Outlaws fans have had this one circled for a while now; it's Week 10 of the 2026 Premier Lacrosse League season, which is also Denver's Homecoming weekend.
Five PLL games will be contested on Friday and Saturday -- including two apiece for the Outlaws, Archers and Waterdogs -- as the playoff picture comes more into focus with each result.
Read on for details on each game including how to watch, storylines and key stats courtesy of the PLL.
As a reminder, fans can catch all of the action in the ESPN App and in the PLL streaming hub.
Utah Archers (4-4) vs. Denver Outlaws (4-3)
Friday, 8 p.m. ET
Injury report:
Archers: A Gannon Matthews out (PUP list), D Will Schaller out (PUP list), M Grant Ament out (PUP list), A Matt Moore IR (right hip), M Tom Schreiber IR (right knee)
Outlaws: None
Archers
Utah goalie Brett Dobson could pull off a rare feat -- in two ways. He is making a case for the PLL's Jim Brown MVP Award, and only two goalies have previously won it: Greg Cattrano (2002) and Blaze Riorden (2021). He is also the reigning MVP of the NLL, and he would become just the second player (and first goalie) to win NLL and PLL/MLL MVP in the same year; John Grant Jr. did so in 2007.
Dobson's work in the crease is the foundation of Utah's defensive efforts -- and they are close to historic territory. The Archers' 8.9 scores against per game is the second-lowest in league history, behind only the 2020 Whipsnakes (8.5).
Outlaws
Not to be outdone, Denver's Logan McNaney is also having a standout campaign. He leads the league in clean save percentage (60.7%), and if that rate holds it would break his own record in the stat.
John Dunphey joined the Outlaws on June 1, and he'll make his debut this weekend. The Outlaws are hoping the midfielder can help spark some offense, as outside of the Tewaaraton Quartet of Logan Wisnauskas, Jared Bernhardt, Pat Kavanagh and Brennan O'Neill, the team is shooting 20.0%.
Philadelphia Waterdogs (4-3) vs. New York Atlas (3-5)
Friday, 10:30 p.m. ET
Injury report:
Waterdogs: SSDM Dylan Hess IR (right knee), G Matt DeLuca IR (left hip)
Atlas: LSM Michael Grace out (PUP list), A Jeff Teat out (PUP list), LSM Jon Robbins out (PUP list)
Waterdogs
Second-year pro CJ Kirst has 21 goals through five games, closing in on the single-season record. Marcus Holman (30 in 2023), Connor Fields (28 in 2023) and Jeff Teat (28 in 2024) are in the top three spots on the list.
Gavin Adler is the reigning Dave Pietramala Defensive Player of the Year, having won the award playing for the PLL champion Atlas in 2025. This will be his first game against his former team, having signed with Philly in the offseason.
Atlas
Following the release of the legendary Matt Rambo this week, the Atlas will use a three-man approach to filling his spot at lefty attack: Reid Bowering, Hunter Drouin and Levi Anderson.
New York has three games remaining to get back in the playoff mix: Aug. 2 vs. the Redwoods, Aug. 8 vs. the Outlaws and another showdown with Philly on Aug. 16.
Boston Cannons (4-4) vs. Carolina Chaos (3-5)
Saturday, 2 p.m. ET
Injury report:
Cannons: SSDM Marquez White IR (ACL tear), M Matt Campbell out (PUP list), M Ryan Drenner out (PUP list)
Chaos: M JJ Sillstrop IR (right knee), M Eric Spanos questionable (left hand), M Charlie Bertrand IR (ACL tear), D Jack Rowlett IR (neck/left shoulder)
Cannons
Can Marcus Holman chase down John Grant Jr. on the career goals list? Holman is at 378 while Grant finished his career with 393.
Rookie Will Donovan has emerged as a key contributor for Boston playing close defense, as explored by Noel D'Amico here.
Chaos
Defenseman Jack Rowlett was involved in a scary collision last week in Fairfield, and has been placed on injured reserve. He's expected to be out four to six weeks.
The Chaos are swerving (literally) when it comes to their offensive playstyle; they currently have a 31.9% assist rate on shots this season, which is the lowest by far in the league. In fact, if the same rate held it would set a new record for lowest assist rate since 2019; the 2025 Outlaws (33.8%) currently hold that record.
Maryland Whipsnakes (5-3) vs. Utah Archers (4-4)
Saturday, 6:30 p.m. ET
Injury report:
Whipsnakes: FO Matthew Paolatto out (PUP list), G Shun Ito out (unavailable to travel), LSM Colin Squires out (PUP list), SSDM Payton Rezanka out (PUP list), FO Joseph Nardella out (PUP list)
Archers: A Gannon Matthews out (PUP list), D Will Schaller out (PUP list), M Grant Ament out (PUP list), A Matt Moore IR (right hip), M Tom Schreiber IR (right knee)
Whipsnakes
TJ Malone is on track to repeat a feat that hasn't been achieved in over 10 years. The attackman has eight right-handed goals and 11 left-handed goals; if he keeps up the pace, he would become the first since Paul Rabil in 2015 to average one goal per game with each hand.
Rob Pannell set the career points record in Week 9, and was the subject of deep analysis on this week's edition of "Freeze It Right Here:"
Archers
There's added pressure on a player when they are the No. 1 overall pick, and Aidan Maguire's early-season play may have reflected that. In four games prior to the All-Star Game, opponents shot 6-for-17 when he was the closest defender; after the ASG, opponents have shot 0-for-3 when he was closest. Maguire himself shot 0-for-2 prior to the ASG, and he's been 2-for-4 since.
Philadelphia Waterdogs (4-3) vs. Denver Outlaws (4-3)
Saturday, 9 p.m. ET
Injury report:
Waterdogs: SSDM Dylan Hess IR (right knee), G Matt DeLuca IR (left hip)
Outlaws: None
Waterdogs
With Matt DeLuca placed on IR after an injury in Week 9, the Waterdogs have undrafted rookie Sean Byrne in place to start, with veteran Tim Troutner signed this week to serve as backup.
Outlaws
Depending on how Friday's game against Utah goes, Denver may need a big performance here in order to keep pace atop the Western Conference. Utah and Denver both enter the weekend with four wins, but the Archers have a plus-22 score differential compared to just a plus-10 for the Outlaws.
