USFL DFS Playbook - Week 1

My favorite player in the XFL, Ta’amu not only showed the ability to throw the ball, but he was one of the better running quarterbacks in the XFL as well. He made enough of an impression that the Chiefs signed him and then the Lions, but he didn’t see the field for either team. He was the second overall pick in the USFL draft and in my opinion could be the most polished quarterback in the league. He also has a head coach that is known for wanting to spread the field and throw. He is the second highest salaried quarterback on the slate, but in this first week of complete uncertainty I would love to anchor my team with a guy I’ve seen have success in an amateur-like league. 

He was a Division III college quarterback, but had great success there and can also run. In his final season at Occidental College, he threw for over 3,000 yards in nine games with 27 touchdowns. Philadelphia’s head coach is Bart Andrus who not only coached in the NFL with the Titans the year they almost won the Super Bowl, but has had several quarterback coach and head coach jobs at several alternate leagues. The Stars have one of the top tight ends in the league in Bug Howard and two of the top wide receivers in Devin Gray and Jordan Suell. If you don’t want to pay the top dollar for Ta’amu, Scott would be the next tier option. 

A stud at Florida International University (I know, not saying much) McGough also was signed to a practice squad of three different NFL teams although he never saw the field. He is joined by a head coach in Skip Holtz who likes to open the game up and throw the ball down the field. McGough also has one of the more potent wide receiving corps in Emanuel Hall and Osirus Mitchell who are joined by a guy you might actually have heard of in Victor Bolden who was mainly a kick returner in his NFL career. The Stallions are favored to win their game this weekend and it should be on the arm of McGough who is a good, lower priced quarterback. 

He looks to be on one of the better offenses in the USFL and Emmons has had some success in his career. He had two touchdowns in the Conference USA title game back in 2018 and had 90 yards and a touchdown in the 2021 preseason for the Las Vegas Raiders. At 6’0” and 218 pounds he won’t be easy to bring down, and with the passing game of the Bandits looking to be one of the better units, he shouldn’t see the defense focusing on him. He has had some injury concerns in his career, but in the USFL opener he should have a great game. 

He is probably on the USFL team that will run it the most with Head Coach Jeff Fischer, but Scott is also a great end zone threat at 6’2” and 225 pounds. Scott also scored double digit touchdowns in each of his three seasons in college and could be in line to get the most carries of any running back in the opening weekend. Scott was signed to a couple of NFL team’s practice squad and has a chance to be a standout in the USFL for Jeff Fischer and the Panthers. 

He transferred to Colorado State University after starting with Purdue and had great success. He finished his senior season with 1,349 yards and eight touchdowns and was second team All Mountain West. He did actually catch on in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans for two seasons and had 26 yards on 11 carries in the 2019 season. Dawkins isn’t a big guy at 5’7” but his 183-pound frame gives him some power. Head Coach Kevin Sumlin showed that he liked to run the ball some at Texas A&M and Dawkins has a chance to have a good number of carries if Houston can keep the game close. 

This call depends on how much stock you put into the European League of Football. He had mild success at Michigan State but for the Cologne Centurions of the ELF he ran for over 1,000 yards in just four games. For the nine-game season he ran for 2,009 yards with 22 touchdowns, leading the league in all categories. At 6’1” and 218 pounds he is a nice combination of speed and size and will be the lead back for the Maulers. London has a chance to be a lower prices RB that has a solid impact for Week 1. 

After being a fifth-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 2017, he saw five carries in the NFL across two teams and Logan is on an offense in New Orleans that is going to run a single back and look to make explosive plays. Head Coach Larry Fedora is definitely known as more of a passing coach, but that can also help open up running lanes for Logan. He isn’t a huge guy at 5’11” and 195 pounds but ran a 40-yard dash at 4.37 so he has respectable speed. He has had trouble staying healthy which is partly why he never caught on fully with an NFL team. This game is also the highest over/under on the board so Vegas is expecting some points. 

He is 6’5” and had a shot with the San Francisco 49ers before an ACL tear ended his shot at making the team. The following year he was brought back but was never called off the practice squad. He had 11 touchdowns in 2018 at the University of Arizona, and his long frame makes him an ideal red zone target. New Orleans will likely run a lot of three wide receiver sets based on the history of head coach Larry Fedora, and there should be a good number of deeper shots which you would think that Poindexter should excel at given his size. He one of the better quarterbacks in the USFL in Kyle Sloter and looks to be worth this high price tag in the season’s opening week.  

Why not go with a guy you have heard of in a week of uncertainty? Another former 49er (I swear these aren’t homer picks), Bolden returned a few punts with the Niners, but injury and a PED suspension undid any pro career he might have had. He caught on a couple practice squads but never saw the pro field again. He isn’t a big guy at 5’8’ and 178 pounds, but he proved he could be a bit of a gadget player in college with success running and catching the ball. He averaged almost five catches a game in college and ran a 4.54 in the 40-yard dash. Birmingham should run a fairly high-powered offense under Skip Holtz, and Bolden should be a great option as a reliable slot receiver that can find holes in the defense. 

He has a world of talent but was dismissed from TCU after two domestic violence offenses. He is also not a big guy at 5’7” and 158 pounds, but he ran a 40-yard dash at 4.31 surely making him one of the faster receivers in the league. The Generals have a couple of other competent weapons so the defense can’t focus on Turpin, but the quarterback play of De’Andre Johnson and Luis Perez will be the wild card here. Turpin has a chance to take any short pass a long way and could pay off pretty handsomely at a relatively affordable price. 

At 6’6” and 205 pounds, Suell is going to be one of the more physically imposing receivers in the XFL. In his final year at Southern Oregon University, he had 834 yards and 12 touchdowns in 11 games. He is going to be a beast in the red zone and should be able to have a huge advantage in any 50/50 ball down the field. I’m a big fan this head coach/quarterback connection, and Houston should be a pass first team. Devin Gray might get more targets, but Suell should be the big play guy and might not need many receptions to have a good fantasy day. 

I love the quarterback, and here could be his most reliable weapon. Remember that game for the Browns in 2020 where almost all of their wide receivers landed on the Covid list the same game? Willies was one of the receivers who actually played in that game! I mean, he didn’t have a catch, but he was out there. He did have three catches for 61 yards in 2018 for the Browns as well. He has all of the combine measurables and at 6’4” and 210 pounds he should be a man among boys out there. He caught 36 passes in two years at Texas Tech and the potential is definitely there. As I mentioned earlier, he is on the team with I think the best quarterback in the league and if Willies can form a chemistry with Jordan Ta’amu, this could be one of the best connections in the USFL. 

If you need a cheaper option on Tampa Bay to get exposure to their offense, Lasley would be your second choice. He had 69 catches and nine touchdowns in seven starts in his senior season at UCLA in 2017 and ran a 40-yard dash of 4.50. He did catch on three different NFL practice squads but did not get on the field. This first week is going to be a bit of a crap shoot, but I have full confidence in Jordan Ta’amu at quarterback and I want to get one of his receivers in most of my lineups. Willies likely will be the top target, but Lasley should be very comparable. 

He wasn’t selected in the 2021 NFL draft, but Surrat had great success at Wake Forest. In 2019 he caught 66 passes for 1,001 yards with 11 touchdowns in just nine starts. He also returned punts for the Demon Deacons. At 6’3” and 215 pounds he is going to be hard to cover for any linebacker or safety in the USFL given the talent level. Birmingham is going to look to throw the ball down the field, and Surratt should be a matchup nightmare down the seam. DraftKings doesn’t require you to use a tight end but given Surratt’s price tag of less than half the cost of the top receiver he seems like a great play. 

At 6’6” and 251 pounds, Truesdell is going to be an absolute matchup nightmare in the USFL. He has been signed to a couple of NFL teams, but never saw the field in the pros. He also had great success in the Arena Football League as well as milder success in the AAF and XFL. In eight games for Salt Lake in the AAF he had 24 catches and three touchdowns and had nine catches in three games for the Tampa Bay Vipers of the XFL. The Generals should have one more the more wide-open offenses in the USFL and Truesdell should face some one-on-one coverage against Birmingham.