?We’re two weeks deep into the 2022 Overwatch League season, so it’s fair to start evaluating teams and what they can bring to the table. First up, we have London Spitfire, who many viewed as the worst team heading into the fifth Overwatch League season, but they quickly proved that is not the case.

Spitfire have won two of their three series against Vancouver Titans (3-0) and Boston Uprising (3-1), while their only defeat came against San Francisco Shock (0-3). A unique team with a strong upside, London Spitfire, have shown enough to earn our respect, but can they defeat Houston Outlaws?

It seems like a rather unlikely outcome on paper, but it’s not like the Outlaws have produced anything spectacular so far. They have lost against Toronto Defiant (2-3) and San Francisco Shock and have only beaten Dallas Fuel, which isn’t enough to justify the currently offered OWL esports betting odds.

A bet on London Spitfire to win is a bit too optimistic, but they should be competitive, and at $3.50, the underdogs are a great value bet with a +1.5 map advantage.

Los Angeles Gladiators lost against the improved Dallas Fuel (2-3) last weekend in a game they arguably should have won 3-0, but the Gladiators choked and got reverse swept. We have to give Dallas Fuel some credit for pulling off the upset, but at the same time, that defeat showed that LA are not as efficient in crucial moments.

This won’t help their cause on Saturday, when they take on the current best-performing team in the league. San Francisco Shock have been unstoppable, picking up four straight series wins while dropping only two maps (12-2).

As good as Los Angeles Gladiators can be, they have shown enough weaknesses for us to believe this will be a very tough match for them. It’s simple: the Shock have been playing cleaner Overwatch and should claim their fifth win of the season with some to spare.

Boston Uprising enter this match as $4.50 underdogs, and that’s a fair price for a team that looks like one of the weakest in the league. They might be better than Vancouver Titans, but the Uprising don’t deserve to be ranked much higher than that.

They’ve won one series against the Titans (3-2) in the opening week but have since lost against London Spitfire (1-3) and Los Angeles Gladiators (1-3). A 1-2 record doesn’t look too bad, but considering the quality of the teams Boston have had to face, we expected much more from them.

Toronto Defiant are by no means one of the top teams in the OWL, but they have done enough to be viewed as one of the contenders for the Kickoff Clash title. They’ve beaten Houston Outlaws (3-2), lost against Washington Justice (3-1), and crushed Paris Eternal (3-0) on Sunday.

It’s hard to properly evaluate the Defiant and say how high this team can fly, but they’re beating teams they should, and that’s enough for us to take their side in this matchup.

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?Washington Justice might be one of the most inconsistent teams in the league, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have any upside. The Justice won their season opener against Toronto Defiant (3-1), lost their next series against Dallas Fuel (0-3), and bounced back with a convincing 3-0 sweep of Atlanta Reign.

The victory against Atlanta Reign alone is enough to earn the Justice the tag as one of the darkhorse teams to compete for the OWL Kickoff Clash title. However, until they show a bit more consistency, we would tame our expectations.

READ: Best bookies for Overwatch esports betting

Paris Eternal have yet to win a match (0-3) this season, and they have managed just one map from 10 played (1-9). In hopes of finding some more traction, Paris Eternal parted ways with DPS Nikolai “Naga” Dereli and replaced him with Cameron “wub” Johnson. Even though a change was needed, replacing one of their best players was questionable.

Washington Justice are not a team you would usually want to bet on as the favourites, but in this spot, it’s even tougher justifying a bet on Paris Eternal. The Justice should win, but there’s a good chance they drop one map.

?Florida Mayhem lost their opening match of the season against Atlanta Reign (1-3) but have since produced three solid results against Paris Eternal (3-1), Vancouver Titans (3-0), and Houston Outlaws (3-2). Admittedly, the Mayhem have managed to win just half of their games, but considering the quality of the opponents they had to face, a 2-2 record is a good outcome.

New York Excelsior have been less successful with their performances over the opening two weeks and have managed just one win (3-1 against the Titans) from four outings, losing against Los Angeles Gladiators (1-3), Atlanta Reign (0-3), and San Francisco Shock (1-3). Still, we have to note that the Excelsior had a very demanding schedule, so their 1-3 record is a bit misleading.

READ: ESB’s Overwatch League betting guide

On paper, the Mayhem look stronger, but it’s not like this match isn’t winnable for the Excelsior. The latter have lost most of their games, but their defeats also came against some of the strongest teams in the division. Moreover, they played a very close match against Atlanta Reign at the start of May, forcing five rounds (2-3) on two maps.

We don’t know how New York Excelsior will do against other mid-table teams, but we have seen enough to believe they can force a close series against Florida Mayhem.

?By beating Los Angeles Gladiators (3-2) on Saturday, Dallas Fuel claimed the unofficial tag as one of the strongest esports teams in the league. Admittedly, it was a very close series that could have ended either way, but the Fuel pulled through and improved their record to 2-1, having already beaten Washington Justice (3-0), and lost against Houston Outlaws (0-3) a week prior.

Toronto Defiant have collected two wins across the opening two weeks, against Houston Outlaws (3-2) and Paris Eternal (3-0), but they were no match for the unpredictable Justice (1-3) at the start of May. So even though the Defiant had their moments, it’s no surprise seeing them priced as $4.33 underdogs for this match.

The league is still very much unpredictable as the teams work on synergy and learn how to play the newest version of the game. But based on what we have seen from the Defiant and the Fuel, you have to favour the latter to come out ahead in this bout.

Despite their 0-3 defeat against Houston Outlaws, the Fuel have looked good and come off as a more stable team with better fundamentals. A bet on Dallas to sweep Toronto is more of a longshot, but at $2.75, this is a bet worth taking.

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