Week 3 helped us solidify some trends in the league but it still wasn’t without its surprises when it came to some player usage. We will continue our weekly deep-dive looking at the most important usage trends for each team from Week 3 and the season as a whole so far from the XFL.
Editor’s Note: The premium stats in this article are provided by Pro Football Focus along with our own manual charting.
Team Stats and Season Comps
The league continued its downward trend of passing percentage in Week 3 coming in at an average of 53% passing plays and 47% running plays. Only two teams (Dallas and Houston) managed to throw the ball over 60% of the time in Week 3. Total plays have maintained a consistent stance hovering around 58 plays per game on average. Tampa Bay led the league in Week 3 with 74 offensive plays (pass/rush plays). They are now tied with St. Louis for most plays this season at 203 apiece.
Houston and Dallas remain the most pass-heavy offenses on the season with both averaging a 68% pass to 32% run ratio. Dallas has the edge between the two though when it comes to most total plays by a mark of 181-155.
St. Louis easily remains the most run-oriented offense and emphasized that by running it a season-high 67% of the time last week in their rout of the Guardians. The BattleHawks are now averaging a running play 60% of the time on the season. The next-highest is DC who runs it 51% of the time.
Red-zone efficiency was up big time in Week 3 with teams converting red-zone drives into scores 60.5% of the time. That was up from the meager 36.4% we saw in Week 2 and well above the current league average of 48.4% on the season. Houston is tied with Los Angeles for the league lead with 11 red-zone drives and has converted 81.8% of those drives into a TD, most in the league. Houston also set a season-high mark by averaging 7.9 yards per play last week against Tampa Bay and leads the league averaging 6.6 yards per play on the season. They are also allowing a league-low 4.6 yards per play against on the season.
Now let’s get to the team-by-team recaps.
Seattle Dragons
Brandon Silvers didn’t deliver a sterling performance in Week 3 but his final stat line turned out better than expected. He completed 62% of his passes for 204 yards with two TDs and one INT. He’s quietly thrown the second-most pass attempts this season (92) despite being on what is viewed as more of a run-heavy offense.
Week 3 Team Target and Snap Leaders
- Keenan Reynolds – 7 targets (21.2% MS%), 98.5% snap share
- Austin Proehl – 7 targets (21.2% MS%), 82.1% snap share
- Alonzo Moore – 5 targets (15.1% MS%), 79.1% snap share
Seattle is pretty cut and dry when it comes to wideouts worth playing in DFS. It’s Keenan Reynolds, Austin Proehl, and then a whole lot of nothing behind them. Reynolds has the fourth-highest target market share in the league this season at 23.9% while Proehl ranks seventh at 22.8%. Dontez Byrd had been primarily running as the WR3, but with him dealing with an injury in Week 3 he was replaced by Alonzo Moore.
Week 3 Team Backfield
- Trey Williams – 8 carries (29.6% MS%), 32.8% snap share
- Ja’Quan Gardner – 8 carries (29.6% MS%), 31.5% snap share
- Kenneth Farrow – 6 carries (22.2% MS%), 40.3% snap share
This backfield continues to be a three-way mess with all backs splitting playing time virtually equal. Trey Williams and Kenneth Farrow continue to present a slightly higher ceiling than Ja’Quan Gardner due to their usage in the passing game, though Gardner did get his first targets of the season in Week 3 as well. Farrow found the end zone in Week 3 and all three of these backs are pretty TD dependent to make a difference any given week.
DC Defenders
Cardale Jones struggled mightily in DC’s first road game of the season against the Wildcats last week. After looking rather solid in his first two outings, Jones got picked off four times in Week 3 and only completed 50% of his passes for 103 total yards. He also took three sacks in the contest. We’re going to get some hot and cold games with Cardale who could potentially become more of a matchup-based starter.
Week 3 Team Target and Snap Leaders
- Eli Rogers – 6 targets (22.2% MS%), 97.1% snap share
- Rashad Ross – 6 targets (22.2% MS%), 47.8% snap share
- DeAndre Thompkins – 3 targets (11.1% MS%), 69.6% snap share
The passing game unsurprisingly went as Cardale Jones went in this game. Eli Rogers is the clear top dog here as he leads the team with 20 targets (23.8% MS%) this season which ranks sixth in the league. Rashad Ross still isn’t exactly playing a full complement of snaps just yet but still only ran four fewer routes than Rogers in Week 3 despite being on the field less than 50% of the time. Ross also is the leading fantasy scorer here at wideout with 25.8 points on the season. He’s got WR1 upside on a weekly basis but is just the WR9 on the season.
Week 3 Team Backfield
- Donnel Pumphrey – 8 carries (22.2% MS%), 36.2% snap share
- Khalid Abdullah – 8 carries (22.2% MS%), 26.1% snap share
- Nick Brossette – 8 carries (22.2% MS%), 18.8% snap share
This backfield was an absolute mess in Week 3 with the game getting away from DC in a hurry. Seven different players registered a carry in the game and most notably, Jhurell Pressley wasn’t near the top of the list this week. It’s too early to say that Pressley is being removed from the equation here completely, but it’s certainly not looking good at this point. Donnel Pumphrey remains the safest play here thanks to his usage in the passing game as well. He tied Thompkins for third on the team with three targets in Week 3 and is fifth amongst RBs with 41 routes run this season. Abdullah and Brossette mostly played in garbage time.
Los Angeles Wildcats
Josh Johnson led his team to a huge upset in Week 3 taking down DC 39-9. I loved L.A. as +8.5 point home-dogs in that contest and they didn’t disappoint. Johnson completed 72% of his passes last week for 278 yards and three TDs which was good enough to make you forget that he still didn’t offer much as far as rushing production is concerned. He finished as the QB2 in Week 3 behind only the unstoppable PJ Walker.
Week 3 Team Target and Snap Leaders
- Tre McBride – 6 targets (24% MS%), 27.1% snap share
- Nelson Spruce – 4 targets (16% MS%), 55.9% snap share
- Adonis Jennings – 3 targets (12% MS%), 78% snap share
It definitely seemed like L.A. wanted to prove that they got the better end of the trade between Tre McBride and Rashad Ross that was made in the preseason as McBride led the Wildcats with six targets on just 11 routes run in this game. Nelson Spruce took a backseat in this one but still has a commanding lead with 28 targets on this team at a 27.7% MS% which is the highest mark in the league. Adonis Jennings and Jordan Smallwood currently lead the team with a 71.4% snap share, but with McBride now officially active and contributing, one of these two will likely start to fade out. My bet would be on Jennings since he has primarily lined up on the right side this season which is where McBride was also running.
Week 3 Team Backfield
- Martez Carter – 11 carries (42.3% MS%), 61% snap share
- Larry Rose – 5 carries (19.2% MS%), 30.5% snap share
- Dujuan Harris – 5 carries (19.2% MS%), 18.6% snap share
Martez Carter was easily the biggest surprise of the week as he dominated in place of an injured Elijah Hood. Carter racked up 75 yards from scrimmage and three TDs finishing as the third-highest scoring player in fantasy in Week 3 with 29 points. Hood was amongst the league-leaders in carries and rushing MS% after two weeks, but Carter might just be pushing for his job after this performance. Larry Rose has been pretty much useless this season and is getting misused as he should primarily be just a passing-down back. Harris only played in garbage time.
Houston Roughnecks
You can’t mention the XFL without talking about how good PJ Walker has been so far this season. He has totaled 98.6 fantasy points through three games which is 33.7 points more than the current QB2, Jordan Ta’amu. We’re talking 11 points per game as a swing there. That’s huge.
Week 3 Team Target and Snap Leaders
- Cam Phillips – 10 targets (27.8% MS%), 91.7% snap share
- Kahlil Lewis – 9 targets (25% MS%), 95% snap share
- Sam Mobley – 4 targets (11.1% MS%), 56.7% snap share
- Nick Holley – 3 targets (8.3% MS%), 100% snap share
Cam Phillips is your clear-cut overall WR1 this season with 84.4 fantasy points and seven TDs in just three games. If you thought Walker had a commanding lead over the second-best player at his position, Phillips has 35.7 points more than the WR2, Nelson Spruce. Kahlil Lewis continues to be another one of the favorite targets here out of the slot, though he has shown nowhere near the ceiling Phillips offers. Nick Holley is bound to breakout given the high usage he has been seeing. He’s second on the team this season with an 84.7% snap share.
Week 3 Team Backfield
- James Butler – 7 carries (43.8% MS%), 51.7% snap share
- Andre Williams – 4 carries (25% MS%), 30% snap share
James Butler had the third-highest MS% of his team carries in Week 3, but given the low-volume nature of this rushing attack, it isn’t amounting to much even with Houston putting 34 points on the board. Butler was insanely efficient with his seven carries averaging 10.3 YPA, but he remains TD dependent based on the lack of volume.
Tampa Bay Vipers
The QB situation continues to be a mess with Marc Trestman trotting out a rotation of about 75% Taylor Cornelius and 25% Quinton Flowers. The Vipers did finally find some semblance of success on offense this week as they went toe-to-toe with Houston. Both QBs showed some mobility this time around as they each found the end zone for a rushing TD. Cornelius also threw his first TD pass of the season as well.
Week 3 Team Target and Snap Leaders
- Jalen Tolliver – 13 targets (37.1% MS%), 100% snap share
- Dan Williams – 7 targets (20% MS%), 100% snap share
- Reece Horn – 6 targets (17.1% MS%), 85% snap share
I had officially declared last week as “Jalen Tolliver Week” and he was an absolute steal drafted in just 6.42% of teams on DraftKings’ biggest contest. Tolliver had the highest target MS% of any player last week and has the third-highest target MS% amongst wideouts this season. He just needed the offense to actually start putting points on the board. Dan Williams bounced back from a disappointing Week 2 performance where he only saw four targets on 58.9% of the snaps to being back at a 100% snap share in Week 3. He only managed to haul in two of his seven targets, but luckily one was for a TD. Reece Horn continues to mix in three-wide sets and though he didn’t see the same 100% snap share as Williams and Tolliver did, he only wound up running two fewer routes than them. He’ll still have his days.
Week 3 Team Backfield
- De’Veon Smith – 15 carries (40.5% MS%), 61.3% snap share
- Jacques Patrick – 10 carries (27% MS%), 41.3% snap share
The backfield switched roles on us again in Week 3 with De’Veon Smith retaking the lead in carries and snap share after Jacques Patrick was the man in Week 2. There is evidently a hot hand approach going on which is going to be a pain to predict on a given week. Luckily it’s just a two-man backfield and both are seeing solid volume. Smith is second in the league with 42 carries while Patrick is fourth with 32. The threat of Flowers and apparently Cornelius now also vulturing TDs is another hindrance worth keeping an eye on going forward.
New York Guardians
This team is a dumpster fire right now as we saw all three of Matt McGloin, Marquise Williams, and Luis Perez take shots under center. It’s saying something that Perez was the only one of the bunch that was able to throw a TD and also finished with the best completion percentage (80%). I still think Williams gives this team the best chance to win, but they look hopeless already this season.
Week 3 Team Target and Snap Leaders
- Austin Duke – 6 targets (20.7% MS%), 32.8% snap share
- Colby Pearson – 5 targets (17.2% MS%), 81% snap share
- Teo Redding – 5 targets (17.2% MS%), 67.2% snap share
The targets and snaps were all over the place for this team in Week 3. Mekale McKay was on the field for 56-of-58 possible snaps but egregiously saw just two targets on the day. Austin Duke led the team with six targets despite running just 13 routes and RB Justin Stockton tied Pearson and Redding with five targets despite seeing just seven snaps.
Week 3 Team Backfield
- Darius Victor – 10 carries (47.6% MS%), 53.4% snap share
- Tim Cook – 9 carries (42.9% MS%), 37.9% snap share
After missing most of Week 2 with a potential concussion, Darius Victor was back to splitting this backfield nearly even with Tim Cook. Both were equally efficient with their carries with Victor averaging five YPA and Cook averaging 5.6 YPA. Both wound up in the top-four in rushing MS% in Week 3 as well. Despite all of this, there isn’t going to be much value with either RB if the offense as a whole completely stalls as it did in Week 3. Both are extremely TD dependent with neither offering much in the way of receiving chops.
Dallas Renegades
Landry Jones offered us another voluminous effort in Week 3 that wasn’t without its blemishes. He completed 73% of his passes for 274 yards with three TDs and two INTs. With Dallas being one of the two most pass-heavy offenses in the league, we can expect performances like this pretty much on a weekly basis I would expect.
Week 3 Team Target and Snap Leaders
- Lance Dunbar – 11 targets (26.8% MS%), 60.9% snap share
- Donald Parham – 7 targets (17.1% MS%), 85.5% snap share
- Cameron Artis-Payne – 6 targets (14.6% MS%), 76.8% snap share
- Flynn Nagel – 6 targets (14.6% MS%), 62.3% snap share
Notice something missing from the leaderboard there for the Renegades? They have continued the trend of fading WRs at all costs in the passing game as they continue to feed both RBs Lance Dunbar and Cameron Artis-Payne as well as TE Donald Parham. Parham saw the field for 85.5% of the snaps which was the highest mark of any skill-position player on the team. Jeff Badet had the second-highest snap share at 78.3% but saw just four targets.
Week 3 Team Backfield
- Cameron Artis-Payne – 13 carries (61.9% MS%), 76.8% snap share
- Lance Dunbar – 8 carries (38.1% MS%), 60.9% snap share
This is the best backfield to own in fantasy, hands down. CAP leads the league with a 50.9% MS% of his team’s carries this season while also running the most routes amongst RBs (64). Dunbar leads all RBs with 23 targets in 20 receptions while also ranking top-eight with a 33.3% market share of his team’s carries. With you only needing to pick one RB in most of the rosters for DFS in the XFL, these guys are pretty much foolproof.
St. Louis BattleHawks
The BattleHawks steamrolled the Guardians in Week 3 and didn’t need much from QB Jordan Ta’amu in this one. He attempted just 18 passes, completing 12 for 119 yards with no TDs or INTs. He also didn’t break off any big runs. Bigger games will certainly come.
Week 3 Team Target and Snap Leaders
- Marcus Lucas – 5 targets (31.3% MS%), 74.6% snap share
- Alonzo Russell – 3 targets (18.8% MS%), 82.5% snap share
- Brandon Reilly – 3 targets (18.8% MS%), 46% snap share
- De’Mornay Pierson-El – 3 targets (18.8% MS%), 33.3% snap share
The target distribution was a mess for St. Louis in this game with top dog L’Damian Washington running as a decoy most of the game. Washington was questionable coming into the game but saw the field for 93.7% of the team’s snaps, though that resulted in just one target and catch for no yards. De’Mornay Pierson-El leads the team with 18 targets this season, though his snap share has trended down each week. He started the season with a 77.3% snap share in Week 1, followed by 59.2% in Week 2 and 33.3% in Week 3. That’s something to keep an eye on going forward.
Week 3 Team Backfield
- Matt Jones – 15 carries (40.5% MS%), 46% snap share
- Christine Michael – 13 carries (35.1% MS%), 42.9% snap share
Both Matt Jones and Christine Michael continue to be fed in this run-first offense. Jones’ 52 rush attempts lead the league so far while Michael’s 35 attempts rank third. Both found the end zone on the ground in Week 3 while neither saw any usage in the passing game. Jones had the edge in efficiency carrying for 6.3 YPA while Michael managed just 3.4 YPA. The receiving usage isn’t a factor here as it is with the Dallas RBs which makes both Jones and Michael slightly more TD dependent, but with the volume they’re getting it almost makes up for the lack of heavy passing game usage.
