XFL Top Plays: Division Championships

 

Editor’s Note: We may not write up every player we consider to be a top play. Be sure to consult the chart at the bottom of the page. This page will be updated, if necessary.

 

You don’t have to play cash games to understand why it’s important to grasp them. Players we consider for cash are the ones we believe are the most underpriced, have the best floor/ceiling combo, and feature a relatively tight range of outcomes.

In other words, these are the best plays on the board once price, slate context, and positional depth are accounted for. Those sound like pretty good options for GPPs as well.

The optimal GPP lineup will mix some of these cash-type plays with higher-variance options in correlated lineups. In cash games (where roughly 50% of the field gets paid out), we don’t worry about ownership, game stacks, or correlation. In large-field tournaments, our ACO (average cumulative ownership) should stay reasonably low. Please read this article and listen to Episode 237 of the podcast for more on large-field tournament strategy.

 

With all that said, these are our Top Plays considering the following factors: median projection, matchup, upside, and value. Ownership is NOT considered here. Generally speaking, these players are what we consider to be “head-to-head and 50/50 considerations”.

 

QUARTERBACK

Ben DiNucci (Seattle – $11,200) – While D.C. was the best team in the league this year with a 9-1 record, they also gave up the third-most points in the league and found themselves in shootouts quite often. This sets up pretty well for our favorite passing offense in the league and the QB we’ve leaned on most often this XFL season, Ben DiNucci.

Jordan Ta’amu (D.C. – $10,000) – On the other side of that same matchup sits Ta’amu, who had a truly excellent final five games of the season, averaging 27.08 DK points over that time. He adds an extra element with his legs, and you also get a $1,200 discount and half the projected ownership of DiNucci. 

 

RUNNING BACK

Abram Smith (D.C. – $9,800) – There is no question of who was the best RB in the XFL this season. Smith led the league in carries, rushing yards (by nearly 350 on the next-highest player, Jacques Patrick), and was tied for the league lead in rushing TDs with De’Veon Smith. The only issue with Abram Smith is that he is priced up to QB levels, and in fact, he is more expensive than either QB in the first game. However, it’s hard to go away from Smith in cash, where he has a very clear floor and projects as one of the very best plays on the slate.

De’Veon Smith (ARL – $7,700) –  It’s been a bit of an up-and-down end of the season for the other Smith, De’Veon, who ended up splitting or straight up conceding work to Leddie Brown at some points. However, Brown’s status is up in the air this week, and it’s clear that Smith is the clear choice around the goal line.

 

WIDE RECEIVER/TIGHT END

Jahcour Pearson (Seattle – $11,300), Blake Jackson (Seattle – $8,300), and Josh Gordon (Seattle – $9,600) – It’s pretty clear that you should lean into the Seattle pass game this week, and all of Pearson, Jackson, and Gordon look like cash options here. Gordon had a huge Week 10, with a nasty 9/115 line on 13 targets, perhaps a sign of his re-emergence as a top option in this offense. Pearson has been the consistent piece all season, leading the entire league in receptions and receiving yards.

Travell Harris (Houston – $6,800) – Houston still wants to air the ball out, and Harris continues to have a big role behind WR1 Deontay Burnett. In Week 9, when Burnett last played, Harris out-snapped him and played on a whopping 91.5% of snaps. He also offers much-needed salary relief on Burnett, which sets up Harris as a logical cash option.

 

DEFENSE

Houston Roughnecks ($4,400)