XFL Week 4: Betting ticks up as the success of underdogs boosts the sportbooks

The 2020 XFL season is nearing its halfway point, and many storylines are coming into focus, though there also are still surprises for fans and bettors.

The underdogs went 3-1 in Week 4, evening the record at 8-8 after the favorites split the first two weeks and covered in three of four in Week 3.

The success of the underdogs made it a good weekend for many sportsbooks, with the evenly matched game of the week between the Dallas Renegades and Houston Roughnecks drawing the most action.

"Overall, a solid winning weekend for the book, as the variance in team performances from week to week proved to be favorable yet again," Patrick Eichner, director of communications for PointsBet, said via email.

Eichner also said that after a couple of weeks of decreased betting on the new league, the New Jersey-based shop saw an 11 percent increase and came out on top on every game.

"Nice bounce-back weekend for the league," Eichner wrote, "as we saw turnover increase from the previous weekend for the first time.

"On an individual level, the Houston Roughnecks at Dallas Renegades matchup generated the highest turnover."

In the best matchup of Week 4 on Sunday, the Roughnecks went into Dallas as a one-point favorite in the XFL odds at most shops.

The Renegades continued to show they are the cream of the XFL crop, and the public remained behind them, forcing the line from a pick-em at PointsBet to as high as 3.5.

No matter how far the line moved, Houston had little trouble covering. The Roughnecks defense forced five turnovers on its way to a 27-20 victory to remain the only unbeaten team.

MVP front-runner P.J. Walker had a relatively quiet day for the Roughnecks, throwing for 239 yards and two touchdowns.

Renegades quarterback Landry Jones re-injured his knee in the fourth quarter and could be out for the season.

Houston (4-0) is the favorite to win the title, improving to +185 at FanDuel after opening the season ar +900. Dallas (2-2) is +500 and is the only XFL team without a home victory.

In the later game Sunday, the Tampa Bay Vipers finally got into the victory column with a surprising 25-0 rout of the DC Defenders at home. DC was a 1.5-point favorite.

Tampa Bay's De'Veon Smith became the first XFL running back to top 100 yards with 103 on 21 carries, and Jacques Patrick added 94. The Vipers rushed for 266 yards in improving to 1-3.

Quarterback Cardale Jones struggled again, throwing for just 72 yards and an interception, as DC lost to a winless team for the second straight week.

In Saturday's games, the St. Louis BattleHawks (3-1) defeated the Seattle Dragons (1-3), and the New York Guardians (2-2) halted a two-game losing streak with a win at home against the Los Angeles Wildcats (1-3).

New York relied on Darius Victor and a blocked field goal in a 17-4 victory as a seven-point underdog. Victor ran for 82 yards on 18 carries, and quarterback Luis Perez threw for 150 yards in place of inactive Matt McGloin.

MVP contender Josh Johnson threw for 330 yards and two touchdowns, and receiver Tre McBride had 127 yards and a score in the losing effort for L.A.

Quarterback Jordan Ta'amu threw for 264 yards and rushed for 60, and four receivers had at least 40 as the BattleHawks held off Seattle. St. Louis won 23-16 but failed to cover the 12-point spread.

PointsBet has Ta'amu as the second pick to win the league MVP at +130, with Walker a solid favorite at -149. Johnson is +1000, and Perez has entered the conversation at +4000 after his first XFL start.

The BattleHawks are the second favorite at FanDuel to win the XFL crown at +350, followed by the Defenders (+450).

The 10-game season hits halfway in Week 5, highlighted by the BattleHawks favored by 2.5 to maintain their spot at the top of the East when they travel to face the Defenders.

Dallas is favored by 7.5 to get its first win at home against New York, and Houston (-13) will try to stay unbeaten when it faces Seattle on the road.

No line has been set yet for the weekend's final game, as Tampa Bay visits Los Angeles for a matchup of the two teams to get their only victories against DC.

As the XFL gets close to the hump, check back here for analysis and picks from our red-hot expert before you make any decisions.