"I'm not afraid of failing. I don't like to fail. I hate to fail. But I'm not afraid of it."-
This is my first post on the site and our sites first ever post on the XFL. If the picks are good, great I will keep doing them. If they are straight trash, well they are free and free is always good right? Do what you want with them.
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Week 1 of the XFL DFS season is certainly set up for us to fail because who the heck knows what is going to happen. I mean in a league where a 2nd forward pass is legal, anything is possible.
We have no clue about who has a good O -Line, who has a good defense, heck we don't even know who is calling the plays for some of the teams.
That is why I think this week we have to go with things we think we know as we try to collect data on this season.
Here is the slate.
Saturday:
Seattle Dragons @ DC Defenders (-7.5)
L.A. Wildcats @ Houston Roughnecks (-5.5)
Sunday:
Tampa Bay Vipers (-2.5) @ N.Y. Guardians
St. Louis BattleHawks @ Dallas Renegades (-8.5)
Quarterbacks
Because we are unsure of a lot variables I am going with QBs that are paired up with coaches who are known to heavily use their QBs.
Josh Johnson - LA Wildcats - $10,700
Johnson is currently a game-time decision, which could make him a good GPP flier with the High Price tag and the Swiss Flag next to his name. Norm Chow is calling the plays for the Wildcats, so I expect a well balanced attack from LA. We could also see them utilize Johnson ability to run the football as well.
Landry Jones - Dallas Renegades - $9,200
Johnson also currently has the Swiss Flag tag, but also has the latest start of the slate. If news comes out early that he can play, Jones will probably be the Chalk at QB this week, however if it's a game time decision his ownership may go down. Jones is very familiar Bob Stoops, the two teamed up at Oklahoma back in the day and we know Offensive Coordinator Hal Mumme (Air Raid) is going to throw it all over the yard. I could honestly see them throw 50 times a game. I am hesitant to throw Phillip Nelson -$8,300 straight into my builds if Jones can't go, Mumme seems to really like Syracuse product Eric Dungey - $6,000. It wouldn't shock me to see both guys play if Jones can't go. St. Louis BattleHawks QB Jordan Ta'amu - $8,700 could slide into your build if you lock in Jones and he can't go.
Phillip Walker - Houston Roughnecks - $7,800
Head Coach and Run/Shoot Guru June Jones named PJ Walker the starter earlier this week and I think Walker is my favorite QB on the slate. At this price, Walker could be a solid GPP or cash play, I would imagine some people will end up playing Connor Cook based on name recognition failing to realize he is QB #2. Jones is known for putting the ball in his QBs hands and letting him make plays. We saw this with Garrett Gilbert at SMU and we saw how Gilbert played in the AAF. Accuracy could be an issue, but Walker gives you the ability that only Johnson has on this slate and that is to score on the ground. Great college production at Temple, under Matt Rhule where he broke a ton of school record. Walker also played in 4 preseason games with the Colts last fall.
Other plays to watch: Cardale Jones - DC Defenders $10,200
Running Backs
Here is where the XFL differs from the NFL on Draftkings. We only have 1 RB Spot instead of the usual 2. We can also play RB's in the Flex Spot. With only 1 RB slot we will need a guy who you is going to get the bulk of the opportunities. However, we also have NO idea which teams O-Lines will perform well, so it's kind of guessing game at this point.
Elijah Hood - L.A. Wildcats - $7,500
Hood is the clear cut starter and should be the workhouse of L.A. At this price, with expected volume, I am rostering Hood in most of my builds. OC Chow is known for using his backs in the passing game (think USC days) and I could see Hood doing some damage catching passes as well.
Trey Williams - Seattle Dragons - $4,100 or Kenneth Farrow - Seattle Dragons - $7,200
Both backs last played for current Dragons OC Mike Riley in the AAF and both had decent success in San Antonio. Farrow will be the lead running back and rushed for 2nd most yards in the AAF last spring (thus the big price tag), but there should be room for Williams as well. Williams is a dart throw at a cheaper salary for me, he averaged 5.1 yards a carry in the AAF.
Jhurell Pressley - DC Defenders - $7,900
Pressley is the 2nd highest price back on the slate. This is most likely due to his success in the AAF (Top Rusher). Donnel Pumphrey - $5,100 could be a threat catching passes out of the backfield as well for DC.
Other plays to watch: Christian Michael - St. Louis BattleHawks $8,400, Tim Cook - N.Y. Guardians $6,100, Justin Stockton - N.Y. Guardians $4,200,
Wide Receivers
Wide Outs ruled the short-lived AAF and I expect early on this to be the case in the XFL as well. I am planning on using my flex spots on slot WRs from teams that are expected to throw.
Rashad Ross - DC Defenders - $10,400
Highest salary WR on the slate and for good reason Ross destroyed AAF secondaries averaging an eye-popping 16.2 yards per catch. Pair him up with Cardale Jones and his rocket arm and look out. Ross could be the most explosive player in the league. Eli Rogers $9,100 could also be in play for DC.
Sammie Coates - Houston Roughnecks - $9,300
Coates maybe the most physically gifted WR in the league. He just needs to put everything together, drops and injuries have brought him to the XFL. Still just 26, the 6'2 wide out is the clear cut top option for the Roughnecks and should get many opportunities to impress in June Jones' high volume Run and Shoot offense.
Dallas Renegades WRs - Jeff Badet $8,800, Flynn Nagel $3,800, and Freddie Martino $3,000
I like Dallas ALOT, especially if Landry Jones is a go. Badet, Nagel and Martino all figure to be the feature WRs based on the team's first depth chart. Badet is a speedster, who is impressing in camp but doesn't have a ton of college or NFL production to show for it yet. Nagel, maybe my first play on the slate. Cheap and dependable, I expect to Nagel to work out of the slot and should receive plenty of targets in Hal Mumme's Air Raid offense. Martino was acquired from Tampa earlier in camp and should get plenty chances in this offense. Again, I think they maybe throw near 40-50 times a game.
Others to Watch: Mekale McKay - N.Y. Guardians - $9,900, Nelson Spruce - L.A. Wildcats - $8,500, Nick Truesdell (TE) - Tampa Bay Vipers - $6,900, Adonis Jennings - L.A. Wildcats - $3,300
Defense
So many unknown here, so I am going with what I think I know.
New York Guardians
Aaron Murray is quarterbacking for Tampa and he didn't play particularly well in his last stint with Atlanta in the AAF. Not the most mobile QB, I could see New York getting a few sacks and possibly a few picks.
Tampa Bay Vipers
On the other side of this match-up is Matt McGloin. We know McGloin can lit up it, but he also has a tendency to throw the ball to the other team. If Tampa can get pressure, they maybe able to turn him over and hit value.
DC Defenders
A lot of the same thinking here with DC as we had with NY. Brandon Silvers is quarterbacking for the Dragons and he also didn't play particularly well in the AAF like spring. I expect Seattle to try to run the ball, which should speed up the game, creating few opportunities for points.
SAMPLE LINEUP FOR GPP
