XFL DFS – Stick’s Picks for Week 2

Week One of the XFL DFS Season started off with a bang! Using the information from Stick’s Picks for Week 1 and the same GPP strategies we preach for NFL DFS (game-stacking and focusing our exposure to fast-paced, pass-happy offenses), I was able to take fifth place in a large-field GPP and cash for over $5K.

In all honesty, who gives a damn about the winnings and a screenshot from Week 1? I don’t and you shouldn’t either. What should matter is the chemistry displayed in the screenshot.

Here is the exact mindset I had when building the majority of my lineups in Week 1:

– Stack up my favorite offense (HOU)
– Get the expected #1 pass catcher for LA in Nelson Spruce (if HOU scores a lot of points, LA is going to have to pass a lot to play catch-up)
– Play my #1 RB who is a double-digit home favorite (Pressley)
– Get a cheap (I couldn’t afford anything crazy and pricing in Week 1 was almost irrelevant anyways) WR from SEA as they are a double-digit underdog and should pass a lot
– Defense was completely random, not going to fluff that pick, lol – that was luck… but in DFS, a strong game-plan for your lineups mixed with a little luck is usually going to pay dividends for you!!

*This lineup wasn’t even that good (a lot of duds) but a mindset like the above helps simplify your lineup building and will eventually lead to more sustainable DFS success*

Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect in Week 1, but it certainly worked out. I know a lot of our members crushed it in Week 1 as well, which is the main goal of mine and all of Win Daily.

Now that we have a better understanding of expected usage, schemes, offensive roles, etc. I think this is an excellent week to get back to our roots and utilizing the majority of our bankroll for XFL DFS cash games. Yes, cash games are boring and not nearly as sexy as a five-digit payday, but they are a much more sustainable source of DFS ROI (in my opinion).

This article will be heavily weighted towards cash games, but I will also include some GPP notes as well to serve as a “one-stop shop” for your Week 2 XFL DFS lineups.

If you read the article and have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly on Twitter or sign up for Premium Gold to join our Discord channel. My XFL DFS articles will be mainly meant for DraftKings, but you can certainly use this information for other DFS websites. 

XFL DFS Quarterbacks

1. Jordan Ta’amu ($8,900) – Cash and GPP Viable
   
   While everyone chases the points P.J. Walker just put up in Week 1, I’m going to focus on the other QB in this matchup, Jordan Ta’amu. I have this matchup’s total projected for 52 points which is the highest total in my projections (I don’t believe sportsbooks have announced their totals yet). This is the game I want to invest in most and Ta’amu’s price/running ability makes him an excellent Cash/GPP QB.
   
2. Cardale Jones ($10,200) – Cash and GPP Viable
   
   Jones looked great in his Week 1 debut in an easy win against Seattle. Jones is probably the safest QB on the slate and should have no issues putting up 20+ points as he’s likely to take off and rush for at least 30 yards against a New York Defense that recorded 20 QB pressures last week.
   
   D.C. is currently favored by only three points against New York so we should see a lot more of that play action passing the Defenders showcased in Week 1, before the game got out of hand. If this one stays close, we should see Cardale Jones unleash a few more deep balls and provide a higher ceiling in the passing yards department.
   
3. P.J. Walker ($10,600) – Cash and GPP Viable
   
   All hail, Mr. Walker. Walker was the main focus of my Week 1 write-up and boy did he deliver. His price jumped up almost $3K on DraftKings and just like that, the value is gone. By no means am I saying Walker is not in play Week 2, but assuming he becomes the heavy chalk in Week 2, I’d rather get my exposure to Walker by using Ta’amu.
   
   Ta’amu is an elusive runner, competent passer, and significantly cheaper than P.J. Walker. If Walker is to have another big game, Ta’amu is going to have to play up in pace and look to run/throw the ball all day long. Walker certainly looked great in Week 1, but only ranked fifth in PPF’s passer grades.
   
   You are going to want to get some exposure to Walker in Week 2, but I will be severely underweight on him in GPPs and will not be using him in XFL DFS cash games at this price.
   
4. Landry Jones ($9,500) – GPP Viable
   
   Landry Jones was unavailable in Week 1 due to his lack of practice reps coming back from a knee injury. Assuming he is good to go for Week 2, we should see a completely different offense for Dallas. Dallas’ offense was horrendous in Week 1, but Bob Stoops and company stayed committed to their pass-heavy offense letting an inept Philip Nelson throw 42 pass attempts.
   
   Assuming Nelson goes to the bench and Landry Jones gets the nod, this Dallas offense is going to bounce back and show an effective passing attack with their talented wide receiving core. Landry Jones makes for an excellent GPP option in Week 2 under the leadership of his old college coach, Bob Stoops.
   
   Honorable Mention:
   
   Josh Johnson ($10,400) – Sounds like he’s healthy and ready to roll. He’s expensive, but likely the best QB in the XFL.
   
   Aaron Murray ($9,200) – KEEP AN EYE ON HIS HEALTH (two missed practices this week) Excellent buy-low QB for your Week 2 GPPs. Murray looked awful in Week 1, but I’m a believer in Trestman’s offensive mind. Murray should have no problem bouncing back against a Seattle defense that made Cardale Jones look like a NFL caliber QB. RULED OUT.

XFL DFS Running Backs

1. De’Veon Smith ($7,500) – Cash and GPP Viable
   
   Smith is by far my favorite running back on the slate. I’ve said it many times that I’m a firm believer in Trestman’s offense and more importantly, his RB1 usage. Smith is the RB1 for the time being and one of only two running backs who saw 15+ carriers in Week 1 (Matt Jones, 21).
   
   In addition, Smith was in the top-three in routes ran by running backs (21). He only saw one target, but I’ll bet big that number goes up a significant amount in Week 2. If Murray misses this game, I like Smith even more.
   
   In a league where it appears most teams are going to use 3-4 running backs, get a lot of exposure to De’Veon Smith as he’s likely to be in store for another week of ~65% snap share with only Jacques Patrick seeing work behind him.
   
2. Kenneth Farrow ($6,100) – Cash and GPP Viable
   
   For those of you who heavily weighted the “Official Depth Charts” you probably played a lot of Ja’Quan Gardner and got burned. Farrow led this Seattle backfield with 29 snaps followed by Trey Williams with 22 (Gardner 19).
   
   Gardner shouldn’t be a big threat to Farrow’s usage for the time being, but Trey Williams certainly proved he needs to be on the field. Having said that, I still like the floor Farrow brings to the table at a position that is almost irrelevant in the XFL. Farrow may not have slate-breaking ability, but he should be a lock for more carries/catches in Week 2 and likely to get the goal-line work.
   
3. Matt Jones ($5,900) – Cash Viable
   
   Jones had 21 carries in Week 1, which was way above the league average. It’s a small sample size, but it’s certainly eye-opening. Jones really didn’t do a whole lot with those 21 carries (only totaled 85 rushing yards) but the workload is hard to ignore.
   
   If you think Jones is going to have 65% or more ownership in Week 2 XFL DFS, you probably have to play him in cash. If he doesn’t do a whole lot, it won’t kill you with high ownership… but if he comes in at 70+ rushing yards and finds his way into the end-zone in a high scoring game against Houston, you’re going to need that in cash games.
   
   I’ll probably have just 10-20% exposure in GPPs in hopes that he scores a touchdown or two, but I’m not going overweight on a non-elusive running back who likely won’t be involved in the passing attack. I’m only recommending him for cash games if he’s projected to be crazy chalk.
   
4. Nick Holley ($4,800) – Cash and GPP Viable
   
   Holley isn’t a running back, but he’s listed as one on DraftKings… take advantage of that if you want to completely punt the RB position. He’s a sure-handed slot wide receiver who certainly has earned P.J. Walker’s trust.
   
   I don’t expect a huge day out of Holley in Week 2, but if this game plays at the pace that I think it will, Holley should come in with a floor similar to a guy like Cole Beasley (9-13 DraftKings’ points). I’ve said before this STL @ HOU matchup is my favorite game to get exposure to. I’ll lock in Holley into my cash game lineup at such a low price-point.
   
5. Jhurell Pressley ($7,000) – Cash and GPP Viable
   
   Pressley is clearly the RB1 for the Defenders and should see an increased workload in Week 2. Running backs don’t really seem to get a ton of work so far in the XFL, so I’m reluctant to use both Smith and Pressley in cash games, but I definitely want exposure to one of them (maybe both) in GPPs.
   
   Donnel Pumphrey isn’t going away in the passing game (Pressley ran 13 routes while Pumphrey ran 14 in Week 1), but he’s not going to steal significant carries away from Pressley.
   
   Honorable Mention:
   
   Darius Victor ($4,100) – The only Tim Cook we should ever tout is Apple’s CEO. Victor should take over the RB1 role in New York and be heavily involved in the passing game as well, in what should be a fun game against D.C. Victor makes for a nice GPP play and can also be included in a Defenders/Guardians game stack.
   
   James Butler ($6,100) – Only a strong play if De’Angelo Henderson misses this game due to injury. Andre Williams was awful, so I’m confident Butler is the go-to guy for 65% or more of the offensive snaps if Henderson is out.
   
   Elijah Hood ($6,500) – Led the XFL running backs in snaps (55) but didn’t run a route for the LA offense. If you think that changes, Hood is a very talented XFL RB and should carry plenty of touchdown equity when the offense gets near the goal-line.
   
   Cameron Artis-Payne ($5,600) – We saw a full-blown running back committee from Dallas in Week 1 which disappointed 70% of the DFS community who rostered Artis-Payne. The price discount is real this week and the offense should improve with Landry Jones. The DFS field is likely to throw Artis-Payne out of their player pool so this may be a decent buy-low spot in GPPs. I don’t love it though.

Wide Receivers

1. Eli Rogers ($9,700) – Cash and GPP Viable
   
   Rogers is an absolute cash game lock for me in Week 2. He’s one of the best route runners in the XFL and always has shown off his ability to consistently catch the ball. Don’t get cute in cash, use Rogers on DraftKings (slight bump down on FanDuel).
   
2. Cam Phillips ($8,400) – Cash and GPP Viable
   
   Phillips was impressive in his XFL debut for the Houston Roughnecks where he logged 100% of the offensive snaps and hauled in four receptions on nine targets. The targets should continue to be there and the snap count is extremely enticing when making a cash game lineup.
   
3. L’Damian Washington ($4,400) – Cash and GPP Viable
   
   Washington didn’t do anything crazy in Week 1 but he played over 70 offensive snaps for the St. Louis Battlehawks and caught all five targets. As the Battlehawks are likely to be chasing points in this game at Houston (eight-point underdog), Washington’s workload is likely to increase.
   
   At this price, I’ll be giving him a serious look for my cash game and GPP lineups. Feel free to use him in your Houston/St. Louis GPP game stacks as well.
   
4. Austin Proehl ($9,200) – Cash Viable
   
   10 targets is hard to ignore… not to mention two touchdowns. I’m very confident the touchdown regression is coming (the second touchdown was a complete fluke in Week 1), but I’m fine with you using him in cash if you want to chase Week 1’s points. The floor should be safe, but he’s not worth $9,200 and will not be in my cash lineup.
   
5. Nelson Spruce ($10,400) – Cash and GPP Viable
   
   Holy Spruce! This dude was a staple in winning XFL DFS lineups in Week 1. Spruce had 15 targets and caught 11 of them for over 100 receiving yards. Keep in mind, there is a QB change coming this week in L.A. with Josh Johnson apparently ready to go.
   
   When I’m handicapping DFS players, I do not like change in anything, let alone a change in QB. Assuming Spruce is heavy, heavy chalk in Week 2, I will be extremely underweight on him in GPPs. It’s totally fine if you want to pay up for him in cash as he’ll be quite popular, but if this offense improves with Josh Johnson, the quick passes to the slot (where Spruce lived in Week 1) are likely to decrease.
   
   At this price and a QB change, I’ll let the field chase his Week 1 blowup game and pray it doesn’t kill my lineups.
   
6. Sammie Coates ($9,500) – GPP Viable
   
   Coates was awful and cost me $100K in Week 1. We can’t hold grudges just yet as we know Coates is a physical freak and saw a handful of deep targets from P.J. Walker. We’re not going to see a 60% owned Sammie Coates in Week 2, so this is a perfect buy-low spot for a deep-threat wide receiver on the best offense in the XFL.
   
7. Danny Williams ($7,300) – Cash and GPP Viable (if Murray plays)
   
   Not much to say here, he’s one of the best wide receivers in the XFL and was a staple in the Tampa passing attack. If Murray plays, I will have a lot of Danny Williams in Week 2. Murray is out, I’ll fade Tampa pass catchers.
   
8. Jeff Badet ($8,700) – GPP Viable
   
   Badet was a bit of a letdown in Week 1 as he was one of my favorite receivers to target in DFS, but that is going to change this week with the “return” of Landry Jones. Badet is an absolute burner that will flourish in Stoops’ air-raid offense with a competent QB.
   
   I listed him as only GPP viable, but I do not mind using him in cash as I’m quite confident he’s going to put up over 15 fantasy points in all scoring formats.
   
   Honorable Mention:
   
   Flynn Nagel ($5,200) – LOVE for cash
   Kahlil Lewis ($8,900)
   De’Mornay Pierson-El ($8,000)
   Jordan Smallwood ($6,900)
   Nick Truesdell ($6,700)
   Brandon Barnes ($5,500)
   Mekale McKay ($10,200)
   Joe Horn ($3,400) – Way too cheap
   Deandre Thompkins ($3,600) – WR1 in D.C. if healthy