PLL Week 1 Preview: Storylines, Best Bets for Opening Weekend

The 2026 Premier Lacrosse League season kicks off Friday night in Utah with the league’s earliest start to a season in its history.

With the season starting during the NCAA tournament this year and the NLL playoffs still going on, one of the biggest storylines to watch for every PLL team is how they manage their rosters without key starters and recent draft picks.

CALIFORNIA REDWOODS AT UTAH ARCHERS

Friday 8 p.m. EST | Watch: ESPN+ | Betting Lines: Redwoods -1.5 vs. Archers, O/U 23.5

Key storylines: The Archers will be without several starters for different reasons. Utah will be without starting goalie and two-time championship MVP Brett Dobson and versatile midfielder Tre Leclaire due to their NLL teams still being alive in the NLL playoffs. Starting defender Warren Jeffrey will also miss the Archers’ first two games.

Head coach Chris Bates also said there is no timetable for 2023 PLL MVP Tom Schreiber or attackman Matt Moore to return from injuries, and midfielder Grant Ament is starting the season on the PUP list. Graeme Hossack, the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year, will not play in the PLL this summer.

The Redwoods will also be without a couple starters, as Chris Kavanagh will miss the season opener due to NLL commitments and Ryder Garnsey is still coaching with Notre Dame.

Players to watch: Some players to watch for California include Michael Boehm and Brayden Mayea. California head coach Anthony Kelly spoke often during training camp about both players and the importance of adding more left-handed players to the offense. Expect both to start on attack with veteran Dylan Molloy.

Bates confirmed that Nick Washuta will get the start in Dobson’s absence, but Kelly was noncommittal on whether newly acquired veteran Dillon Ward or 2026 PLL Championship Series star Matt Knote will get the nod. Whether it’s Ward or Knote to start the season, the Redwoods will hope to improve on what was the league’s lowest save percentage in 2025.

Bold prediction: The Archers’ absences, particularly on defense, are too much to overcome as Andrew McAdorey leads the Redwoods to a multi-goal victory, with a strong performance from Molloy and contributions from lefties Boehm and Mayea.

Best Bet: California Redwoods -1.5 (+106 on FanDuel)

NEW YORK ATLAS VS. CAROLINA CHAOS

Friday 10:30 p.m. EST | Watch: ESPN+ | Betting Lines: Atlas -1.5 vs. Chaos, O/U 24.5

Key storylines: The biggest storyline in this game involves the men on the sideline, as new Chaos head coach Steven Brooks faces an Atlas team that he was an assistant and player with since 2019. He’s not the only coach facing his former team. Mike Pressler hired former Carolina defensive coordinator Kyle Sweeney to lead a defense that will be without the reigning defensive player of the year, Gavin Adler.

Adler opted to sign with Philadelphia in free agency, leaving a sizable hole on this New York defense. The Atlas drafted Penn State’s Alex Ross to be his replacement but will need to wait a little longer for him to make his pro debut. New York is also missing San Diego Seals Danny Logan, Eli Gobrecht and Trevor Baptiste, while 2025 PLL championship MVP Jeff Teat is starting the season on the PUP list and defenseman Michael Grace was placed on the season-ending injured reserve after suffering a knee injury in the NLL quarterfinals.

Players to watch: New York traded for lefty attackman Levi Anderson this offseason, and he’ll likely be called upon to fill in for Teat on that left side. Meanwhile, attackman Xander Dickson will return to the field for the first time since breaking his ankle in the 2025 PLL championship game.

As for Carolina, veteran Liam Byrnes joins one of the strongest defensive units in the league after missing most of last season. He’ll start alongside Jack Rowlett and Jarrod Neumann in front of Austin Kaut, who gets the nod while Blaze Riorden is on paternity leave.

Bold prediction: Carolina surprises the defending champs, as Brooks and Co. pull off the upset in a back-and-forth thriller. Kaut continues his Championship Series heroics, stopping more than 15 of New York’s shots on goal.

Best Bet: Carolina Chaos moneyline (+110 on DraftKings)

PHILADELPHIA WATERDOGS VS. MARYLAND WHIPSNAKES

Saturday 4:30 p.m. EST | Watch: ESPN+ | Betting Lines: Waterdogs -1.5 vs. Whipsnakes, O/U 24.5

Key storylines: Zed Williams returns to the PLL after missing all last season with an Achilles injury. Williams will make his Waterdogs debut against his former team more than a year after being traded to Philly in exchange for Matt Brandau. Expect him to spend more time running out of the box than on attack, as Waterdogs head coach Bill Tierney confirmed that Philadelphia will start Michael Sowers, Jake Taylor and Kieran McArdle on attack.

Connor Farrell also returns after a two-year hiatus from the PLL and will face off for Philly as they wait for Alec Stathakis to recover from injury.

Players to watch: Both Matt DeLuca and Emmett Carroll entered last season with the starting goaltender job on their respective teams up in the air. However, with Dillon Ward and Brendan Krebs now out of the picture, both DeLuca and Carroll have been given the reins and enter the season as the bona fide starters.

McArdle is also a name to watch, as he can make history this weekend. The veteran lefty is just two points away from passing former Florida Launch teammate Casey Powell for the fifth-most points in professional field lacrosse history.

Bold prediction: The Waterdogs-Whipsnakes rivalry once again delivers, as we get the first overtime game of the season. Neither team ends up leading by more than three goals at any point during the game and Aidan Carroll eventually scores the game-winner for Maryland.

DENVER OUTLAWS AT UTAH ARCHERS

Saturday 7 p.m. EST | Watch: ESPN2 | Betting Lines: Outlaws -1.5 vs. Archers, O/U 22.5

Key storylines: All eyes will be on the Outlaws and a Denver defense that lost defender Jesse Bernhardt to retirement this offseason. Head coach Tim Soudan did an excellent job filling that hole by trading for former Waterdogs defender Ben Randall and coaxing Mike Manley back for another season. The Denver defense will be without both Manley and short-stick defensive midfielder Ryan Terefenko in Week 1 due to their NLL commitments, however.

On the offensive end, the Outlaws will be without Jared Bernhardt and Pat Kavanagh. But Brennan O’Neill was activated from the PUP list and will be tasked with leading the Outlaws against Utah.

Players to watch: The recently acquired Randall will be relied upon plenty in his Denver debut, and the Outlaws will need midfielders Graham Bundy Jr., Jonathan Donville, Dalton Young and Justin Anderson to produce to counter the absences on attack.

As for the Archers, expect rookie Ryan Stines to see plenty of action in both games as he slots in on the right side of the offense with the likes of Ament, Moore and Leclaire missing. Bates said he expects the former Utah Ute to have plenty of opportunities to dodge opposing short-stick defenders this weekend.

Bold prediction: O’Neill’s MVP campaign gets off to a hot start as he picks apart a tired Utah defense. The Archers’ offense still manages to score double digits on Denver, and this clash finishes as the highest-scoring game of the weekend.

Best Bet: Over 22.5 (-110 on FanDuel or BetMGM)