A battle between first-place teams concludes Week 6 of the 2023 XFL season on Monday as the South Division-leading Houston Roughnecks visit the undefeated D.C. Defenders, who sit atop the North Division. Houston (4-1) is coming off its first loss of the campaign, a 21-14 setback at Seattle on March 16. D.C. (5-0) kept its perfect record intact two days later with a 28-20 triumph at St. Louis.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET at Audi Field. D.C. is a 2.5-point favorite in the latest Defenders vs. Roughnecks odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 42. Before locking in any Roughnecks vs. Defenders picks or XFL predictions of your own, you need to hear what NFL expert R.J. White has to say. 

White, a Fantasy and gambling editor for CBS Sports, consistently crushes against-the-spread picks and went 535-450-30 on his ATS picks from 2017-22, which returned more than $3,500 to $100 players. He also closed the 2022 NFL season on an incredible 107-80-6 on his last 193 against-the-spread and total NFL picks, returning more than $1,800 for $100 bettors.

White has crushed not only the NFL but also the XFL during its abbreviated 2020 season, going 16-4 on XFL ATS picks before the league suspended operations. Anyone who has followed him is WAY UP.

White knows D.C.'s ground game is the best in the XFL as the team entered Week 6 as the leader in rushing yards (870), yards per carry (4.6) and touchdown runs (11). The attack is spearheaded by Abram Smith, who topped all players after five games with 432 yards and ranked second with four TDs - one behind teammate D'Eriq King. The 24-year-old Smith, who ran for 1,601 yards at Baylor in 2021, gained 218 on 23 carries against the BattleHawks last week.

The expert also knows Houston was first in the league after five weeks with 18 offensive touchdowns, including 12 through the air. Quarterback Brandon Silvers entered Week 6 tied for second with 11 scoring passes while wide receiver Jontre Kirklin, who is out with a chest injury, was tied for second with four TD receptions. The Roughnecks are extremely strong on the other side of the ball as they've allowed a league-low 76 points and were first in the XFL in sacks (19) and interceptions (8) through five games.

Now, White has locked in another confident against-the-spread pick for Defenders vs. Roughnecks. We can tell you he's leaning Under the total, but he knows a crucial X-factor makes one side of the spread a MUST-BACK! You ABSOLUTELY need to see what it is before locking in any picks of your own.

Who wins Defenders vs. Roughnecks? And what critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? ... Join SportsLine right now to see which side of the Roughnecks vs. Defenders spread to jump on, all from the expert who closed the NFL season on an incredible 107-80-6 run!