USFL DFS Playbook - Week 3

He leads the USFL in both passing yards and passing touchdowns, and so far, Scott has been one of the better stories of the league. He could really use some offensive line help as he has already been sacked ten times, but he is making it work. He faces a Generals team that only allowed six points last week, but that was to Michigan so I almost throw that performance out. New Jersey gave up a lot through the air in Week 1, and I expect Scott to continue his solid play and likely be the top scoring QB on the slate again. 

New Orleans has played two blowouts so far and a lot of the scoring has come on the ground. However, Sloter is second in the league in passing yards, and I think we might have watched his coming out party last week against the Breakers. Birmingham has allowed over 500 yards in the air through two games in the USFL, and that might not sound like a lot, but in this league it is! New Orleans should continue their strong play, and their quarterback looks like he is just getting better. 

He wasn’t even a starter coming into the season, but the injury to Alex McGough (who wasn’t looking good anyway) opened the door for Smith and he has burst through it. He has led the Stallions to a 2-0 record and adds a dimension of running as he has 44 rushing yards and a score on the ground. New Orleans has proven to be a pretty good defense through two weeks, but given the weak quarterback play in the league, and Smith’s ability to run, I still really like him as a DFS option. 

We all kind of crapped on the Maulers after the first week, but if you look when Love was in the game they looked like a decent offense. Then in Week 2 he led the Maulers to a strong game with 236 yards and two scores even though they lost. There is still plenty of work to be done here, and they play the Panthers who have had two pretty good defensive games. However, if you are in a GPP and are looking to really save money, Love is your guy. For some reason known only to DraftKings he is the lowest priced starting quarterback on the slate and is a couple thousand dollars cheaper than his backup and almost a thousand less than Paxton Lynch who has as many interceptions (one) as he has passing yards so far. 

The Breakers have been doing it on the ground, and while Jordan Ellis has gotten more carries, it is Logan who gives you the better fantasy games because of his ability to catch the ball. In fact, only Trey Williams of the Generals (9) has more catches than Logan with his eight so far. He also has just short of 100 yards on the ground and two rushing touchdowns to begin the season. New Orleans faces Birmingham this week who are allowing a league-high 180 yards per game on the ground, so Logan (and even Jordan Ellis who is $2,300 cheaper) is a great play in both cash and GPP lineups. 

The Maulers offense finally showed a pulse last week, and Groshek was a great beneficiary. With Josh Love leading the passing game last week, the defense was no longer able to stack the box to stop the run. Groshek ran for 77 yards against the Stars and is now third in the USFL in rushing yards through two games. He has yet to find the end zone and it would be nice if he was more involved in the running game, but the Michigan Panthers are much easier to run on than they are to throw, and I expect Groshek to get a nice amount of carries. The Panthers also allowed a rushing touchdown to Darius Victor last week and I wouldn’t be surprised if this was the week that Groshek found paydirt. 

Another guy I wish would be more involved catching passes, Thompson has had at least 13 carries and 70 yards in each of the first two games, and currently leads the USFL in rushing yards. He has clearly taken over the lead back role from Dalyn Dawkins and is the guy to trust in this offense. They play the Breakers who do have the third best run defense in the league, but it is only two games and there are only eight teams, so third best is kind of middle of the pack. He is also leading the league with 5.7 yards per carry which is very impressive, and I like him in all formats for Week 3. 

He wasn’t used much in the first half of the opener, but since the second half of that game, Marable has taken over the backfield. He had 16 carries to Tony Brooks-James nine last week and has a touchdown in each of the first two contests. He isn’t one of the top pass catching backs, but he does have two receptions in each game so far, so he gives you a little bump in fantasy points there as well. New Orleans gives up just over 101 yards per game on the ground so far, which is a little high considering they were well ahead of both of their games this season and you’d think teams would pass more to try to catch up. 

He hasn’t been killing it on the ground so far with 88 yards through two games, but he is still averaging 11 carries per game, and he is on a team that likes to run. However, the reason that Williams is here as my cost-savings option is because of his involvement in the pass game. Williams has caught all nine of his targets through two games and tacked on 60 receiving yards. This week they play the Philadelphia Stars who are allowing 147 yards per game on the ground and have allowed three touchdowns on the ground through two games. Darius Victor had a touchdown last week and gets a couple more carries per game, but hasn’t caught a pass yet, so Williams gives you that added bonus that we love in DFS. 

Second in the USFL with 144 receiving yards, Mitchell is also one of three receivers with a pair of touchdowns through two games. He is averaging seven targets a game and is becoming one of the more consistent players in the league. Birmingham has a solid offense, and while Victor Bolden might get more targets, it is Mitchell that is coming home with the production and is $1,300 cheaper, so I will continue to keep putting him in my lineups. 

I believe that this guy is the closest to getting a shot in the NFL after two weeks. Lenoir has proven to be a great route runner, has solid hands, and is able to alter his route due to horrible quarterback play. He is second in the league with targets (18) and catches (10). If he was on a team with one of the better quarterbacks, Lenoir would be smoking the league. He is still a threat to have a big game against a Pittsburgh team that is allowing the most passing yards per game so far this season. 

After having just one catch in the opening game, I was not happy with a guy I thought would have a good impact given his size. However, Bryan Scott finally wised up and Suell led the team in targets with ten and had six catches for 72 yards. At 6’5” and 205 pounds, he should be able to have his way with some of these smaller corners, and I expect Suell to continue to impress. The Stars don’t have the easiest matchup against the Generals, but I think last week’s performance is as much about how bad Michigan’s offense as New Jersey’s defense. 

He hasn’t quite turned it into a bunch of yards just yet, but Dixon is fourth in the USFL with 15 targets through two games and has a touchdown to go with it. The Breakers have been winning the game more on the ground, but Dixon sure seems to be the guy that Kyle Sloter looks to the most. He gets the best matchup possible this week against Birmingham who are allowing a boatload of stats through the air. Jonathan Adams had the bigger game last week and is cheaper, but Dixon has been more consistent through two weeks. 

Your leader in receiving yards through two weeks, Gaither came alive last week with seven catches for a league high 117 yards and a score against the Stars. Josh Love has revitalized the Maulers offense, and Gaither has 16 targets through two weeks. DraftKings was nice and didn’t adjust his salary after the best game of the league through two weeks, so we have to jump on this and get him in our lineups even though the Panthers of Michigan have had a tough pass defense so far. 

Sure, his numbers aren’t jumping off the screen, but if you are looking for a very inexpensive WR/TE to finish off your roster I like what I see from Bug. He has made some very athletic catches so far, and while he only has 58 receiving yards through two games, he does have nine targets, which is honestly more than you’ll find from other guys around his price range. The other thing I like is that his targets were consistent both weeks, it wasn’t eight one week and one the next. He does have one touchdown catch already, and the Stars are looking like an improving team. The salaries are pretty reasonable for the USFL so far, but if you are looking for that big salary saver, Howard could be your guy