Heading into the first week of the XFL in 18 years, we have some surprise names that may not see the field Saturday and Sunday. We’ll touch on the players that are officially OUT, as well as those who are still Questionable. We have a little more information on the SEA/D.C. game since it’s the first one Saturday. Unfortunately for DFS, rostering Landry Jones may be risky this week since he plays in the final game Sunday afternoon.
Already Confirmed OUT
Kasen Williams (WR – Seattle Dragons): Williams will miss Seattle’s opener in D.C. against a very tough secondary. Williams and teammate Keenan Reynolds are viewed as the top two wide receivers in Seattle. On the surface, you’d think Reynolds would see more targets, and he could. But Seattle looks like the weakest team in the league, but they have two very good receivers and are surprisingly carrying five tight ends on their roster while a team like Houston, has zero. So in addition to Reynolds look for Colin Jeter, Evan Rodriguez, Austin Proehl, and Dontez Byrd to see some work in a pass-happy game where the Dragons could fall behind.
DeAndre Thompkins (WR – D.C. Defenders): Thompkins has been hobbled with a foot injury and was finally declared OUT for D.C. This is actually good news for Rashad Ross. Ross was believed to be the best wide receiver in the league after an explosive performance last year in the AAF. But when D.C. released their depth charts, he was listed behind Thompkins as a second-teamer. So no that Thompkins is out, you assume this would bump Ross up. But this will also benefit Eli Rogers, Khari Lee, and Malachi Dupre as well. There is a ton of talent to go around on D.C. so they should get along just fine without Thompkins against Seattle.
Landry Jones (QB – Dallas Renegades): Jones has been Questionable all week as he’s been getting limited work in with a knee brace. He injured his knee back in January and was given a four-to-six week window to return. Head coach Bob Stoops has gone on record saying they have plenty of confidence he’ll be ready for Week 2, but he is still Questionable for Dallas’ opener. If he does not play, Philip Nelson will step in and lead the Renegades who are one of the best teams on paper. Update: Landry Jones has been ruled OUT for Sunday's game. Philip Nelson will start for Dallas.
Josh Johnson (QB – Los Angeles Wildcats): This would be a real bummer if Johnson doesn’t play. Sure, there are only eight starting quarterback jobs, but he has NFL experience and he’s still 33 years old so there’s the general belief he can still play. Reports started coming out of the XFL News Hub that Johnson is not the projected started for Los Angeles’ road tilt against Houston. While he’s not officially ruled out, it’s highly unlikely that he plays. Jalan McClendon is listed as the projected starter. We’ll update once we learn Johnson’s official status for this weekend. Update: Josh Johnson is indeed OUT for Sunday's game, and surprisingly Chad/Charles Kanoff will start at quarterback for the Wildcats.
Questionable
Tre McBride (WR – Los Angeles Wildcats): McBride is working through a thigh injury that has him, like Josh Johnson, listed as questionable. McBride was the piece that came over from D.C. in the Rashad Ross trade. The good news is that McBride missed practice on Wednesday, but he did appear in a limited capacity on Thursday. So he’s trending in the right direction at least, but nothing is official. With McBride currently Questionable, Saeed Blacknall could see more snaps if the former is required to sit for Week 1.
Jazz Ferguson (WR – Dallas Renegades): Ferguson looks to be a WR2 option in Dallas. However, he’s listed as a second-team player on Dallas’ depth chart, and on top of that he’s dealing with a hand injury. One could make the argument hands are pretty important for a wide receiver (please pick up on that sarcasm). Like Jones, a little clarity will be needed ahead of time as Ferguson’s slated to play in the final game of the week on Sunday. Update: Ferguson was removed from Dallas' injury report so it looks like he'll be fine to play on Sunday.
Joe Horn Jr. (WR – New York Guardians): Horn’s dealing with an ankle injury, but he’s been a limited participant all week. That does bode well for his status, but the Guardians don’t play until Sunday afternoon so we may not get an official word until late Saturday. Horn is listed pretty far down the New York depth chart as it is so it’s not like it would be a massive loss if he had to sit.
Alonzo Moore (WR – Seattle Dragons): Moore is a backup wide receiver for Seattle. The reason his injury is interesting is largely due to the fact that Kasen Williams is already Out, and if Moore is Out as well then it opens a lot of opportunities up for other players. Moore was limited in practice on Thursday with a hip injury. We’ll have more clarity prior to slate lock on his injury since the Dragons plays Saturday at 2pm ET.
Cole Hunt (TE – St. Louis Battlehawks): I’m going to guess that Hunt being listed as a backup on the Battlehawks’ depth chart is because of his hamstring injury. Hunt’s a big target at 6’6” in this offense, but he wasn’t the greatest pass catcher in college. When healthy, he’ll be used heavily as a run blocker, but could find red zone work. He’s been limited in practice the last few days so that’s somewhat of a promising sign.
D.C. Defenders Defense: The Defenders still are my favorite DFS D/ST for this weekend’s slate, but there is a little reason for caution. Backup linebacker, Scooby Wright, will not play with a knee injury. Backup safety Shamarko Thomas is also dealing with a thigh injury and is currently Questionable. The Defenders still have plenty of depth in the secondary to shut down the Dragons and the defensive line should hold up as well against what should be, the worst team in the XFL.