sledding for the offense.
The pick: The health of Trevor Baptiste feels like the biggest factor. Given he’ll likely be hobbled even if he plays, I’m taking Archers.
Saturday, July 30th at 4:30 pm. ET | ESPN+
All-time series: Chrome leads 2-1
Stat to know: 95.3%
Chrome leads the league in runout rate, meaning Chrome keeps the ball on shots that miss the net by winning the runout 95% of the time. While not a flashy stat, it speaks to the all-around team effort Chrome has put together this year to turn the club around. When Chrome wins games there’s usually a few scrappy plays that stick out postgame.
Player royale to consider: Ryan Terefenko, Chrome short-stick defensive midfielder
I see this game being a low-scoring tight game and therefore like a defensive player if you have to play someone from this game. Terefenko for Chrome or Connor Kirst for Whipsnakes are both good options for potential X-factors in what’s likely to be a back-and-forth battle.
Why Chrome: These two teams haven’t played yet this year and it seems like Chrome’s makeover has caught several teams by surprise thus far this year. Connor Farrell has been hot and can likely match Joe Nardella at the stripe. Chrome’s new young attack will need to find windows to score against the Whips defense. Despite a 4-2 record, Chrome hasn’t particularly dominated any particular category. Through six games, Chrome has been more of a sum of its parts than a team that relies on individuals. To ascend to the top of the PLL standings, it will need to surpass the best team-orientated ball club through the league’s first few years.
Why Whipsnakes: Whipsnakes have allowed the least amount of goals of any team this year, the kind of stat irritating enough to throw off any team. On top of that Joe Nardella has been a dominant performer at the faceoff stripe while Zed Williams has started to heat up and complements the likes of Matt Rambo and Justin Guterding on the Whips offense. Simply put, if this becomes a straight matchup of teams slow playing for solid possessions, it's advantage Whipsnakes.
The pick: Chrome has proven itself a very solid team the first half of the PLL season. But beating the ‘Whips at their own game is another level of master Chrome may not be ready for just yet.
Sunday, July 31st at 1 p.m. ET | ESPN+
All-time series: Cannons leads 2-1
Stat to know: 45.7%
Cannons leads the league in transition efficiency with goals on nearly half of its chances. This stat stands out headed out Sunday particularly considering Waterdogs is currently last place in transition defense. Look for how often Cannons manage to speed the game up.
Player royale to consider: Connor Kelly, Waterdogs midfield
Connor Kelly has been the hot hand for the Waterdogs when the team needs scoring. Against a Cannons team that ranks last in defensive efficiency, I’m rolling the ‘Dogs top midfielder.
Why Waterdogs: The Waterdogs have been more consistent than the Cannons and now have Dillon Ward getting into a groove in the cage. Waterdogs will need to limit Cannons odd-man scenarios where Lyle Thompson and Asher Nolting can be lethal in transition. In a settled situation, this is the Waterdogs’ game to lose.
Why Cannons: Cannons have the firepower to become a problem for any defense. But the defense has been scattered at best through the first half of the season. The Cannons might need Nick Marrocco to help steal this one in the cage.
The pick: Until Cannons turn some of their solid quarters into a four-quarter performance, picking against them remains the play. It’s the Dogs here.
Sunday July 31st at 3:30 p.m. ET | ESPN+
All-time series: Redwoods leads 3-2
Stat to know: 45.9%
Chaos leads the league in possessions ending with a turnover. Redwoods has the second highest second highest turnover rate at 43.3%. In a game where both teams are expected to be sloppy at times, there could be plenty of room for big scoring runs and potential comebacks.
Player royale to consider: Blaze Riorden, Chaos Goalie
Blaze Riorden at a Tier 2 value is always a smart play in my view. He can have a 20-save game on any given night and I like rolling the dice on a high-end player for mid-tier value.
Why Redwoods: The Redwoods comeback story may have started last week as the ‘Woods stormed back to a victory against Atlas. After waiting for both of these teams to pull themselves out of the PLL standings’ cellar, Redwoods arrived first. Picking Redwoods here hinges on last week’s 16-goal performance not being a fluke.
Why Chaos: With defenders like Jack Rowlett, Chaos has the ability to lockoff Redwoods’ top offensive threats. That combined with Riorden could revive the Redwoods’ offensive struggles. The last time these two teams played, Chaos turned the ball over 21 times. Now that Chaos normal offense has been together for multiple weeks, that number will likely be lower and it will need to be on Sunday.
The pick: At this point, we just haven’t seen the Chaos team that won the championship last year. The Redwoods are the pick given last week’s success and Chaos’ inconsistency.
