XFL Opening Lines
Seattle Dragons at Houston Roughnecks (-13.5) O/U 46.5, Saturday, 2p.m. ET
New York Guardians at Dallas Renegades (-8); O/U 37.0, Saturday, 5p.m. ET
St. Louis Battlehawks (-3.5) @ DC Defenders; O/U 39.0, Sunday, 3p.m. ET
Tampa Bay Vipers at Los Angeles Wildcats (-1.5); O/U 40.5, Sunday 9p.m. ET
Quarterbacks
PJ Walker (HOU; DraftKings: $12,000; FanDuel $23) – You can’t really afford to not roster this guy in a few lineups each week. He’s established by far the safest floor among all the quarterbacks in the league. Despite the inflated price tag on DraftKings he’s still reached at least 20 fantasy points each week and the matchup is solid once again this week. I think Seattle may force this game to not be a blowout if BJ Daniels starts at quarterback. Either way, find a way to get some exposure to Walker and some Houston stacks. Sure, it’s chalky, but he’s a nice cushion to have in Cash and GPP contests.
Josh Johnson (LA; DraftKings: $10,500; FanDuel: $21) – I’ll have a little exposure to Johnson on both sites. I won’t deny that Johnson has looked better of late. He’s thrown for over 600 yards and five touchdowns over the last two weeks and he gets the Vipers at home on Sunday night. This game is at 9:00pm ET so you have to question the motivation behind that decision because that’s late for a school night. He’s worth sprinkling in a few GPP lineups, but I’ll be light on him this week. The travel is tough for the Vipers, but if you take away Tampa’s bad loss to Houston, their defense has held their other three opponents to just 34 totals points on offense and they’ve limited all those teams to less than 230 total yards. Don’t go too crazy with your LA stacks this week.
Jordan Ta’amu (STL; DraftKings: $9,700; FanDuel: $20) – I love the price on DraftKings for someone who has put up at least 20 points in three of his four starts. I can’t quite explain what happened in Week 3 against New York, but it’s certainly an outlier. He’s a candidate for 2X value at this price and I wouldn’t be surprised if he reached 3X value either. I do worry about his pass attempts because St. Louis is so good at running the ball, which he also partakes in. The matchup is shaping up pretty well for him too as the Defenders have allowed 64 points and over 800 yards of offense over the last two weeks.
BJ Daniels (SEA; DraftKings: $7,200; FanDuel: $17) – I’m all for some Daniels exposure if the Dragons opt to start him this week. I just don’t see how they could possible play Silvers after his inconsistent play. Daniels’ passing wasn’t great (completing just five-of-ten attempts) in his relief of Silvers, but he did run the ball seven times for 84 yards and this is a matchup where Seattle likely trails most of the game and he may have to play catch up so if he is the confirmed starter for the first game of the week, then he’s worth some GPP exposure. UPDATE: Brandon Silvers has been declared OUT for Saturday's game against Houston. BJ Daniels will get the start.
Writer’s Note: I’ll have exposure to virtually every starting QB on the slate. I build multiple lineups and like to spread my exposure across both slates. It’s just with eight quarterbacks each week I feel bad if I go overboard and preview six of them, but the four listed above are my favorites for Week 5.
Running Backs
Cameron Artis-Payne (DAL; DraftKings: $8,200; FanDuel: $17) and Lance Dunbar (DAL; DraftKings: $7,600; FanDuel: $17) – I’ll mix in exposure with both guys. I know I’ve been more on Dunbar, but if they’re both $17 on FanDuel, then I’ll lean toward more shares of Artis-Payne over there. The matchup is pretty difficult, but Artis-Payne has been getting more touches overall as of late, but with Landry Jones out this week I expect Dallas to rely more on the running game, which puts both players firmly in play. Favor CAP a little bit more than Dunbar this week especially over on FanDuel.
De’Veon Smith (TB; DraftKings: $7,900; FanDuel: $16) and Jacques Patrick (TB; DraftKings: $7,000; FanDuel: $16) – I’m more inclined to spend up for Smith on both sites this weekend. The matchup is terrific for Tampa Bay. The Wildcats have allowed 526 rushing yards through four games and both these running backs are coming off 100-yard rushing performances. DraftKings really overreacted to Patrick’s performance last Sunday and jumped his price up to $7,000. That’s a little reactionary for a guy who totaled 150-ish all-purpose yards through three games. Smith has been their true RB1 all season and if he’s just a little bit more on each site you can move money around to get more exposure to him. Patrick is more of a deeper, and costly, GPP play.
Matt Jones (STL; DraftKings: $7,300; FanDuel: $16) – Jones is coming off his worst game of the season where he finished with 20 yards on 15 carries. I don’t want to panic yet and I’m a little shocked that his price went up on DraftKings. However, he still has 15 carries in each of the team’s first four games so it’s clear they still trust him. He somehow seems to find himself Questionable on the injury report each week so perhaps there’s something there that may be impacting his play. In regard to Christine Michael and Keith Ford, I’ll dabble and play a little bit of both. Both are touchdown dependent, especially Michael whose YPC is pretty horrendous (2.3), but Ford is interesting. He’s cheap and has scored in both games he’s appeared. And on Tuesday the Battlehawks released Lenard Tillery so maybe some more touches are in play for Ford? Time will tell, but I’ll get throw him in some deeper GPP’s this week. Update: The Battlehawks have added Tillery back to their roster. Might go a little lighter on Ford in this case.
James Butler (HOU; DraftKings: $6,700; FanDuel: $16) – For a position that’s so difficult to read and preview each week, this is a recommendation I’m pretty excited about. Butler is still the RB1 in Houston despite the offense being more efficient through the air. De’Angelo Henderson has missed the last couple games and he didn’t practice on Tuesday. Andre Williams, while cheap, just isn’t touching the ball as much. Butler’s yardage totals have been down and he hasn’t scored since Week 2, but this is a good matchup to target him considering the Dragons have allowed 377 rushing yards in their last three games.
Darius Victor (NY; DraftKings: $5,800; FanDuel: $14) – I’ve been a big “Victor Over Cook” truther for weeks now and it’s finally paying off a little. The matchup this week isn’t the best. The Renegades have allowed just 230 rushing yards in their last three games. Given the nature of the XFL, that’s not terrible, but Victor still shares work with Tim Cook. But Victor has at least a dozen total touches in three games this year, which is great for a guy still priced below $6,000 on DraftKings. He hasn’t found the end zone yet, but if his 18 carries from last week are an indicator, the team wants to feed him the ball.
Martez Carter (LA; DraftKings: $4,600; FanDuel: $15) – Carter is one to keep an eye on. He exploded with a HUGE game in Week 3, but unfortunately missed last week’s game. Luckily the Wildcats don’t play until pretty late on Sunday so he’s got extra time to rest up and be ready. I’m not wild about playing Elijah Hood if Carter’s out. We’ve seen Hood’s price drop to a reasonable point at $4,800 on DraftKings but he’s looked so vanilla on the field and he had just one carry last week. DuJuan Harris looked good when he took over in the second quarter of last week’s game, but he had just seven total touches. I really like Carter if he can find his way on to the field in Week 5, but this is definitely an injury to keep an eye on. Update: Carter was a limited participant Wednesday and Thursday, but reports indicate that he’s looked good. There’s a fair chance he suits up Sunday night.
Other Players to Consider
- Donnel Pumphrey (DC)
- Christine Michael (STL)
- Kenneth Farrow (SEA)
- Jhurell Pressley (DC; Prefer Pumphrey more though)
- Keith Ford (STL)
- DuJuan Harris (LA; If Carter is out in Week 5)
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Cam Phillips (HOU; DraftKings: $11,500; FanDuel: $21) – The only player more expensive than Phillips is his teammate, PJ Walker. These two are explosive and while Phillips put up an absolute dud last week, the Roughnecks are at home in the first game of the week. That slot usually draws the most viewers so we’ll obviously go back to the well with Phillips this week. He won’t always go off for three touchdowns, but he also won’t always go out and provide one catch for nine yards. This is a great opportunity for him to show off on Saturday afternoon.
Tre McBride (LA; DraftKings: $9,700; FanDuel: $20) – He’s the second-most expensive pass catcher on the slate and he’s seen his price tag skyrocket from $3,300 two weeks ago all the way up to $9,700. He has 236 receiving yards and three touchdowns in two games. It helps that he’s benefitted from Nelson Spruce being out with a knee injury. McBride will be popular now that he’s broken out, but he’s in a decent spot again this week for a healthy dose of targets.
Donald Parham (DAL; DraftKings: $9,500; FanDuel: $19) – I was very excited about Parham two weeks ago and he scored twice and followed it up with another score last week. The downside will be the quality of quarterback play going forward. Parham and Landry Jones had a good thing going on the field together and now Parham has to catch passes from Philip Nelson. You might want to limit the exposure to just GPP’s, but he’s still a massive target that anybody under center will be looking at, especially in the red zone.\
Eli Rogers (DC; DraftKings: $8,200; FanDuel: $15) – It’s been a pretty disappointing season for the Defenders who were loaded with talent from the start of the season. It has fallen well short of translating to fantasy production over the last two weeks. I still trust the amount of targets Rogers has been getting, but it’s just stunning he hasn’t scored yet. Rashad Ross and Deandre Thompkins are still GPP plays, but I feel the best about Rogers. And to be honest, it depends on which Cardale Jones shows up for the Defenders because he’s been a huge weakness for DC the past two games.
Flynn Nagel (DAL; DraftKings: $7,400; FanDuel: $16) – This price truly isn’t terrible for someone who can go out and get six targets with a 90% catch rate. Nagel’s a reliable pass catcher and should continue to get looks for the Renegades with Landry Jones out. With at least double-digit fantasy points in three of his four games, Nagel’s a respectable play who has flashed upside of late.
Nick Holley (HOU; DraftKings: $7,100; FanDuel: $17) – Holley has made every playbook that I’ve written so far and for good reason. He had been a phenomenal value for so many weeks until he finally exploded last week so we shouldn’t be too surprised to see such a hefty jump. He and Khalil Lewis saw significant targets last week while Cam Phillips was limited to just three. That will not be happening every week and Lewis has been hobbled with a groin injury. If Lewis is out, I really like Holley’s value on Saturday opposite Cam Phillips.
Jordan Smallwood (LA; DraftKings: $6,200; FanDuel: $16) – Smallwood had arguably his best game of the season and we get him at a $500 discount this week. He hasn’t found the end zone since Week 1, but he had five receptions for 75 yards and a two-point conversion reception as well. Josh Johnson is averaging 33 pass attempts per game, which is a good amount in the XFL and last week he aired it out 40 times. Smallwood could be a WR2 in this offense with Nelson Spruce sidelined.
Sam Mobley (HOU; DraftKings: $3,800; FanDuel: $12) – So Mobley has some decent upside. He’s cheap and we’ve seen him return nine and 11 points at under $4,000 so far this season. Add in the fact that Khalil Lewis has a groin injury and Sammie Coates has a hamstring injury and there could be room for extra targets for Mobley. Houston appears in the first game on the slate so the window for rest and recovery is minimal for the Roughnecks. If one, or better yet, both Lewis and Coates miss Saturday’s game then Mobley is a very sneaky play. Update: As of Friday morning, Sammie Coates is OUT and Kahlil Lewis is QUESTIONABLE for Saturday afternoon’s game. This could put Mobley in a pretty nice spot in DFS.
S.J. Green (TB; DraftKings: $3,000; FanDuel: $11) – He made his debut with the Vipers last week and failed to bring in his lone catch. However, he’s got another week of practice and familiarizing himself with the offense and he’s fairly cheap. Green is a little bit older, but the Vipers could certainly use some talent and experience. He showcased plenty of skill in his time in the CFL. You can’t trust him in Cash games, but he’s a cheap GPP dart throw that just needs a few catches or a big play to return some value. UPDATE: Green was limited in Thursday’s practice with a knee injury.
Other Players to Consider
- De’Mornay Pierson-El (STL)
- Austin Proehl (SEA)
- Mekale McKay (NY) – He’s priced down on DK after scoring last week.
- Keenan Reynolds (SEA)
- Jalen Tolliver (TB)
- Alonzo Russell (STL)
Defense/Special Teams
Houston Roughnecks (vs. SEA; DraftKings: $4,900) – They’re prone to giving up a ton of points and yards, but they can certainly flex on an opponent. There’s still some inconsistent play coming from Seattle at the quarterback position and they huge favorites at home.
St. Louis Battlehawks (at DC; DraftKings: $4,700) – Given how well-rounded the Battlehawks are as an entire team, I’ll take a shot on them this week in a few lineups. I don’t know what the hell happened to the DC Defenders, but they do not look like the preseason favorites like everyone thought they’d be. Cardale Jones was benched this past week after completing less than 50% of his pass attempts the last two games for a total of 175 yards and five interceptions.
Dallas Renegades (vs. NY; DraftKings: $4,300) – Of course I want exposure to the favored team in the game with the lowest projected scoring total. In the event Luis Perez gets the start and is forced into a game manager role, then I don’t see much upside for the Guardians. The Renegades are a better “real life” defense than they are a fantasy defense. They haven’t yielded double-digit points on DraftKings at all, but they’ve limited all their opponents to fewer than 22 points. That isn’t all that hard given the quality of play we’ve seen in the XFL, but even seven DFS points from Dallas is a worthwhile return this week, and I think they can get you more.
Tampa Bay Vipers (at LA; DraftKings: $3,700) – I hate the matchup this week mostly because of the excessive travel. But they are coming off two straight weeks where they played at home so hopefully a five-to-six-hour flight to Southern California isn’t too bad for them. As mentioned earlier, the Vipers defense has actually been solid if you take away their game against Houston. They don’t force a ton of turnovers or sacks, but they limit the points allowed and the yardage. The price isn’t awful for a team that could get eight-to-ten points this week.
Example Lineups
DraftKings CASH
QB - Jordan Ta'amu
RB - James Butler
WR - Cam Phillips
WR - Nick Truesdell
FLEX - Flynn Nagel
FLEX - Alonzo Russell
D/ST - Roughnecks
DraftKings GPP1
QB - Josh Johnson
RB - Cameron Artis-Payne
WR - Brandon Barnes
WR - Sam Mobley
FLEX - Tre McBride
FLEX - Eli Rogers
D/ST - Houston Roughnecks
DraftKings GPP2
QB - PJ Walker
RB - Darius Victor
WR - Cam Phillips
WR - Sam Mobley
FLEX - Cameron Artis-Payne
FLEX - Nick Truesdell
D/ST - Vipers
FanDuel CASH (Sat-Sun)
QB - Jordan Ta'amu
RB - Darius Victor
WR - Eli Rogers
WR - Reece Horn
WR - Cam Phillips
FLEX - James Butler
FanDuel GPP (Sat-Sun)
QB - PJ Walker
RB - Cameron Artis-Payne
WR - Cam Phillips
WR - Nick Truesdell
WR - Sam Mobley
FLEX - Darius Victor
FanDuel (Sat Only)
QB - PJ Walker
RB - Darius Victor
WR - Cam Phillips
WR - Sam Mobley
FLEX - Flynn Nagel
FLEX - Colby Pearson
FanDuel (Sun Only)
QB - Josh Johnson
RB - DeVeon Smith
WR - Tre McBride
WR - Eli Rogers
TE - Nick Truesdell
FLEX - L'Damian Washington