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DraftKings XFL DFS Lineup Advice: Week 1 (2020)

DraftKings XFL DFS Lineup Advice: Week 1 (2020)

Geoff Lambert looks at XFL DFS value plays for Week 1.

This piece is part of our article program that features quality content from experts exclusively at FantasyPros. For more insight from Geoff, head over to GoingFor2.com.

No one is more excited about XFL and spring football than me. I’ve been researching the players since early December, I’ve put up my XFL rankings here on FP, I’m in four XFL fantasy leagues, and I have a live show every Friday talking XFL DFS (The Armchair Fantasy Show 930pm EST on YouTube). While no one knows whats going to happen in Week 1, I’m as equipped as any to offer some of my insight into this new league. I’ll be doing this column on a weekly basis here on FP for the entire XFL season so be sure to check for it each week, and feel free to reach out to me on Twitter if you have any fantasy questions @GeoffLambert77. Let’s get to the good stuff…

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Quarterbacks

Cardale Jones (DC) $10,200 vs. SEA
With L.A.’s Josh Johnson and Dallas’ Landry Jones both expected to miss Week 1, Cardale Jones becomes the clear favorite at the quarterback spot. He has one of the best receiving corps in the league with two former Redskins in Rashad Ross and Simmie Cobbs, former Steeler Eli Rogers, and DeAndre Thompkins from Penn State.

Phillip Walker (HOU) $7,800 vs. LA
Before there was the “Air Raid” offense that we’ve seen in college and now in the NFL, there was the “Run-and-Shoot,” a pass-first offense that was used a lot in the early 90s. Roughnecks head coach June Jones ran that offense in Atlanta and he hired Chris Miller as his offensive coordinator, who was his quarterback in Atlanta during that time. This will be a pass-first team and Walker will have a ton of pass attempts.

Charles Kanoff (LA) $6,000 @ HOU
Kanoff becomes the best value at quarterback due to an injury to starter Josh Johnson. There is still some question as to whether or not Johnson will be able to go, but most beat reporters I’ve seen on Twitter expect Kanoff to start if Johnson is indeed held out Week 1.

Running Backs

Jhurell Pressley (DC) $7,900 vs. SEA
The leading rusher in the now-defunct AAF, Pressley is the lead dog in a loaded backfield that also includes former Eagle Donnel Pumphrey. Oddsshark has the Seattle Dragons as the worst team in the league with the DC Defenders as one of the best, and DraftKings Sportsbook has the Defenders as seven-point favorites — that could lead to some fourth-quarter time killing runs for Pressley.

Cameron Artis-Payne (DAL) $6,800 vs. STL
Former Carolina running back Artis-Payne was expected to share the backfield with former Cowboy Lance Dunbar, but recent reports have Dunbar potentially missing Week 1 with an undisclosed injury. That would leave Artis-Payne with a huge workload and the potential to put up the most fantasy points for a running back in Week 1.

Darius Victor (NY) $3,700 vs. TB
Darius Victor and Tim Cook split reps in practice at a near 50 percent clip. Cook is expected to get the start, but Victor figures to get his fair share of touches as well. Cook is $6,100 on DraftKings, making Victor a steal at $3,700 — if they do indeed end up splitting carries. Victor was never used in the passing game in his college career at Towson, so that could hold him back from putting up a ton of fantasy points in the XFL, but at $3,700 he could pay off simply by scoring a touchdown.

Wide Receivers

Sammie Coates (HOU) $9,300 vs. LA
I mentioned earlier that Roughnecks will be running some form of the Run-and-Shoot offense from the early 90s and Sammie Coates figures to be the No. 1 receiver in this offense. Coates played for the Steelers for a few seasons, and he can flat out fly, running a 4.4-40 in his combine. His hands were always the question mark with him, but he should still get plenty of looks from quarterback PJ Walker.

Seantavius Jones (TB) $7,400 @ NY
An unfortunate injury to their No. 1 wide receiver, Antonio Callaway, the Tampa Bay Vipers are now expected to use Jones as their No. 1 receiver. Head coach Marc Trestman, despite his failures at the NFL level, was the offensive coordinator that had the Bears as a top 10 offense in 2013 with Jay Cutler under center. Jones isn’t a very fast receiver with a 4.58-40 in his combine, but he is big at 6-foot-3 210 lbs with a large catch radius that ranks in the 92nd percentile (via PlayerProfiler.com). Those metrics compare similarly to a receiver that Trestman coached in Chicago, Brandon Marshall. Jones will play the Brandon Marshall role in this offense.

Freddie Martino (DAL) $3,000 vs. STL
News broke this week that Jazz Ferguson, whom many expected to be the Renegades No. 1 wide receiver, has an injury and will likely miss Week 1 at minimum. That puts Jeff Badet at the No. 1 spot and Freddie Martino in the No. 2. At the minimum salary of only 3k, Martino he a steal.

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