The Action Network offers weekly tips on betting lines, point spreads, odds and picks.

Here's an excerpt from their articles previewing Week 2's Sunday XFL games, with the Dallas Renegades (0-1) visiting the Los Angeles Wildcats (0-1), who play at 3 p.m. ET on ABC; and the St. Louis BattleHawks (1-0) travel to the Houston Roughnecks (1-0) at 6 p.m. ET on FS1.

Dallas Renegades at Los Angeles Wildcats Odds

Spread: -4.5 Renegades

-4.5 Renegades Total: 47.5

47.5 Kickoff: 3 p.m. ET on Sunday

3 p.m. ET on Sunday TV: ABC

Odds as of Saturday and via DraftKings, where Action Network users get a risk-free bet up to $500.

Key Matchup

Renegades pass offense vs. Wildcats pass defense

After a strange offensive showing in Week 1, the Renegades desperately need to get right, and the Wildcats might help with that. In Week 1, the Renegades struggled to turn yards into points.

The problem was that backup quarterback Philip Nelson refused to push the ball downfield. He completed 78.6% of his passes but had a miserable 4.7 yards per attempt. With the returning Landry Jones now at quarterback, the Renegades will likely be more aggressive, and we should see the Air Raid offense unleashed.

And the matchup couldn’t be much better.

The Wildcats were blown out last week by the Houston Roughnecks and quarterback P.J. Walker, who completed 60.5% of his 38 attempts for 272 yards and four touchdowns to one interception, and now the Wildcats are likely to be without the two cornerbacks at the top of the depth chart.

If the Renegades can pass at will against the Wildcats, they should be able to come out on top. -- Ben Rolfe

Expert Pick

Matthew Freedman: Renegades -4.5

Even though they were 10-point favorites in the middle of last week, the Renegades massively disappointed with a 15-9 loss to the St. Louis BattleHawks in their season-opening home debut. They were without Jones, but his absence wasn’t their only problem: Their play-calling was far too conservative.

On multiple fourth-and-shorts, they settled for field goals and field position via the punting game when they instead should have kept their offense on the field and gone for the first down.

But the Wildcats were even worse last week, suffering a brutal 37-17 defeat to the Roughnecks. Without Johnson, they started Kanoff but eventually rotated him and third-stringer Jalan McClendon in the second half, mainly because Kanoff was hurt.

Johnson is tentatively expected to play in Week 2, but he’s not 100%, and Kanoff is out. If Johnson starts but isn’t quite right, the Renegades could face McClendon for much of the game.

On top of that, Jones will start in Week 2, and the Wildcats are in disarray on defense: Not only did they allow a league-high 37 points in Week 1, but within 24 hours of their loss, they fired defensive coordinator Pepper Johnson, and they have traded away defensive captain and starting edge defender Anthony Johnson.

And based on the injury report, it looks like they will be without their two starting cornerbacks.

Until we see Josh Johnson playing and head coach Winston Moss getting his team under control, I’ll be inclined to bet against the Wildcats.

I bet this at -3.5 but still like it at -4.5 and would take it to -5.

Read the full Renegades-Wildcats breakdown on The Action Network.

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