XFL DFS – Stick’s Picks for Week 1

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I have been in mourning for a few days now that the NFL season has officially come to a close. Thanks to Vince McMahon and company, the DFS Football Season is not over. I’m not sure what to expect with the XFL, but hey, it’s football and it’s DFS. Without further ado, let’s get right into these Week One XFL DFS plays.

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Disclaimer: It is going to be incredibly tough to project playing time and opportunity for this opening week of XFL Football. DO NOT go overboard with your bankroll for Week One. My articles will be mainly meant for DraftKings, but you can certainly use this information for other DFS websites. 

XFL DFS Quarterbacks

1. Phillip Walker ($7,800) – We don’t know a whole lot about Walker besides his prolific college career at Temple (it’s Temple, so let’s not get too excited). The main reason I’m interested in Phillip Walker is due to the fact that he’s playing under a successful Canadian Football League Offensive Coordinator, June Jones.
   
   Jones is currently the Head Coach for Houston with a former High School Football coach, Chris Miller as the Offensive Coordinator. I have no idea how to handicap a High School Coach’s offensive tendencies, but I think we’ll see June Jones do most of the play calling for the Houston offense.
   
   Jones was extremely successful in the CFL and that is something I think will translate well into the XFL. Jones’ most recent season as a signal-caller in 2018 looked great on paper. His air-raid offense averaged over 300 yards passing and over 110 rushing yards per game. I’ll take a shot on Walker having a nice start to his XFL career and perhaps do some damage with his legs as well. Air-raid offenses usually lead to a lot of fantasy points!
   
2. Josh Johnson ($10,700) – This is quite the price-tag for any Quarterback not named Patrick Mahomes or Lamar Jackson, lol. Johnson had some success in the NFL and loves to run the ball. Los Angeles has a solid receiving core (from what I can tell), so pairing that with a serviceable NFL career is enough for me to buy in.
   
   We love using running Quarterbacks during the NFL DFS Season so why stop now? Sounds like he’s going to miss the game due to injury.
   
3. Cardale Jones ($10,200) – My guess is Jones will be the chalk Quarterback in Week One of the XFL DFS Season. For that reason alone, I won’t have a ton of exposure to him but he’s certainly in my player pool based on his talent. I am quite interested to see how this offense runs under Pep Hamilton and Tanner Engstrand.
   
   Hamilton was the Quarterback’s coach for the Indianapolis Colts when Andrew Luck arguably had is best season while throwing for 40 touchdowns in 2014. I trust that Hamilton and his staff will be motivated to get the most out of Cardale Jones.
   
   Honorable Mention:
   Aaron Murray ($9,000)

XFL DFS Running Backs

1. Christine Michael ($8,400) – We all remember Mr. Michael as a nice waiver wire pickup back in the day during your NFL Season-Long leagues… now it’s 2020 and he’s the first mention in my inaugural XFL DFS piece. What a time to be alive.
   
   Michael was a proven talent in the NFL and should be a 3-down back on a defensive-minded, St. Louis football club. It should be fun to watch how Jonathan Hayes and Chuck Long plan to use him in what should be a run-first offense.
   
2. Cameron Artis-Payne ($6,800) – I always thought Artis-Payne would pan out in the NFL, but that day never came. I’m excited to get shares of him this week in XFL DFS, as I truly believe he will be the three-down back for Bob Stoops and the Dallas offense. If Stoops’ offensive mind translates into the XFL, there should be a lot of scoring opportunities for Artis-Payne.
   
3. De’Veon Smith ($6,300) – Marc Trestman absolutely feeds his number one running back in both the rushing attack and the passing attack. Always has, always will… I hope. Trestman’s CFL experience is going to be a huge boost for this Tampa Bay offense and I’m expecting Smith to be the main benefactor of that.
   
   There are some talented running backs behind Smith on the depth chart so I’m a bit nervous to lock button De’Veon Smith in Week One, but I’m close to doing it.
   
4. Jhurell Pressley ($7,900) – Probably the best overall running back in the XFL. I’m sure we’ll see a lot of Donnel Pumphrey on passing downs, but Pressley should be a solid bet for 80+ yards and a touchdown.
   
5. Ja’Quan Gardner ($3,600) – Apparently he’s starting over Kenneth Farrow? I’m not sure I buy that, but if so, Garner is way too cheap to avoid.
   
6. Kenneth Farrow ($7,200) – Farrow got a ton of touches in the AAF under coach, Mike Riley. Riley is now the Offensive Coordinator for this Seattle team and you know he’s going to lean on Farrow early and often. If volume is a concern for your running back spots, just roster Farrow and enjoy the 13+ touches he should be locked into.
   
   Honorable Mention:
   Elijah Hood ($7,500)
   Donnel Pumphrey ($5,100)
   De’Angelo Henderson ($4,500)

Wide Receivers

1. Sammie Coates (9,300) – Coates had a quick NFL career with only six starts in four seasons (though he averaged over 18 yards per reception). I’m not going to get into much detail on why he churned out of the NFL, but I will say he’s my favorite receiver to target on this slate.
   
   Coates is a pure athlete at six foot, two inches tall with 40-inch vertical. He’s an absolute burner and is playing for what I believe to be the best offense in the XFL under June Jones (who has a strong history of peppering his number one wide-out with targets). I love pairing Phillip Walker with his number one receiver Sammie, Coates.
   
   First hunch of the year: Coates will go for over 100 receiving yards in Week One.
   
2. Eli Rogers ($9,100) – Rogers was a reliable target in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense in 2016 and 2017. He somehow then burned out of the NFL. He’s a sure-handed slot receiver who should be locked into a handful of receptions (which is something I’m really looking for in a full-point PPR setup like DraftKings).
   
   Rogers may not have slate-breaking ability, but he should be a safe bet for 12+ fantasy points and a main target for Cardale Jones.
   
3. Jeff Badet ($8,800) – Unfortunately, the burner Jeff Badet never got a real chance to shine in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings and now finds himself in the XFL.
   
   Badet ran under a 4.40 40-yard dash and is probably the fastest player in the XFL (don’t fact check me there). Bob Stoops and the Dallas front office chose Badet with their first overall pick in the XFL Skill Position draft, so I’m looking forward to see how they plan to use him… because they will use him.
   
   Stoops also runs an air-raid offense and that should set up nicely for a guy like Badet.
   
   Second hunch of the year: Badet catches a touchdown for 55+ yards in Week One.
   
4. Nick Truesdell ($6,900) – Another product of the Trestman offense, Tight-End Nick Truesdell is going to be a favorite of mine this season. I was expecting a much lower price, but assuming the field does their research and realizes he’s a tight-end, ownership should be low.
   
   Trestman loves to utilize the tight-end in his passing game, especially in the red-zone. If there were touchdown props offered for Week One, Truesdell would be one of my top plays.
   
   Honorable Mention:
   Mekale McKay ($9,900)
   Nelson Spruce ($8,500)
   Sentavius Jones ($7,400)
   Reece Horn ($3,400)

Best of luck this week and most of all, enjoy it! Feel free to reach out to me on Twitter if you have some more thoughts to add. Lastly, thank you all so much for the love and support for this Win Daily family during the 2019 NFL Season – it was a helluva year!