INDOOR WAR
Friday's Best AFL Bets
Orlando Predators at Jacksonville Sharks (-7, 108)
The Predators will be without two players in this contest because of a “Malice at the Palace” type of incident that occurred last week.
In the waning minutes of Orlando’s regular season finale, lineman Julius Wilson went into the stands to give his grandfather a football but a fan knocked it out of his hands and a brawl ensued. Wideout Bobby Sippio came to his teammate’s aid and also started throwing haymakers.
Sippio was handed a one-game suspension by the league office while Wilson will miss his next six AFL games. Wilson wasn’t a key player for the Preds but Sippio, a former member of the Kansas City Chiefs, is one of the best receivers to ever play the indoor game. In just 10 games this season, Sippio hauled in 51 passes for 747 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Orlando will not travel far to reach Sea Best Field in Jacksonville, just a 140-mile bus trip, but the Sharks will have a decisive home-field edge in this contest. Jacksonville pummeled the Predators at home in April, 57-31, and are 7-1 (5-3 ATS) at home this season.
With or without Sippio, Orlando really had no chance in this one. The Sharks’ rowdy defense will lock up the opposition and earn a double-digit victory.
Pick: Jacksonville Sharks
Arizona Rattlers at Spokane Shock (-7, 112)
These two teams have only met each other twice but already the rivalry is one of the most intense in the AFL.
Prior to the start of the season, Arizona head coach Kevin Guy lured Spokane players to his team with incentives, including All-Arena quarterback Nick Davila. At the conclusion of the teams’ first meeting, a 63-56 underdog win by the Shock in Phoenix, Guy and Spokane head coach Rob Keefe got into a shouting match and nearly came to blows.
The Shock would love nothing more than to knock their nemesis out of the playoffs. The second meeting between these clubs occurred in Spokane on July 2 and the Shock escaped with a 37-36 victory but failed to cover the spread.
The travel to Eastern Washington is always tough but the Rattlers are already stationed in the West so internal clocks won’t need to be adjusted as much. Spokane will likely advance from this heated battle but expect the Rats to keep it competitive throughout.
Pick: Arizona Rattlers
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