Dave Gloeckner 
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XFL DFS WEEK 2 – Sunday Slate (2/26/23)
We have two football games on the slate for today in the XFL. Week 2 has already seen two road teams come away victorious. Can San Antonio and Arlington keep up the trends? Those answers will be provided soon but if there’s one thing for certain it’s that we have good GPP’s available to play and add some action to our Sunday funday.
SAN ANTONIO BRAHMAS -4 @ ORLANDO GUARDIANS (4pm on ESPN/ESPN+)
The Brahmas still have to be stinging after allowing 15 points to the Battlehawks in the last 90 seconds of the 4th quarter to turn a victory into defeat. What we saw from San Antonio was a very conservative approach to offense as they ran the ball 39 times which was the most for any team in Week 1. As for Orlando, they threw the ball 70% of the time which was also a league high in Week 1. That could have been based more on the scoreboard but either way, we have two different approaches to offense from Week 1 that can help provide information for our builds today.
Quarterback:
JACK COAN (SAN ANTONIO) $8200: Coan did throw the ball 36 times in Week 1 but managed only 207 yards. The Brahmas rarely pressed the ball downfield as they completed just one pass over 20 yards. However, Coan did distribute the ball well as he completed passes to 9 different receivers including 7 to slot WR Landon Akers.
The good news is that they are facing Orlando who allowed 272 yards passing to Houston last week. I think Coan can be effective in this game and provide similar numbers to his opening week stats. He’s the second safest QB on the board today as Orlando and Arlington both have the potential to make a switch if needed. I will not be playing Coan but can see situations where he makes sense.
PAXTON LYNCH (ORLANDO) $8000: Lynch got benched for Quinten Dormady last week but that was mainly based on the score and not 100% due to his play. Lynch went 15 for 21 and 136 yards with 1 TD. But the real issue is that his one TD should have been ruled an INT. And without the jump ball going his way, his stat line would have been much worse.
Going into today, I feel like Lynch is holding onto the starting gig by a thread. There’s talk that Deondre Francois will be dressed today and HC Terrell Buckley may be inclined to give the ex-FSU starter a look. There’s too much uncertainty at the Guardians QB spot for me to roster either Lynch, Dormady or Francois. So I’m staying away until they decide firmly on a starter.
Running Back:
KALEN BALLAGE (SAN ANTONIO) $7100: Ballage busted out with 97 all-purpose yards on 25 touches in Week 1. He was the only player in the XFL to get 20+ touches which bodes well for his potential going forward. Orlando allowed 4.0 yards per carry and 2 rushing TD’s in Week 1 to Houston. They also allowed 5 receptions to RB’s. This all bodes well for Ballage and makes him a RB1 on today’s slate.
JAH MAINE MARTIN (ORLANDO) $8100: Martin looked good in Week 1 with limited opportunities. He rushed the ball 9 times for 41 yards and is listed as the top RB on the Guardians depth chart. The 2nd string RB, Kelvin Taylor, received just 5 carries.
As for the Brahmas, they shut down the St Louis run game allowing just 68 yards rushing. And 40 of those yards came on one play. Their defensive front was able to create pressure and win at the line. I have some concerns about the Guardians O-line and fear that San Antonio will be able to win the line of scrimmage. Tread carefully here because we’ll likely need a long run to return value with Martin. There are better options at RB today.
Wide Receiver/TE:
JALEN TOLLIVER (SAN ANTONIO) $7,200: San Antonio announced earlier this week that WR Landon Akers was being placed on IR with an undisclosed injury. While I loved Akers potential, his loss will turn into Tolliver’s gain. The Brahmas #1 WR had only 5 targets in Week 1 but he was on the field for 68 out of a potential 80 snaps. He’s by far the Brahmas best playmaking WR which should result in him seeing some of Akers short routes. But the other good news is that Orlando let up several 20+ yard pass plays last week and the Brahmas will take shots downfield with Tolliver being the primary target of those routes.
CODY LATIMER (ORLANDO) $3700: Draftkings still doesn’t believe in Latimer. They undervalued him in Week 1 and he ended up scoring 17.8 fantasy points. And all they did this week was bump his salary up to a paltry $3700. This should be another spot for Latimer to shine as his past NFL experience is something that the Guardians are relying on for leadership.
ELI RODGERS (ORLANDO) $3100: VALUE ALERT – While Latimer is under-priced, Eli Rodgers is just priced wrong. All Rodgers did was bring in 4 of his 7 targets for 40 yards. And yet he dropped $1000 in price this week. Rodgers saw more targets than Latimer (7 to 6) and saw 60% more snaps (42 to 26) and yet he’s $600 less? I like Latimer, but Rodgers is definitely the better value play this week.
FRED BROWN (SAN ANTONIO) $3700: Brown hauled in 4 catches and found the endzone once in Week 1 which ended up seeing him total 13.6 fantasy points. With Akers out, Brown could be in line for more snaps as he saw just 25% in Week 1. This will be an under-owned spot but one that could pay off if you’re looking to get different in the Brahmas passing game.
DEFENSE:
SAN ANTONIO BRAHMAS $4000 – As long as Lynch is listed as QB1, we should be using the opposing defense in our DFS builds. Orlando allowed 7 sacks and turned the ball over 4 times against Houston. Regardless of who is at QB, there are major concerns with the Guardians O-line. But adding a turnover prone statue to a bad O-line is a recipe for sacks and turnovers which makes San Antonio my #1 defensive unit today.
ARLINGTON RENEGADES @ HOUSTON ROUGHNECKS -5 (7pm on ESPN/ESPN+)
The XFL ends Week 2 with the only matchup of undefeated teams. It’s a classic coaching face-off as we have Bob Stoops going up against Wade Phillips, who will likely have nicer things to say about the opposing coach this week (click this link for Phillips take on Terrell Buckley last week).
But it’s not all about the coaches as these two teams boast some of the better rosters the league has to see. It’s a great showcase to end Week 2 and add momentum to a league that is trying it’s best to draw viewership and interest.
Quarterback:
DREW PLITT (ARLINGTON) $8000: The talk of the week is how can Arlington find a way to move the ball against Houston’s defense who registered 7 sacks and created 4 turnovers versus Orlando in Week 1. It’ll have to start with Drew Plitt who was efficient in Week 1 but wasn’t able to his team into the endzone against the Vipers. Plitt completed 76% of his passes as he went 19 for 25. He also rushed the ball 5 times for 16 yards. I feel like there is value in Plitt today as Houston will play with pace which will allow some extra possessions and opportunities. He is my 2nd favorite QB on today’s slate.
BEN SILVERS (HOUSTON) $8600: Silvers shined in Week 1 as he threw for a league high 272 yards with 2 TD’s. He did throw 2 INT’s but it didn’t end up costing his team and instead showed his willingness to try and press the ball downfield. OC AJ Smith likes to operate a Run & Shoot style offense and continued to put up points even when the game was well in hand (Houston scored 2 TD’s in the 4th quarter).
Based on the offensive scheme, the surrounding talent, and the risk taking approach, this is my favorite QB play of the weekend. Silvers should get plenty of opportunities and I expect ~40 drop backs again this week.
Running Back:
DEVEON SMITH (ARLINGTON) $5700: De’Veon Smith led the Renegades backfield in Week 1 with 15 carries to Keith Ford’s 9. But more importantly, Smith outsnapped Ford 47 to 17. So there is a clear frontrunner here in Arlington. If there was one knock on Houston’s D last week it was that they allowed a league high 4.9 yards/rush. If Smith can see similar volume this week, he should be in-line for a big day. I like him as RB #2 on the slate today (behind only Ballage). He’s also $1400 cheaper than Ford which makes him a high value player and one that will likely be highly owned.
MAX BORGHI (HOUSTON) $8000: Borghi had a great game in Week 1 on limited action. He received just 8 carries but did have 4 receptions as well as 1 TD to spike his numbers. Houston runs an offense similar to that in Seattle and will have a high pass to run ratio. However, because Borghi is also active in the pass game he will always carry value. The pricing is high considering he played just under 50% of the snaps. But when he gets the rock, he is a threat to break it at any time. So play Borghi with confidence
Wide Receiver/TE:
BEN CANNELLA (ARLINGTON) $6,500: Cannella is the best TE in the XFL and he showed it in Week 1. The Renegades receiver hauled in 7 of his 8 targets for 70 yards. He also played 50 of a possible 63 snaps. It’s clear that Plitt has a trust factor with Cannella and will find ways to get his playmaker the ball even in tight spots.
TYLER VAUGHNS (ARLINGTON) $3,000: VALUE ALERT. Tyler Vaughns secured four of his five targets for 38 and registered 7.8 fantasy points. He also led all Renegades WR’s in snaps with 50. This is another mis-pricing by DraftKings and can see him going under the radar in GPP’s today.
DEONTAY BURNETT (HOUSTON) $8,500: Burnett led all WR’s in Week 1 with 23 fantasy points. He hauled in 8 receptions for 90 yards including a spectacular TD catch. Even more importantly, he played every snap for the Roughnecks. Burnett is a clear #1 WR and should be rostered in most lineups based on Houston’s offensive philosophy and game plan.
JONTRE KIRKLIN (HOUSTON) $7100: Kirklin hauled in 5 of his 8 targets and also found the endzone in Week 1. And like his receiving partner in Burnett, Kirklin played every snap as well for the Roughnecks against the Guardians. I like a full Houston stack here with Silvers to Burnett to Kirklin.
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