The biggest star in darts, Luke “The Nuke” Littler, will begin his campaign at the World Matchplay with a match against Ryan “Heavy Metal” Searle in the Round of 32 on Sunday.

Littler looked like he couldn’t be stopped in the beginning of the year. He captured the 2025 World Championship in January, and then followed that up with his first ever UK Open title.

The teenage sensation was the favorite to win the 2025 Premier League, and he captured the top seed for the playoffs, but fell to Luke Humphries in the final.

Since then, Littler has come off the boil a bit.

The 18-year-old has not been shy about the rigorous schedule he’s had to play this year, and it does seem like fatigue could be catching up to him.

Littler is just 5-3 since losing to Humphries in the Premier League, and he’s played tournaments in Germany, Denmark, New York City, and Poland in the last six weeks.

There’s still no reason to doubt that Littler is one of the best two players in the world along with Humphries right now, but you do have to wonder if he’ll be vulnerable as a massive favorite against Searle on Sunday.

At his best, Littler is consistent and doesn’t let his opponents have a leg off. He’ll need to bring that game with him to the stage on Sunday, because Searle is a terrific scorer who can get white hot in a moment’s notice.

The price is right on Heavy Metal to pull the upset on Sunday.

The Play: Ryan Searle +475 (DraftKings)

Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.