Bandits vs. Stars USFL Picks Week 6: Will Tampa Bay Cover the Spread?

Can the Philadelphia Stars recover from a rough Week 5 outing, or will the Tampa Bay Bandits rack up their fourth win of the season? Find out with our Bandits-Stars picks.  

The Tampa Bay Bandits had to rely on a Michigan Panthers turnover to hang on for a 27-20 win in Week 5. They improved their record to 3-2 on the year but they will need to tighten up their game plan if they hope to grab another win and improve their playoff chances. 

Last week, the Philadelphia Stars struggled to get things going on offense while their defense had no answer for J’Mar Smith and the Stallions. The Stars find themselves at 2-3 after that 30-17 loss and are still without starting quarterback Bryan Scott. 

Here are my USFL picks and predictions for Saturday's Week 6 game between the Tampa Bay Bandits and Philadelphia Stars (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook, and Caesars Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Bandits vs. Stars Game Info

Date: Saturday, May 21, 1 p.m. ETTV: USA NetworkLocation: Protective Stadium, Birmingham, ALWeather: 90 degrees, 24% chance of precipitation, wind S at 9mph

Bandits vs. Stars Odds Analysis

There is very little deviation here across the books offering odds for this game. You will find at most a 10 to 20 point difference in price on these lines in either direction depending on which site you choose. The 2.5-point spread has stayed steady so far across all our top-rated sportsbooks.

DraftKings, FanDuel, and Caesars offer many of the same odds for spreads and point totals. Moneylines are the biggest fluctuation, but again, the variation is not sizable. The total of 39.5 points is the highest of the USFL in Week 6.

Bandits vs. Stars Picks

Moneyline: Bandits (-150 via Caesars) ????Spread: Bandits -3 (-110 via DraftKings) ???Over/Under: Over 39.5 (-110 via FanDuel) ????

SEE ALSO: USFL Best Bets for Week 6

Bandits vs. Stars ML Pick   

Bandits (-150)

Tampa Bay has struggled to define itself as a team over the first five weeks of the season. They looked to be one of the best teams in the league after their Week 1 win against the Maulers. Since then, they have won two close games and have lost two games. Jordan Ta’Amu still leads this offense with 834 passing yards and five touchdowns and has done so with minimal run support.

That said, they won a tight contest last week against the Panthers. The Bandits scored the game-winning touchdown late in the fourth then forced a fumble on Michigan’s next drive to seal the win.

New Stars starter Case Cookus has both won and lost a game at the helm in replace of Bryan Scott. In Week 5, he could not get his team moving in a losing effort to the Stallions, throwing for only 191 yards. He faces another tough test this week and the Bandits will make it difficult to move the ball for the Stars.

Bandits vs. Stars Spread Pick

Bandits -3 (-110)

All three of Philadelphia’s losses this season have exceeded this spread. In fact, the smallest losing margin was their Week 1 loss to New Orleans. Last week, they suffered a 13-point defeat to the Stallions.

Tampa Bay has won by more than a field goal in two of their three wins this season. One of them came last week in their seven-point win against the Panthers. Working from the standpoint of a Bandits win, their track record of outscoring their opponents dictates you lay the points here.

Bandits vs. Stars O/U Pick

Over 39.5 (-110)

One thing stays consistent for the Stars whether they win or lose. In every game this season, they have allowed their opponent to score at least 23 points. In fact, all five of their games this season have gone Over this point total. Two of them barely made it Over with 40 combined in Weeks 1 and 3, but each has cleared this mark.

The Bandits, on the other hand, have hit this mark only twice this season. That said, they have scored 27 points twice this season as well. They should be able to find some success against a Stars defense that has allowed an average of 25 points per game and the second most yards per game.

Where to Bet on Bandits-Stars Picks

Here are our top-rated sportsbooks:

FanDuel SportsbookCaesars SportsbookDraftKings SportsbookPointsBetBetMGM

SEE ALSO: All picks, odds, and sports betting news. Be sure to check out SportsbookReview.com’s community forums and betting tools.

Bandits-Stars picks made on 5/18/2022 at 10:35 p.m. ET.