Week 1 of the XFL season is finally here, and there’s a sense of promise of stability with this league as opposed to last year’s AAF. With the funding of WWE’s Vince McMahon it appears we’ll get a full season out of this league and will be able to enjoy three months of Spring football. Now let’s be perfectly honest, given the size of the league (eight teams) there will be just four games each week. This seems to cater more toward GPP’s rather than Cash games, but we’ll still offer up a Cash game lineup per usual. It’s hard to tell what we’re getting in Week 1 as most of these guys are pure mysteries to a lot of folks. But here’s a breakdown of the best DFS plays for the first week of XFL action in nearly two decades…

 

XFL Betting Lines

Seattle Dragons vs DC Defenders (-9); O/U 50.5, Saturday, 2p.m. ET, ABC

Los Angeles Wildcats vs Houston Roughnecks (-6.5); O/U 51.0, Saturday, 5p.m. ET, Fox

Tampa Bay Vipers (-3.5) vs New York Guardians; O/U 52.5, Sunday, 2p.m. ET, Fox

St Louis Battlehawks vs Dallas Renegades (-9.5)' O/U 52.5, Sunday 5p.m. ET, ESPN

 

Editor’s Note: So the XFL released its depth charts on Thursday for all eight teams and there are some surprises. You can look at Fantasy Alarm’s Updated Depth Charts here to get a feel of who has been working with the first-team. There are some surprises. For starters, Rashad Ross is listed on Washington’s second-team (that should change with the news on DeAndre Thompkins). Kenneth Farrow is not listed as the first-team running back for Seattle. This could be a simple case that they may not see the first few snaps and organizations are using depth charts to throw their opponents off track. Week 1 is the great unknown so take what you will from the depth charts, but I’m trying not to overreact.

 

Quarterbacks

Josh Johnson (LA; DraftKings: $10,700; FanDuel: $21) – Unfortunately, Johnson hasn’t practiced much this week and he’s listed as Questionable for Saturday’s game against Houston. Johnson’s last appearances in the NFL weren’t great, but he did showcase his running ability. He turns 34 in May and may not be as good of a runner as he once was. Offensive Coordinator Norm Chow has worked with mobile quarterbacks in the past like Steve McNair and Vince Young. But Johnson has bounced around the NFL enough to where he could be a pretty productive quarterback in the XFL. He has some decent weapons in the receiving game, but if he’s healthy I’d expect him to run more and put the team on his back. Update: After initial reports indicated McClendon would start in Johnson's place, Chad/Charles Kanoff will start for Los Angeles on Saturday.

Cardale Jones (D.C.; DraftKings: $10,200; FanDuel: $20) – Given the injuries to a couple other quarterbacks at the moment, Jones might be the best/safest quarterback option on the slate. Jones has an abundance of talent at his disposal (Jhurell Pressley, Donnel Pumphrey, Rashad Ross, Eli Rogers, Malachi Dupre) so this could be one of the more explosive offenses in the league. Head coach Pep Hamilton has experience working with talented quarterbacks (like some guy named Andrew Luck) and the Defenders have a favorable matchup against the Seattle Dragons, who project to be one of the weaker teams in the league. He’s going to be chalky, but even with no games played yet, he looks to have a pretty safe floor.

Landry Jones (DAL; DraftKings: $9,200; FanDuel: $20) – Jones is currently questionable for Sunday’s game against St. Louis after receiving a four-to-six-week time frame to return from injury. Bob Stoops has said that he’ll likely be ready for Week 2, but his status for Week 1 is up in the air. Jones and Stoops go back to Oklahoma together so there’s familiarity in this relationship. If Jones is a full go, then he’s an appealing price down as the fifth-most expensive quarterback on the slate. The downside is he’s in the last game of the weekend so if he turns out to be a game-time decision then pivot to Philip Nelson at $8,300. Nelson is capable of running the offense. He did well enough in last year’s AAF with San Diego before being put on the shelf with an injury. I’m a bit concerned about game flow as the Renegades are massive favorites to win the XFL Championship, while the Battlehawks are kind of in the middle-of-the-pack. Ergo, if Dallas gets out to a sizable lead they may not be as aggressive. However, it’s Week 1 and I’ll try not to rely on game flow too much. Update: The Dallas Morning News has reported that Landry Jones will not start on Sunday.

Aaron Murray (TB; DraftKings: $9,000; FanDuel: $18) – The price tag for Murray is a little surprising. Given that the Vipers are projected to have a pretty loaded offense behind a pass-happy head coach like Marc Trestman. Murray looked pretty competent last season in the AAF once he relieved Matt Simms so there’s plenty of passing upside for Murray. The Vipers have some really solid weapons even with Antonio Callaway landing on injured reserve so Murray will have plenty of weapons at his disposal. I’m hoping that Johnson and Jones can find their way on to the field so that may open up ownership on Murray. Regardless Murray’s a fantastic GPP play with potential for Cash games as well.

Jordan Ta’amu (STL; DraftKings: $8,700; FanDuel: $17) – Ta’amu has some upside after beating out Taylor Heinicke for the starting job in St. Louis. Ta’amu has a solid college resume under his belt throwing to the likes of D.K. Metcalf, A.J. Brown, and Dawson Knox. And he has some success running the ball as well, which makes him a very intriguing GPP play. I briefly mentioned game flow in the Landry Jones section and I think this may benefit Ta’amu and the Battlehawks later in the game so I’ll definitely be plugging Ta’amu in some GPP lines and I’ll have one or two St. Louis stacks.

Phillip Walker (HOU; DraftKings: $8,300; FanDuel: $18) – Full disclosure, I wasn’t going to include the Houston QB if Connor Cook won the job. However, Walker presents a pretty affordable quarterback play and under June Jones, the Roughnecks should be throwing quite a bit. Walker also makes for a really good GPP play if playing FanDuel’s Saturday slate of games. I don’t know how crazy I’d go with Houston stacks. You can either play Walker naked or pair him with Sammie Coates.

 

Running Backs

Jhurell Pressley (DC; DraftKings: $7,900; FanDuel: $18) – Pressley’s listed atop the running back depth chart for the Defenders and should see a healthy amount of touches. On paper, it’s a really good matchup as the Dragons don’t project to be very good. This is also supposed to be one of the better offenses in the league, so it makes sense to get some exposure to Pressley. He led the AAF in rushing through eight games before the league got shut down and he could get off to a hot start this weekend.

Elijah Hood (LA; DraftKings: $7,500; FanDuel: $20) – He comes with a heavy price tag, but with good reason. The offense should be pretty good and he’s in line to get the starting touches. Dujuan Harris is listed as his backup, but he’s more of a third-down/change-of-pace running back. Hood is bigger and can physically handle a heavier workload over Harris, who is just 5’7”. Hood’s a pretty good play in both Cash and GPP contests.

Cameron Artis-Payne (DAL; DraftKings: $6,800; FanDuel: $19) – This is a slightly surprising price tag for a guy who could lead all running backs in scoring this weekend. He has the NFL experience, and for whatever reason, Lance Dunbar was left off the Renegades’ depth charts. Only Artis-Payne and Marquis Young are listed as the running backs for Dallas, and Dallas hasn’t really listed any details on their injury report. I’ll have plenty of exposure to CAP since he looks to be in line for a big workload and $6,800 on DK is not an awful price at all.

Nick Holley (HOU; DraftKings: $5,800; FanDuel: $8) – I prefer the price on FanDuel over DraftKings, however, the format is better-suited for Holly over on DK. Holley is eligible at running back for both sites although Houston’s depth charts list him as a wide receiver, and a first-team wideout at that. It is a little surprising he’s the eighth-most expensive RB on DK’s slate so that is a bit of a turn off, but it’s quite likely Houston will be throwing it quite a bit if they fall behind to Los Angeles. The downside is there are a lot of mouths to feed in Houston’s offense where they run four-wide receiver sets, but he could get a lot of targets out of the slot.

Andre Williams (HOU; DraftKings: $3,800; FanDuel: $19) – The price tag is WAY too good to pass up for Williams. He’s a former Heisman trophy finalist and is listed as the starter on Houston’s depth charts. The downside is that he could run into some problems with the Wildcats defensive line. They’re MASSIVE (scroll down to the D/ST section to find out how big they are). So, it could be a rough matchup if the Wildcats offensive line can’t create any holes. If Houston falls behind, the game flow may not benefit Williams. But it’s awfully hard to pass on a guy that could excel in this league at such a budget-friendly price.

Darius Victor (NY; DraftKings: $3,700; FanDuel: $13) – This past Wednesday it was reported that Victor and Tim Cook split carries during practice, despite the fact Cook is listed as the starting running back. So we’re taking that with a grain of salt and will get some exposure to Victor as an upside play if the carries truly are split. If they share the work then I’m not sure Cook provides any value at an elevated price tag. I’m not fading Cook as he’ll crack a few lineups, but I do like the value we could get here with Victor and I’ll have a little more exposure to him.

Ja’Quan Gardner (SEA; DraftKings: $3,600; FanDuel: $9) – Gardner gets some recognition because he is listed atop the Dragons depth charts at running back. Keep in mind, this backfield could be a two-headed or three-headed dragon (get it?) but Gardner did average 4.9 yards per carry last year in the AAF before getting hurt. It’s a tough matchup against my favorite defense on the slate, but if you need a cheap Flex, he is tabbed to get reps, albeit for one of the worst teams in the league.

Others Receiving Votes:

  • Donnel Pumphrey (do not sleep on this guy. He could be the pass-catching option in relief of Pressley)
  • Quinton Flowers (could line up at quarterback, running back, or wide receiver; the only question is how many snaps he’ll get)
  • Tim Cook (do read the Darius Victor section beforehand)
  • De’Angelo Henderson (Houston only lists two running backs on their depth chart and he’s affordable)
  • Marquis Young ($3,000 play on DraftKings for a backup running back who could get targets out of the backfield since CAP isn’t the greatest pass catcher)

 

Wide Receivers

Rashad Ross (DC; DraftKings: $10,400; FanDuel: $15) – I’d feel like an idiot if I didn’t roster the most expensive RB/WR on the slate. Ross was traded back in January from the Wildcats to the Defenders and now looks like a focal point for a stacked Defenders offense. Prior to the AAF being shut down, Ross led the league with seven touchdowns and 36 receptions for 583 yards. He’ll be a big play/deep threat in Washington. It would be surprising if Ross didn’t get a healthy amount of targets since Washington made the effort to acquire him a month ago. He’s a fantastic play on FanDuel where he won’t be as costly on your budget as he is on DraftKings. I will have a little exposure to Eli Rogers as well. His absence from this list doesn’t mean that he’s a fade because I’m building about four or five different DC stacks and he’ll be in a couple.

Mekale McKay (NY; DraftKings: $9,900; FanDuel: $17) – We haven’t touched on too many Guardians yet, but McKay is probably the second-best wideout in the league. I’m not completely sold on Matt McGloin, but McKay does boast a big frame at 6’4” so the size and length are in his favor. Aside from Colby Pearson and E.J. Bibbs, it just feels like McKay should get most of the targets in New York. Teo Redding and Tanner Gentry may get some looks, but I feel like game flow could be in McKay’s favor if Aaron Murray can get Tampa out to a big lead.

Sammie Coates (HOU; DraftKings: $9,300; FanDuel: $20) – Coates will cost a pretty penny, but he seems to be a ball hawk in the Roughnecks offense. As mentioned earlier, the Roughnecks should throw the ball quite a bit and Coates stands to get a large amount of the targets. He’s fast and could possibly lead the league in yards per catch this year. The Roughnecks don’t even appear to have a tight end on their roster and while there are complimentary pass-catching options in this offense, Coates should be a centerpiece. The more I look at Coates’ situation, the more he’s becoming my favorite pass catcher this weekend.

Jeff Badet (DAL; DraftKings: $8,800; FanDuel: $19) – Yes, there is still some trepidation with Dallas’ quarterback situation. Landry Jones has gotten in some work in a knee brace, but even if Nelson is the starting QB you should feel good about Badet. The latest depth chart floating around on social media does not have Jazz Ferguson working with the starters as he’s been dealing with an injury. If that’s the case, Badet seems like an even safer bet for a solid game. Badet has some familiarity with head coach Bob Stoops. He played at Kentucky under Stoops’ brother and even transferred to Oklahoma, but never actually played for Bob Stoops until now.

Nelson Spruce (LA; DraftKings: $8,500; FanDuel: $14) – The price tag on FanDuel is actually very tempting. Even on DraftKings the price is reasonable for the WR1 in an offense that should be airing it out a lot. Spruce proved to be a pretty reliable pass-catching option in last year’s AAF. Despite the shortened season he ranked in the Top 5 in targets, catches, and receiving yards and with Rashad Ross now with the Defenders, it looks like he’ll be the primary pass-catching option for the Wildcats, just ahead of Brandon Barnes.

Keenan Reynolds (SEA; DraftKings: $8,100; FanDuel: $13) – For the record, I’m not incredibly high on Reynolds, or Seattle for that matter. And I’ll dig my own grave if they go off, but I just have a hard time seeing that. However, Kasen Williams is inactive for Saturday so this should present more targets for Reynolds. But again, I’m not sold on Seattle’s quarterback play and this is a tough matchup on paper against the Defenders’ secondary. He’s worth mentioning as a decently-priced option on a team that could be throwing a lot this weekend.

Colby Pearson (NY; DraftKings: $5,300; $13) – Pearson isn’t a terrible GPP play considering it’s a mystery who will get targets following McKay as the WR1 in New York. Recent reports on Wednesday indicate that Pearson was getting first-team reps on offense so that perks our ears up for DFS. As mentioned previously the door is still open for other wideouts like Redding, Gentry, and even Bibbs to get some targets, but with Pearson getting the first-team reps, we’ll invest a little more in him than his teammates.

Flynn Nagel (DAL; DraftKings: $3,900; FanDuel: $17) and Freddie Martino (DAL; DraftKings: $3,000; FanDuel: $14) – Based on that same depth chart listed in Jeff Badet’s write-up, Nagel and Martino are listed as starters on offense. Martino is recognizable from his time in the NFL and he’s still just 28 years old. At $3,000 he offers a lot of upside if he can get enough targets and if he somehow finds the end zone. Nagel put up some solid numbers at Northwestern and could prove to be a reliable pass catcher. Both are suitable for Dallas stacks.

Adonis Jennings (LA; DraftKings: $3,300; FanDuel: $16) and Jordan Smallwood (LA; DraftKings: $3,000; FanDuel: $19) – As of this writing (Thursday morning) it doesn’t look as if Tre McBride will suit up for Week 1. Now, anything could change and we’ll keep you posted with Friday’s Injury Report. However, as of right now, McBride isn’t practicing and that’s a bummer since he was the piece they received for Rashad Ross. Los Angeles is currently listing Jennings and Smallwood as starters in addition to Nelson Spruce. I wouldn’t go crazy with the exposure here. But it’s nice to squeeze in some starters at such a cheap price. I prefer Jennings over Smallwood a little bit if you’re having trouble deciding between one or the other.

Malachi Dupre (DC; DraftKings: $3,000; FanDuel: $18) – This section was initially dedicated to DeAndre Thompkins, but he was declared Out for Saturday’s game. To be honest, that also helps Rashad Ross since Thompkins was listed ahead of Ross on the depth chart, but Dupre is listed as a first-teamer as well and he’s dirt cheap on DraftKings. It won’t take much for him to return value. But this can’t be stressed enough, there are plenty of playmakers on DC between the running backs and wide receivers. But with Thompkins out, Dupre’s a great play in your DC stacks at the bare minimum on DK.

Others Receiving Votes:

  • Seantavius Jones (does get a bit of a downgrade because he’s surprisingly not starting for Tampa)
  • Keith Mumphery
  • Jazz Ferguson (fantastic value and he was taken OFF the Injury Report for Dallas)
  • L’Damian Washington
  • Reece Horn (a surprise, and cheap, starter for Tampa)

 

Tight Ends

This is kind of a tough section to gauge. For starters, DraftKings doesn’t offer a Tight End slot and FanDuel offers two WR/TE spots in their contests, and both sites employ two Flex spots. And in the case of the Houston Roughnecks, they didn’t even break camp with a tight end on their roster. So while you don’t need to roster a tight end for XFL DFS, there are a couple guys you should consider.

Nick Truesdell (TB; DraftKings: $6,900; FanDuel: $14) – Truesdell is easily one of the two best tight ends in the XFL. A lot of pundits think he’s the best tight end in the league. He boasts a big catch radius and his 6’5”, 249-pound frame makes him difficult to tackle. His 24 passes for 269 yards and three touchdowns doesn’t jump off the page, but he had an 89% catch rate in the AAF last season. He should be a chalky option and a lock in Tampa stacks with Aaron Murray. He’s the tenth-most expensive WR (yes, he’s listed as a receiver) option on DraftKings and Murray would be wise to look his way once Tampa gets into the red zone.

Brandon Barnes (LA; DraftKings: $6,400; FanDuel: $13) – Barnes was the only tight end to break camp with Los Angeles so there’s the possibility that he’ll be in on most plays. He has experience in run blocking and he’s not a terrible target either for Josh Johnson. He boasts a big frame like Truesdell and could be Johnson’s second target behind Nelson Spruce.

Sean Price (DAL; DraftKings: $3,800; FanDuel: $12) and Donald Parham (DAL; DraftKings: $2,600; FanDuel: $11) – Dallas is going to have a pretty exciting offense to watch. Price is probably the better player overall. He was a team captain in college (USF) and Dallas actually has him listed as a tight end/halfback since he’ll be in for run blocking as well. But do not sleep on Parham either. He’s… Well, he’s huge. He’s 6’8” with a seven-foot wingspan. And he’s dirt cheap at $2,600 on DraftKings. He ran the 40 in 4.6 seconds, which for a guy his size is pretty damn good. He probably won’t get anything close to the snap counts that Price gets, but he’s a huge red zone target for Landry Jones or whoever is under center for Dallas in Week 1.

Khari Lee (DC; DraftKings: $3,300; FanDuel: $11) – With the Defenders waiving Adrien Robinson it presents some opportunities for Lee as the premiere tight end in this offense. However, he still has a few other weapons to contend with in the D.C. Even at his price, he’s a solid candidate for red zone work. Derrick Hayward is in play a little bit if you’re looking for a cheaper D.C. target, but if playing him you’re really just hoping he can catch a touchdown.

Evan Rodriguez (SEA; DraftKings: $3,100; FanDuel: $8) – Rodriguez is an interesting pay-down option. He doesn’t have the size that Truesdell or Barnes boast, but he caught three touchdowns last year with the AAF. The downside to Rodriguez is that there are other pass catching options in Seattle’s offense. But if the secondary of D.C. shuts down the L.A. pass catchers then it might create some short yardage opportunities for Rodriguez across the middle and he should get looks in the red zone as well. Update: Colin Jeter is listed atop the Tight End depth chart and he’s actually cheaper than Rodriguez. I’m probably going to be lighter on Rodriguez at this point. But I’ll sprinkle both these guys into my lineups to get a little exposure. I’m still not crazy about the matchup.

 

Defense/Special Teams

So, you can only use the D/ST’s on DraftKings and there are two I’m really keying in on (and they won’t be too surprising), but I’ll offer a third as a mid-range option. Remember, the XFL wants to see increased scoring especially with their innovative point after attempts. So, I’m not going to recommend too many gambles for Week 1.

Dallas Renegades (DraftKings: $4,700) – Dallas takes on St. Louis in Week 1 and while I’ll have some exposure to the Battlehawks on the offensive side of the ball, the Renegades defense has a pretty decent matchup as well if they can contain Jordan Ta’amu. The Renegades are big favorites with a decent defensive front looking to shut down what could be a run-heavy offense in St. Louis. They are the most expensive option on the slate so if you need salary relief do not hesitate to pivot off of them.

D.C. Defenders (DraftKings: $4,200) – This will likely be the defense I’m heaviest on this weekend. The Defenders could arguably be the best team in the league. And they’re going up against possibly the worst team in the league. Dallas’ backup quarterback is priced up over Seattle’s starting quarterback, Brandon Silvers, who did okay in the AAF. The Dragons have some decent pieces on offense like Kenneth Farrow, Keenan Reynolds, and Kasen Williams (who is not playing by the way). The Defenders may have the best secondary in the XFL with Matt Elam, Shamarko Thomas, and Rahim Moore. At a $500 discount from Dallas, the Defenders will be pretty popular facing a Dragons team traveling across the country for this game.

Los Angeles Wildcats (DraftKings: $3,500) – If looking for a little salary relief, I wouldn’t venture any lower than Los Angeles. The Wildcats certainly have plenty of size on the defensive line. Former Baylor star Shawn Oakman stands at 6’9” and 280 pounds of pure muscle. Montori Hughes is 6’4” and 350 pounds, and Devin Taylor stands just an inch shorter than Oakman at 6’8” and 267 pounds. They will definitely not be pushed around by opposing offensive lines. They’ll travel to Houston Sunday to play the Roughnecks. Houston may have a decent run game with DeAngelo Henderson and Andre Williams, but there are still question marks regarding the passing game under Connor Cook. Los Angeles could come away with a healthy amount of sacks on Sunday.

 

Example Lineups

DraftKings Cash

QB - Cardale Jones

RB - Elijah Hood

WR - Nelson Spruce

WR - Malachi Dupre

FLEX - Cameron Artis-Payne

FLEX - Sammie Coates

DST - Defenders

 

DraftKings GPP

QB - Phillip Walker

RB - Jhurell Pressley

WR - Sammie Coates

WR - Kahlil Lewis

FLEX - Mekale McKay

FLEX - Cameron Artis-Payne

DST - Defenders

 

FanDuel Cash (Sat-Sun)

QB - Cardale Jones

RB - Cameron Artis-Payne

WR - Nelson Spruce

WR - Eli Rogers

FLEX - Mekale McKay

FLEX - DeVeon Smith

 

FanDuel GPP (Sat-Sun)

QB - Philliper Walker

RB - Jhurell Pressley

WR - Sammie Coates

WR - Kahlil Lewis

FLEX - Eli Rogers

FLEX - Nick Truesdell

 

FanDuel (Saturday Slate) - You have to get a little weird on a two-game slate

QB - Phillip Walker

RB - Elijah Hood

WR - Sammie Coates

WR - Cam Phillips

FLEX - Jhurell Pressley

FLEX - Ja'Quan Gardner

 

FanDuel (Sunday Slate) - Gettin' weird again

QB - Jordan Ta'amu

RB - DeVeon Smith

WR - De'Mornay Pierson-El

WR - Mekale McKay

FLEX - Keith Mumphery

FLEX - Cameron Artis-Payne