Last updated: February 16th at 9:10am ET
Update Saturday 12:30pm ET: There were some rumors that Eli Rogers missed time this week for personal reasons. But he’s tweeting as if he’s at the game and we fully expect him to play.
Update Saturday 12:41pm ET: DeAndre Thompkins is officially active for DC today.
Update Saturday 12:45pm ET: Justin Stockton and Keenen Brown are the inactives today for New York. With Justin Stockton out NY has only Tim Cook and Darius Victor at RB.
Update Saturday 3:41pm ET: Taylor Cornelius will start for Tampa Bay. Expect him and Quinton Flowers to split the quarterbacking duties today.
Update Sunday 9:10am ET: Josh Johnson (thigh) is fully expected to start for LA.
Update Sunday 2:21pm ET: Tre McBride (undisclosed) is going through pregame warmups and is expected to play, though his workload is still unknown.
Update Sunday 2:35pm ET: Jazz Ferguson is INACTIVE today for Dallas.
Update Sunday 2:40pm ET: QB Chad Kanoff, RB Dujuan Harris, and WR Saeed Blacknall are all OUT today for the LA WIldcats. QB Josh Johnson is officially active and still expected to start. WR Tre McBride is officially active.
Update Sunday 4:49pm ET: RB Matt Jones is officially active for St. Louis today, though his potential workload is still unknown.
DFS is a game of partial information, and XFL DFS takes that to an extreme. This is a brand new league with some new rules and a slew of relatively unknown players. We don’t have reliable beat writers for each team and the injury information will be spotty. This article is an attempt to provide clarity to those looking for the best plays on the XFL DFS slate. Please note that there is a lot of guesswork involved in creating this column, and we suggest you use it as a starting point and combine it with your own research and judgement.
Typically, players who make our top plays have a strong combination of a confirmed role with health and relative talent. Tier 1 plays we consider to be more viable for head-to-head and 50/50 contests, while lower tiers tend to be more of tournament considerations. Much of the information we consider to be of critical importance will be conveyed in this article, but we recommend monitoring our Team-by-Team Depth Charts which will also contain useful information.
Finally, we recommend that you watch or listen to our Live Show for some more context on these plays. The replay and audio download is available here. For RSS podcast instructions, click here.
Editor’s Note: DraftKings refers to the 4-game main slate. Fanduel refers to the 2-game “Saturday Only” or “Sunday Only” slates. If a player doesn’t have a Fanduel salary listed next to their name, we think their price is prohibitive on that site.
WEEK 2 NOTABLE INJURIES
Josh Johnson: Q (Sunday update: Josh Johnson is expected to start)
Chad Kanoff: O
Brandon Silvers: P
Landry Jones: P
Aaron Murray: O
DeAndre Thompkins: P
Kasen Williams: O
Saeed Blacknall: D
DuJuan Harris: O
Tre McBride: Q
Keith Ford: O
Matt Jones: Q (but practiced full Friday)
De’Angelo Henderson: O
Andre Williams: P
* Denotes an injury-related concern
QUARTERBACK
TIER 1
Phillip Walker, HOU ($10,600 DK, $23 FD) — We knew Walker was in the best possible scheme with one of the best wideout corps. In Week 1, he showed his talent is enough to be a difference-maker in this league as well.
Jordan Ta’amu, STL ($8,900 DK, $20 FD) — Only needed 27 pass attempts in Week 1 to secure a win over the Landry Jones-less Renegades. Against the high-powered Roughnecks, we can project closer to 35 pass attempts plus Ta’amu’s strong rushing equity. Big discount off Walker and Cardale Jones on DraftKings.
TIER 2
Landry Jones, DAL ($9,500 DK, $19 FD) — Dallas struggled mightily with Phillip Nelson in Week 1, but still threw the ball at a higher percentage (78%) than any other team in the league. Now Landry Jones aka the face of the XFL returns from his knee issue to face a Wildcats team which has been in complete turmoil since preseason. They fired their defensive coordinator earlier this week. Landry’s knee is not expected to be an issue.
Cardale Jones, WAS ($10,200 DK, $21 FD) — Defenders leaned a bit toward the run in Week 1, but that was largely due to two D/ST touchdowns. Cardale showed major upside by averaging 9.0 yards per attempt and rushing eight times for 28 yards. With DeAndre Thompkins (foot) expected back, DC arguably has the best WR corps in the league.
TIER 3
* Josh Johnson, LA ($10,400 DK, $18 FD) — Johnson (thigh) has finally started practicing this week. He says he feels good and only needs medical clearance. Johnson would be higher on this list if we weren’t worried about his elite rushing ability being capped by the injury. Officially, Johnson is listed questionable for Week 2. If he can’t start, brutal third-stringer Jalan McClendon will have to go as Charles Kanoff (head) is out.
TIER 4
Matt McGloin, NY ($9,900 DK) — Was solid in Week 1, but Guardians rode defense to easy win. Ceiling is capped by price, scheme and McGloin’s lack of rushing ability.
RUNNING BACK
TIER 1
Jhurell Pressley, WAS ($7,000 DK, $17 FD) — Lost significant work to Donnel Pumphrey in Week 1, but still handled 73% of the RB touches. Talent gap between Pressley and Pumphrey is significant. We expect Pressley to continue to be one of the most-utilized backs in the league.
De’Veon Smith, TB ($7,500 DK, $17 FD) — Smith was one of the higher volume running backs in Week 1, seeing 16 rushing attempts. Smith also ran a very strong 21 pass routes. Both of these numbers were among the league leaders at the RB position. Smith is expensive on DraftKings, but he has a big role in a 2-man backfield.
James Butler, HOU ($6,300 DK, $19 FD) — Enjoyed solid Week 1 role (73% of the RB touches for 11 overall) thanks to De’Angelo Henderson’s first-quarter shoulder injury. Henderson (shoulder) is out Week 2, opening up potential feature back usage again for Butler. Andre Williams is not a fit for this scheme.
Elijah Hood, LA ($6,500 DK, $15 FD) — Hood saw 70% of the snaps in Week 1. The only other running back who saw above 70% was James Butler. DuJuan Harris (ankle) is out, meaning this backfield should be only Hood and Larry Rose in Week 2.
TIER 2
Lance Dunbar, DAL ($4,600 DK) — Dunbar was active early and often for Dallas in Week 1. He tied for the team lead the team in targets with six and lead the team in rushing attempts with five. The issue with Dallas is they used four running backs significantly, therefore capping his snap count. Dunbar is a DraftKings-specific play which implements the strategy of punting at RB. As we saw in Week 1, allocating significant capital at the RB position has a lot of downside in this league.
Nick Holley, HOU ($4,800 DK) — Holley is a starting slot receiver for Houston despite being listed as a running back on Draftkings. He had 5 targets in Week one including one in the red zone. By playing Holley at RB, we essentially get to play five wide receivers and completely punt the RB position.
TIER 3
* Matt Jones, STL ($5,900 DK) — Christine Michael took a big backseat to feature Matt Jones in Week 1. The reason Jones isn’t higher on this list is because he missed practice time this week due to a knee injury. Jones did practice full Friday. He’s listed QUESTIONABLE, but we’re expecting him to play.
TIER 4
Kenneth Farrow, SEA ($6,100 DK, $15 FD) — Seattle ran a very clear 3-headed committee in Week 1. Farrow led that committee in targets and added seven carries. He’s the safest option in the Seattle backfield right now, but he will be splitting rush downs with Ja’ Quan Gardner and pass downs with Trey Williams.
* Larry Rose, LA ($3,500 DK, $10 FD) — Rose is the pass-catching option for LA. He’s in play because DuJuan Harris (ankle) is out. In Week 1, Rose and Harris split backup RB duties.
WIDE RECEIVER AND TIGHT END
TIER 1
Cam Phillips, HOU ($8,400 DK, $19 FD) — Phillips played 100% of the Week 1 snaps, saw nine targets and was barely behind Sammie Coates league-leading Air Yards. Based on that usage, he’s the No. 1 wideout in the league’s most electric pass game.
Nelson Spruce, LA ($10,400 DK, $20 FD) — Going into Week 1 we talked about Nelson Spruce as a target monster in both college and the AAF. We now have confirmation he will have that role in the XFL as long as QB play cooperates. He led the league with 15 targets in Week 1 from Chad Kanoff. Assuming Josh Johnson (Q, leg) can go, Spruce is one of the best bets for double-digit targets again.
TIER 2
Jalen Tolliver, TB ($3,900 DK, $16 FD) — Tolliver’s usage was very similar to that of his teammate Dan Williams in Week 1. Tolliver played on 97% of the snaps, saw eight targets and even added a carry. Difference in price between Tolliver and Williams is outrageous. That said, the Vipers QB situation gives us some slight pause as Taylor Cornelius will rotate with Quinton Flowers.
Joe Horn, NY ($3,800 DK, $14 FD) — Horn was the clear-cut slot man in Week 1, playing nearly 80% of the snaps and leading the team with a massive 29% target share. New York did not need to pass much last week and ran by far the fewest offensive plays of any team. Horn projects for the same role this week, but in a likely better game flow. Gets Tier 2 treatment thanks to bargain-basement price on DraftKings.
L’Damian Washington, STL ($4,400 DK, $13 FD) — Led STL WRs by playing on 72-of-75 snaps in Week 1. But targets weren’t very valuable as Washington accumulated negative-six Air Yards on an aDOT of -1.2. Still cheap enough to be firmly in play. Excellent projected game environment and we do think he’ll run more routes downfield this week.
Mekale McKay, NY ($10,200 DK, $16 FD) — Played on 94% of the snaps in Week 1, catching three of his four targets for 58 yards in a poor, defensive-centric game script. Better play on TD-heavy Fanduel, where he’s significantly cheaper.
Dan Williams, TB ($7,600 DK) — Williams was one of two receivers in the league that played every snap last week for their team. The other being Cam Phillips for Houston. The only reason Williams is not higher on the list is due to his teammate Jalen Tolliver having a very similar role for a much cheaper price tag, and the poor QB play that we expect from Tampa Bay.
Sammie Coates, HOU ($9,500 DK, $17 FD) — Sammie Coates put himself on some naughty lists last week. He led the entire league in air yards with 146, saw nine targets, but finished with 2-26-0. He’s one of the week’s better GPP plays as everyone who got burned by him last week will be gunshy.
TIER 3
Kahlil Lewis, HOU ($8,900 DK) — Lewis has one of the starting slot positions locked down for a Houston team that looks like it has the best QB/scheme. Price jumped from laughable $4100 to $8900 on DK this week, dumping Lewis to Tier 3.
De’Mornay Pierson-El, STL ($8,000 DK) — Played in slot on 56 of his 58 Week 1 snaps. Similar to Washington however, somehow managed just three Air Yards. We do expect Jordan Ta’amu to push the ball down the field more in a potential shootout with the Roughnecks. Significantly more expensive than L’Damian Washington on both sites.
Nick Truesdell, TB ($6,700 DK, $14 FD) — The XFL’s No. 5 overall pick had a rough real-life game in Week 1, but played on 69-of-72 snaps and saw six targets. QB play for Tampa is a question mark, although we suspect Taylor Cornelious will be as effective as Aaron Murray (ankle, out) would have been. The problem is we expect a lot of gadgety plays from Quinton Flowers.
Eli Rogers, WAS ($9,700 DK) — Rogers is priced very high considering he’s fighting for targets with Malachi Dupre, Rashad Ross, Donnel Pumphrey and likely DeAndre Thompkins. The reason Rogers cracks the list is DC definitely featured is even on the list is that DC was definitely implementing him in their game plan. Given Rogers’ clear-cut slot role, he is the safest Defenders wideout. There were some rumors that Eli Rogers missed time this week for personal reasons. But he’s tweeting as if he’s at the game and we fully expect him to play.
Jeff Badet, DAL ($8,700 DK, $15 FD) — Badet’s usage was really poor in the opener. He was used primarily on just drag routes over the middle and only played 61% of the snaps as the Renegades went six-deep at WR. With Landry Jones expected to return we are expecting an upgraded game for Badet, but he’s very expensive relative to his Week 1 role.
TIER 4
Jordan Smallwood, LA ($6,900 DK) — Smallwood was LA’s best WR in Week 1 not named Nelson Spruce. His NFL-style big-bodied frame was a prime target in the end zone, where he converted one short TD and a 2-point conversion. Smallwood needs Josh Johnson, not Jalan McClendon, to start. It doesn’t hurt that Saeed Blacknell is out.
Keenan Reynolds, SEA ($6,300 DK, $15 FD) — Reynolds received 7 targets in Week one. Despite not doing much with his targets Reynolds was clearly Seattle’s top receiver and played 17 more snaps than any other receiver on the team. The question is if he’s merely a gadget guy or is actually capable of winning at the WR position.
Reece Horn, TB ($3,800 DK, $13 FD) — Horn is the starting slot receiver for Tampa Bay. The issue here is that Horn was not playing in any 2-WR sets meaning everytime Tampa Bay went with 2 tight ends or a package with 2 QBs that Horn found himself off the field. That said, the price tag here is quite appealing — particularly on DraftKings.
Colby Pearson, NY ($7,200 DK, $17 FD) — Had virtual every-down role in Week 1, playing on 49-of-51 snaps. But lost slot work to Joe Horn Jr. as Pearson played almost exclusively out wide. Little pricey on both sites, but outlook improves if McGloin is forced to be more aggressive.
Donald Parham, DAL ($3,200 DK, $13 FD) — Parham had 6 targets in Week 1 as the primary pass-catching tight end. The 6-foot-8 target gets Landry Jones back this week.
Alonzo Russell, STL ($4,800 DK) — Was used as a downfield complement to the short screen/jet sweep games of L’Damian Washington and De’Mornay Pierson-El. Played on 60-of-75 snaps, went 3-49-1 on five targets. Cheaper on DraftKings.
Flynn Nagel, DAL ($5,200 DK) — Nagel led Dallas in targets last week as Phillip Nelson was constantly checking down. All Dallas WRs get a boost this week with Landry Jones back. Nagel’s ceiling is a bit shaky at $5200, but he’s likely to see 3-5 targets as a floor.
Rashad Ross/Malachi Dupre, DC — Pairing Cardale Jones is very difficult this week. We prefer Eli Rogers as the clear-cut slot man, but we suspect one of DeAndre Thompkins/Ross/Dupre will have a strong game as well. Our lean is to Ross given his ability to play some slot, another week in the scheme and explosive talent.
DEFENSE
TIER 1
Seattle ($3,000 DK) — The cheapest defense on the slate gets a home game against a Vipers team that will be rotating Taylor Cornelius and Quinton Flowers.
TIER 2
Houston ($3,400 DK) — Houston gets a home game against a St. Louis team that will have to throw more. Ta’amu is mobile but will run into sacks and can be turnover prone as well.
TIER 3
Tampa Bay ($3,800 DK) — The Vipers get to face a hobbled Brandon Silvers and the worst wideout corps in the XFL.
DC ($4,400 DK) — Aggressive Defenders defense hosts a non-threatening Guardians team.
