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Josh Rock among best long shot bets to back ahead of the 2024 PDC Darts World Matchplay

Two longshots for this week’s massive tournament in Blackpool

Luke Humphries of England throws a dart during the final match against Luke Littler of England at the World Darts Championship, at Alexandra Palace in London, Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024. This photo is a single image taken with a slow shutter speed and a zoom burst. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Luke Humphries of England throws a dart during the final match against Luke Littler of England at the World Darts Championship, at Alexandra Palace in London, Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024. This photo is a single image taken with a slow shutter speed and a zoom burst. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)Read moreKin Cheung / AP
    by Michael Leboff, Action Network
    Published 

We’ve got quite a weekend of sport ahead of us with the Wimbledon Finals, the conclusion of Euro 2024 and Argentina vs. Colombia in the Copa America showpiece. But don’t overlook the darts.

The 2024 World Matchplay -- one of the biggest tournaments on the darting calendar -- begins on Saturday, July 13 and will conclude on Sunday, July 13. The event takes place at the iconic Winter Gardens in Blackpool, England with £200,000 going to the winner.

World No. 1 Luke Humphries is the betting favorite at +300, but there’s plenty of pressure on “Cool Hand” Luke. Teenage sensation Luke Littler is the second-choice at +380, but he was drawn against Michael van Gerwen in the first round. Van Gerwen is the fourth favorite to win the tournament at +900, right behind Gerwyn Price (+700).

2024 PDC World Matchplay Picks

Josh Rock (+3500, DraftKings)

He’s been a bit of a forgotten man in the world of darts because of the arrival of Littler, but it was not too long ago that the Northern Irishman was considered the next big thing in the sport. A relatively quiet 2023 and Littler’s rise caused Rock to fly under the radar for the first half of 2024, but the 23-year-old has had a really strong performance with a European Tour title and a strong showing in last month’s World Cup.

Rock will need to be on his game from the jump against Ross Smith in Round 1 and then likely Price in Round 2, but if he can navigate his way through those two matches it would be a signal that he’s in the tournament-winning form.

Jonny Clayton (+3500, DraftKings)

After a rough 18 months, it looks like “The Ferret” is back. Clayton, who was considered one of the best two or three players a couple years back, seemed to lose some focus after the loss of his father, but he’s starting to show signs of the world-class player that was going into these kinds of events as a favorite. He won a Players Championship event his last time out and should come into this tournament with plenty of confidence. Clayton was drawn into the same quarter as Humphries, but he wouldn’t see him until the quarterfinals and if he gets that far you’d expect him to be brimming with belief that he can get the job done.

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