XFL Fantasy POV: Quarterbacks and passing game stand out in Week #1

If you are looking for a DFS hint about the XFL, quarterbacks and their passing game are way ahead of the running game based on the season openers last weekend.

For example, quarterback Phillip (P.J.) Walker of the Houston Roughnecks and Cardale Jones of the D.C. Defenders were the two biggest stars in week #1 games.  Both players could be solid DFS assets this spring.

Walker threw four touchdown passes and had a quarterback rating of 103.8 in leading Houston to a 37-17 win in their home opener. He had 39.5  fantasy football points, which makes Walker the leading scorer in the XFL.

Jones had a QB rating of 116.7 after he and the Defenders demolished the Seattle Dragons, 31-19, in their home opener.  Jones completed 16 out of 26 passes for two touchdowns.  He had 24.2 fantasy football points.

Walker spent 2017 and 2018 on the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad before being released prior to the 2019 NFL season.  Despite being a record-setting quarterback at Temple University, Walker was considered too short and too inconsistent with his throws to  play professional football. He’s listed as being 5’11” on the Roughnecks roster.

He was initially signed as an undrafted free agent out of Temple following the 2017 NFL draft. He worked with the Colts on their practice squad for the first two seasons of his career but was released before the 2019 season.,

Like Walker,  D.C. quarterback Cardale Jones has said what he needs most is the repetition of calling and making plays at the professional level.  Jones was the QB who led the Ohio State BUckeyesto the national college football championship in 2014,

Unlike Walker, Jones was selected in the 4th round by the Buffalo Bills in the 2016 NFL draft.  He spent the entire season as the No. 3 quarterback on the Bills’ depth chart and then was traded to the Los Angeles Chargers on July 26, 2017.  Jones was on L.A.’s practice squad until he was released on August 31, 2019.  On September 7, 2019, Jones was signed to the Seattle Seahawks practice squad.  He was released on September 18.

If you are a long-time football follower, you will recognize the last name “Proehl”.  Seattle’s Austin Proehl leads all pass receivers with 21.1 fantasy football points.  Austin’s dad, Ricky, played wide receiver for 17 years in the NFL.  Ricky Proehl played for the Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, St. Louis Rams, Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts.

Austin Proehl is trying to follow in his dad’s footsteps and  play in the NFL.  He had an excellent start with 5 catches for 88 yards and, most importantly, 2 touchdown catches.  Proehl seems to be Seattle quarterback Brandon Silvers’ favorite target, so expect more from this combination in this weekend’s game against Tampa Bay.

There were no other major stars in week 1 of the XFL season as there  were plenty of mishaps, mistakes and miscues. Not a single running back ran for 100 yards or more in Week 1.  From a DFS standpoint, XFL teams are committed to throw the football more than run it.

The expectation that the games would be higher scoring than the NFL never materialized.  The average number of total points per game was 38.5.  (The average number of total points per game in the NFL was 45.6 in 2019.)

NEXT UP – Looking ahead to week #2 and who would be solid starters for DFS.