XFL Opening Lines
Houston Roughnecks (-5.5) at Tampa Bay Vipers; O/U 47.0, Saturday, 2p.m. ET, ABC
Dallas Renegades (-4.5) at Seattle Dragons; O/U 44.5, Saturday, 5p.m. ET, Fox
New York Guardians at St. Louis Battlehawks (-7.5); O/U 42.0, Sunday, 3p.m. ET, Fox
D.C. Defenders (-7) at Los Angeles Wildcats; O/U 45.5, Sunday 6p.m. ET, ESPN
Quarterbacks
Phillip Walker (HOU; DraftKings: $11,500; FanDuel: $23) – Walker is pricey on both sites this weekend and for good reason. He seems to set a pretty good floor for himself each week. We’ve seen him score 32 and 23 points on DraftKings and against this Vipers defense he should put up at least three touchdowns. Walker is also rushing the ball a little bit so it’s only a matter of time before he finds the end zone with his legs, which could easily happen this weekend. Tampa Bay’s defense hasn’t been awful on paper, but they haven’t really been challenged by Matt McGloin and Brandon Silvers so we can assume Walker should stay the course and post at least 23 DFS points.
Cardale Jones (DC; DraftKings: $10,800; FanDuel: $20) – I hate the price on DraftKings, but I like the $20 tag on FanDuel for the Sunday slate. Jones has proven to be somewhat reliable in Cash games and this is arguably his best matchup to date against a Wildcats defense that parted ways with their defensive coordinator after one game. The Wildcats have allowed 62 points on 759 yards through two weeks and the Defenders come to town this week. Jones should exceed the 19-20 points he’s recorded the last two weeks. And if he doesn’t, then he’s not a great value on DraftKings. But the matchup is fantastic, and Jones is trending towards 300 yards passing, which would be a nice bonus on DraftKings if he gets there.
Jordan Ta’amu (STL; DraftKings: $10,100; FanDuel: $21) – Ta’amu continues to register the DFS points with his arm and legs. Granted, the Battlehawks were playing from behind last week, but Ta’amu returned solid value with 37 pass attempts and eight rushing attempts. Additionally, he managed to get a rushing touchdown as well. On 17 rushing attempts so far, he has 109 rushing yards and a touchdown through two games. He’s not Lamar Jackson, but he is the rushing quarterback of the league at the moment and while we are seeing a huge spike in the price tag, he’s worth every penny. The Battlehawks are a big favorite against a New York team that was slightly exposed last week. Ta’amu is in line for another big game this week.
As an Absolute GPP-Only Play… the Tampa Bay Starting QB – Aaron Murray is currently Questionable for the Saturday afternoon slate against Houston. I’d prefer if Murray was the starting quarterback, as I have little faith in Taylor Cornelius. Tampa Bay probably gets slaughtered by Houston this weekend, but the volume will be there for the Tampa starting QB to get a lot of garbage time work. Jordan Ta’amu put up 31 points against Houston last week, and the week before even Charles Kanoff put up 21 points on DraftKings. To be fair, Kanoff did find the end zone on a rushing touchdown, but also had an interception and a fumble and yet he still put up 21. There’s an opportunity for the opposing quarterback of the Roughnecks to get some DFS value. Sadly, we look to the Vipers quarterbacks to get a little contrarian this week. Tread carefully with this recommendation.
Running Backs
Thankfully DraftKings only requires you to play one running back each week. It’s not a fun position to pick and all the recognizable names are on the table, but I’ll try not to list too many, but I can’t make any promises…
James Butler (HOU; DraftKings: $8,500; FanDuel: $17) – Butler has been fairly touchdown dependent so far through two weeks. But that will be the case with most running backs in the XFL. He has 20 total touches through two games with three touchdowns. He’s caught all four of his targets as well. So, in what appears to be the league’s most explosive offense, Butler is getting work and he’s scoring. I especially like the matchup this week because there’s the possibility that game flow could benefit him if the Roughnecks get out to a huge lead like many suspect. They could take their foot off the gas and run the ball with Butler who has emerged out of nowhere as Houston’s lead running back. But as Ryan and I mentioned prior to the Week 1 podcast, June Jones could just as easily keep throwing the ball. $8,500 isn’t a bad price for a guy with three touchdowns to his name so far, but it’s a bit of a gamble based on his touchdown per touch rate.
Matt Jones (STL; DraftKings: $7,500; FanDuel: $16) – Jones is nursing a slight knee injury, but he played through it last week to reward his fantasy owners. Jones has been the only true work horse running back so far. He has 37 total carries thus far and hasn’t found the end zone on the ground, although he has caught a touchdown pass. Jones will square off against the Guardians who were shut out last week by the Defenders and allowed over 100 rushing yards as well. Jones is still priced reasonably if you consider how often he’s touching the ball even with Jordan Ta’amu stealing some carries as well.
Donnel Pumphrey (D.C.; DraftKings: $7,000; FanDuel: $13) and Jhurrel Pressley (D.C.; DraftKings: $6,800; FanDuel: $15) – I love these two this week. I know they’ve been somewhat vanilla so far through two weeks, but Pumphrey had a solid outing in Week 2 and his price tag on FanDuel is very friendly for DFS. The workload has been split almost evenly with Pumphrey getting more work in the passing game and Pressley getting a little more of the carries. But Los Angeles has been awful against running backs. James Butler scored on them twice in Week 1 with 50 all-purpose yards and Cameron Artis-Payne rushed for 99 yards last week and scored twice as well. If two touchdowns are on the board for running backs every week against the Wildcats then maybe Pumphrey and Pressley can each score this week? It might be wishful thinking, but the matchup is amazing for both.
Lance Dunbar (DAL; DraftKings: $6,600; FanDuel: $15) – Last week it was the Cameron Artis-Payne show. He went off on the Wildcats to the tune of 99 rushing yards, five catches, and a pair of touchdowns. It’s pretty surprising how involved CAP has been in the passing game as he’s caught all nine of his targets through two games. However, Dunbar is still getting passing down work out of the backfield. He’s caught 11-of-12 targets and while he hasn’t found the end zone yet he’s yielded decent DFS returns. The price isn’t terrible for Dunbar if you don’t want to pay up for Artis-Payne.
DeVeon Smith (TB; DraftKings: $6,300; FanDuel: $16) – I actually don’t hate the price tag on Smith this weekend. He’s getting a decent amount of work in the running game and he’s averaging 4.63 yards per carry on 27 attempts. The game flow may not be in his favor this week, but given the horrid quarterback play for Tampa Bay, maybe they slow things down a bit and attempt to run more? It might be wishful thinking, but Smith has been a pretty good runner all things considered. Jacques Patrick is a cheaper GPP dart throw that might be worth mixing into a couple GPP lineups if you can’t afford Smith.
Darius Victor (NY; DraftKings: $4,700; FanDuel: $12) – I maintain that Darius Victor has not been awful, despite the underwhelming performance last week. He’s a great value on FanDuel once again in a fairly decent matchup against St. Louis. The Battlehawks may disrespect Matt McGloin’s passing prowess and look to shut down the run. If that’s the case, then there’s some concern in this matchup because I don’t anticipate the Battlehawks having any issues running on New York. I won’t rule out Tim Cook either because Victor is dealing with a head injury from getting popped pretty good last week. If Victor’s a no-go, then Cook is a phenomenal play. Update: Victor did practice in full on Thursday so that's a promising sign for his status this week.
Other Players Worth Considering
- Kenneth Farrow
- Trey Williams
- Jacques Patrick
- Tim Cook
And after all that I feel like I listed too many running backs… Moving on!
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Cam Phillips (HOU; DraftKings: $11,100; FanDuel: $21) – Phillips has emerged as one of Phillip Walker’s favorite targets. Aside from the four touchdowns in two games, Phillips has 19 targets as well. The yardage hasn’t been there for him, but the upside is huge if he’s going to get even one touchdown this week. It’s a very hefty price tag on DraftKings, but $21 is very reasonable on FanDuel and in a passing happy offense like Houston, he’s one worth targeting.
Nelson Spruce (LA; DraftKings: $10,900; FanDuel: $20) – Nelson Spruce is priced a little under Phillips this weekend, but he’s proven to be just as reliable. Through two games, Spruce has 17 catches on 24 targets for 192 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He’s posted this production with two different quarterbacks under center. On DraftKings he’s put up 24 and 27 points so he’s finding ways to put up numbers even without finding the end zone (a la Week 1). The downside is the matchup against DC this weekend, but at least it’s a home game. The good news for Spruce is that he should get a healthy amount of targets. But the top two receivers are a little risky this weekend given the cost.
Eli Rogers (DC; DraftKings: $9,700; FanDuel: $15) – Rogers might be the best value of the DC wide receivers over on FanDuel. DeAndre Thompkins and Rashad Ross are priced up, but Rogers is the most appealing option on FD’s short slate. He gets the targets, but he just hasn’t found the end zone yet and you get a sense that it’s coming. Rashad Ross is also in play but he has some risk. His 27 DFS points through two weeks have come via seven targets. Fortunately for Ross he’s a big play threat when he gets the ball in his hands. So to reiterate, Rogers and Ross are both on the table. I just prefer Rogers more.
Kahlil Lewis (HOU; DraftKings: $9,100; FanDuel: $18) – DraftKings’ pricing this week is going to make roster building a bit of a challenge and Lewis is just another example. For the second straight week he had at least six targets and 45 receiving yards. He didn’t find the end zone this time around, but he’s an option this week and he’s cheaper than Phillips for a Houston stack. The Tampa Bay matchup isn’t all that threatening and Lewis should be another fixture in Houston’s passing game this weekend. He has a decent floor, I just hate the prices on a lot of wideouts for Week 3.
DeAndre Thompkins (DC; DraftKings: $5,700; FanDuel: $19) – FanDuel once again is over reacting to Week Two’s results as Thompkins is now priced at $19. That makes him the second-most expensive wide receiver/tight end behind Nelson Spruce. He’s probably going to be faded on FanDuel, but I still like the price tag on DraftKings. $5,700 is a bit high, but remember he was initially listed ahead of Rashad Ross on the Defenders’ depth chart prior to Week 1 before being declared inactive. Both Ross and Eli Rogers are more expensive than Thompkins, and he’s coming off nine targets in his first XFL game. Perhaps Cardale Jones and DT developed solid rapport together during training camp that we’re on the cusp of seeing.
Donald Parham (DAL; DraftKings: $5,300; FanDuel: $16) – Parham’s catch rate wasn’t great last weekend. He caught just 5-of-11 targets, but he found the end zone. There aren’t many reliable tight ends on the slate, and it makes you feel bad for Nick Truesdell’s situation in Tampa, but Parham is getting looked at and it looks like Landry Jones wasn’t afraid to target him despite the misconnections at times. Parham plays the Dragons this weekend who have been suspect at times against tight ends. Don’t forget the 39-yard touchdown Khari Lee caught on his lone target a few weeks ago.
Nick Holley (HOU; DraftKings: $4,400; FanDuel: $15) – He hasn’t lit up the stat sheet by any means, but his price is dropping on DraftKings. Two weeks ago he was $5,800 and now it’s down to $4,400 after he put up nine points in Week 1 and then eight in Week 2. If he can get eight or nine points this week against an awful defense, then he’s giving you 2X value and that’s all we can really ask for in DFS for the XFL. He’s had five targets in back-to-back games and he may get more work as a runner. If the price keeps dropping then I like his DFS value even more. He may even be a good Cash game play that offers salary relief.
Reece Horn (TB; DraftKings: $4,200; FanDuel: $15) – I prefer the price on DraftKings a little more than FanDuel. It’s gone up in recent weeks, but even at $4,200 he’s still a really good play. He has eight catches on 13 targets for 93 total yards. This is a matchup where the Vipers should be trailing quite a bit, ergo the passing game should be quite active and Horn is coming off a game where he received eight targets. He’s still a gamble and not as safe for Cash games as I might say that Holley is, but Horn’s a good dart throw in GPP’s. The news breaking late Wednesday that Seantavius Jones had been waived may create more opportunities for guys further down the depth chart.
Other Players Worth Considering:
- Rashad Ross (D.C.)
- L’Damian Washington (STL) Update: A little worried about Washington. He did not practice on Thursday so his status is worth monitoring.
- Jordan Smallwood (LA)
- Dan Williams (TB)
- Alonzo Russell (STL)
- Brandon Barnes (LA)
- Jalen Tolliver (TB)
Defense/Special Teams
D.C. Defenders (at LA; DraftKings: $4,700) – The Defenders are somehow not the most expensive D/ST on the slate. That honor goes to the Roughnecks this week, and it’s somewhat baffling. The Defenders are simply crushing the rest of the league on defense. They have six turnovers, four sacks, and three defensive touchdowns through two games. It’s a daunting defense and arguably the best Cash game play even if they’re going cross-country to Los Angeles. Johnson didn’t really light up the stat sheet last week and he might still be a little hurt. I expect more of the same so far from the Defenders.
Dallas Renegades (at SEA; DraftKings: $4,200) – Defenses against the Dragons have posted 22 and 14 points respectively in two games. They simply don’t have great quarterback play with three interceptions through two games from Brandon Silvers. Don’t get me wrong, the Defenders are worth the money in Cash games. But Dallas is a pretty good GPP play if this defense can score like the Vipers and Defenders have done over the last two weeks.
St. Louis Battlehawks (vs. NY; DraftKings: $3,700) – I’m not crazy about the Battlehawks defense getting priced up after putting up a goose egg last week, but we can’t assume DraftKings is really that stupid. The Roughnecks look like they can torch just about anybody. This week St. Louis hosts New York who were just embarrassed last week by D.C. The Battlehawks don’t have nearly as impressive of a defense as the Defenders do, and we may still not know who the Guardians are. They looked above average in Week 1, but they looked flat in Week 2. Matt McGloin has completed just 47.9% of his pass attempts for 226 yards through two games. Throw in the pair of picks he has and he’s been incredibly underwhelming. I expect the Battlehawks to show up and shut down the Guardians on Sunday.
Writer’s Note: I’ll have a little exposure to the Roughnecks since it is against the worst team in the league (the Vipers). I’m not overly fond of the price tag, but opposing defenses have put up 24 and 23 points on DraftKings between Weeks 1 and 2. So even if the Roughnecks can yield at least a dozen points on DraftKings, they’re in play.
Example Lineups
DraftKings Cash
QB - Jordan Ta'amu
RB - James Butler
WR - Alonzo Russell
WR - Deandre Thompkins
FLEX - Nick Holley
FLEX - Eli Rogers
D/ST - Houston Roughnecks
Pivoting off the Roughnecks to the Defenders will leave you with $1,000 if you want to upgrade at another position.
DraftKings GPP
QB - Cardale Jones
RB - Donnel Pumphrey
WR - Reece Horn
WR - Deandre Thompkins
FLEX - Rashad Ross
FLEX - Sammie Coates
D/ST - DC Defenders
Yes, I've got Coates and Horn to get a little contrarian for the Main Slate. You've got $500 left over and can swap out Coates since he's wildly underwhelming and you can also pivot from Rashad Ross to Eli Rogers as well.
FanDuel Cash (Sat-Sun)
QB - Phillip Walker
RB - Donnel Pumphrey
WR/TE - Eli Rogers
WR/TE - Rashad Ross
FLEX - James Butler
FLEX - DeVeon Smith
I'm acknoledging this is a risky Cash lineup considering it's loading up on two teams (with the exception of Smith). The value for some of DC works very well with a Phillip Walker build. It does read more as a GPP line, but I like the value with some of the DC players off of Thompkins who is priced way up.
FanDuel GPP (Sat-Sun)
QB - Jordan Ta'amu
RB - Jhurell Pressley
WR/TE - Kahlil Lewis
WR/TE - Alonzo Russell
FLEX - James Butler
FLEX - Mekale McKay
FanDuel (Saturday Only)
QB - Phillip Walker
RB - Lance Dunbar
WR/TE - Nick Holley
WR/TE - Kahlil Lewis
FLEX - Kenneth Farrow
FLEX - Donald Parham
FanDuel (Sunday Only)
QB - Cardale Jones
RB - Donnel Pumphrey
WR/TE - Eli Rogers
WR/TE - De'Mornay Pierson-El
FLEX - Nelson Spruce
FLEX - Khari Lee