Week 1 of the 2026 UFL regular season is officially in the rearview mirror. Now, it’s time to look forward to Week 2, which is loaded with a ton of great matchups, including a Tuesday night game.

The second week of action begins on Friday night (8 p.m. ET, FOX), with the  DC Defenders (0-1), on the road again to face the Columbus Aviators (0-1). Both teams are coming off tough Week 1 losses, so this game is huge for momentum.

Then on Saturday night (8 p.m. ET, ESPN), Jason Bean and the Louisville Kings (0-1) will head down to Florida to play Jake Plummer and the Orlando Storm (1-0). The weekend slate wraps up with the Birmingham Stallions (1-0) looking to improve to 2-0 against the Houston Gamblers (0-1) on Sunday night (6 p.m. ET, NFL Network).

Lastly, in what might be the best game of Week 2, the St. Louis Battlehawks (1-0) will travel to the Lone Star State to play the Dallas Renegades (1-0) in a battle of undefeated teams on Tuesday night (8 p.m. ET, FS1).

If you checked out our Week 1 betting preview, we went a perfect 4-0. Below, we’ll hand out our plays for Week 2, using odds courtesy of FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, and Score.

UFL Week 2 Best Bets

DC Defenders at Columbus Aviators

Friday, 8 p.m. ET, FOX

The Defenders are coming off a disappointing performance in Week 1 against the Battlehawks, who got the best of Jordan Ta’amu. Ta’amu, who had four interceptions all of last season, tossed two last week. He completed 56.3% (9-of-16) of his passes for 123 yards.

The Defenders’ offensive line, which was a huge question mark coming into this season, did not help Ta’amu, who was sacked seven times. Luckily for DC, they re-signed All-UFL offensive tackle Yasir Durant on Tuesday. Last season, Durant only gave up a sack and eight pressures across 788 snaps, per James Larsen of Pro Football Newsroom. However, Durant will make his debut next week, per Christian Paolantonio of Pro Football Newsroom.

The Defenders’ offense will face an aggressive Aviators defense, which recorded four sacks and six tackles for loss to open the season.

However, DC should be able to use that to its advantage with its ground attack led by Deon Jackson and Abram Smith, who were held to 73 yards. In Week 1, the Aviators’ defense allowed 139 rushing yards.

If the Defenders can get their running game going, it should help slow down the Aviators’ pass rush and open up some plays in the passing game. DC’s defense will have its hands full with veteran QB Jalen McClendon, who got the Aviators in the red zone multiple times in Week 1, but they were 1-for-5.

With that all that being said, if DC can make this Columbus offense one-dimensional and protect Ta’amu, they should get the road win.

Pick: Defenders -2.5 (-112, DraftKings)

Louisville Kings at Orlando Storm

Saturday, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN

Even though the Kings took the L in Week 1, there was a lot to like from what they put on film against the Stallions. QB Jason Bean looks to be a star in the making, but he has to do a better job taking care of the football (two interceptions). His dual-threat ability (253 total yards) will be the x-factor against a Storm defense that got pressure on McClendon, but gave up 120 yards on the ground against Columbus.

However, Bean can’t be the team’s leading rusher again. They must get something from the trio of Benny Snell, Jaden Shirden, and Ian Wheeler.

As for the Storm, Jake Plummer looked good in his debut, completing 17-of-22 passes (77.3%) for 240 yards and a TD. Elijhah Badger led the way for Orlando with four receptions (four targets) for 127 yards. However, the Kings can’t just focus solely on Badger, as Chris Rowland and KJ Hamler can create big plays and be utilized across the formation.

The Kings’ defense will be without safety Kenny Robinson for this matchup. Robinson was placed on injured reserve earlier this week and surprisingly announced his retirement on Thursday, per Larsen. But the Kings did sign Trey Dean III, who spent some time with the Defenders last season. However, Mehki Garner will get the start at safety.

The Kings’ defense struggled to get off the field on third downs in Week 1, allowing Birmingham to go 10-of-16 on their attempts. If they can’t apply pressure to Plummer, it could be a similar story with their weapons at WR and dynamic running back room (Jashaun Corbin and Elijah Dotson).

Pick: Storm -3.5 (-110, FanDuel, BetMGM)

Birmingham Stallions at Houston Gamblers

Sunday, 6 p.m. ET, NFL Network

Birmingham didn’t have an easy time in Week 1 against the Kings. But thanks to a touchdown late in the fourth quarter from Justyn Ross and a Bean interception, they walked away with a two-point win.

On Sunday evening, A.J. McCarron’s crew shouldn’t have much trouble with the Gamblers, whose defense got carved by Renegades QB Austin Reed to the tune of 376 yards and three touchdowns.

Matt Corral likely won’t hit that mark in Week 2, but he’s got the weapons at WR to put up big numbers, which will make life hard on the Gamblers’ defense. Jaydon Mickens led the Stallions in Week 1 with nine receptions (nine targets) for 102 yards. But this weekend, it can easily be Ross, or John Ross, Laviska Shenault Jr., or Deon Cain that does the damage. And not to mention, the Stallions have a solid running game with Snoop Conner and Anthony McFarland Jr.

As for the Gamblers, the big question will be who starts at quarterback against the Stallions? Nolan Henderson and Hunter Dekkers both saw snaps last week, but the latter showed a glimmer of promise in the blowout loss to Dallas.

Dekkers completed 19-of-29 passes (65.5%) for 227 yards, while adding 28 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground. Meanwhile, Henderson completed 3-of-9 passes for 34 yards and two interceptions (one of which was returned for a defensive touchdown).

Dekkers was listed as the team’s QB1 on their Week 2 depth chart, which is a step in the right direction. But Houston needs more from its ground game, which was non-existent in Week 1 (42 yards on 11 carries).

It’s tough to imagine Houston’s rushing attack waking up against a Stallions’ defense that only gave up 46 rushing yards in Week 1 and just brought back All-UFL defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey (h/t State of the Stallions). Therefore, give me the Stallions to cover this large number and move to 2-0.

Pick: Stallions -7.5 (-110, FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM)

St. Louis Battlehawks vs. Dallas Renegades

Tuesday, 8 p.m. ET, FS1

To wrap up Week 2, in what might be the best game of the entire slate, the Battlehawks will go on the road to face the high-flying Renegades. Renegades stole the show in Week 1, as they dropped 36 points on the Gamblers. Austin Reed, who was named Offensive Player of the Week for Week 1, put the league on notice with his aerial show.

However, Reed will take a step up in weight class, as the Battlehawks’ defense racked up seven sacks and two interceptions in Week 1. The Renegades’ offensive line must find a way to slow down Pita Taumoepenu and Sean Fresch, who had 1.5 sacks apiece. If they can do that, and get the running game going with Ellis Merriweather, Dallas will give itself a good shot to win.

As for the Battlehawks’ offense, QB Brandon Silvers did not have a spectacular Week 1, completing 16-of-28 passes for 198 yards and a touchdown. He was also sacked three times.

St. Louis missed the presence of star wide receiver Hakeem Butler, who was ruled inactive. But the Battlehawks could have him on the field on Tuesday night. According to Anthony Miller of UFL News Hub, St. Louis head coach Ricky Proehl told reporters this week, “Oh he’s ready to roll,” regarding Butler. A Butler-Ajene Harris matchup will be must-see TV.

This Renegades’ defense can get pressure, create turnovers, and stop the run. And if the Battlehawks can’t get anything established on the ground, it will be a long game for Silvers. Nonetheless, give me the Renegades in what will be a defensive slugfest between these two squads.

Pick: Renegades -3.5 (-105 FanDuel, BetMGM)

[Photo courtesy of Jeff Le-Imagn Images]