XFL FanDuel single game player picks: Tampa Bay at Seattle

The XFL presents the FanDuel/DFS community with a Saturday afternoon clash between two teams that are are desperate for a win! Let’s take a look at this game from a fantasy football perspective.

Before I dive into my fantasy football player selections let’s review the rules for the FanDuel single game contest.

The rules for the FanDuel single game contest are rather simple. You have $60,000 to utilize on five players from either team. However, one of those players will be designated as your team MVP. The MVP accumulates 1.5 times the standard FanDuel point total.

The remaining four players in your lineup will receive the standard FanDuel points. Having stated that, it is highly important for you to select the correct player for your MVP position if you hope to win a single game contest.

If you have additional questions regarding the rules for the single game contest I recommend that you check out the FanDuel website for more details.

Here are my FanDuel player selections for this week’s single game slate!

MVP

Austin Proehl, WR Seattle Dragons $14

I am rolling with Seattle wide receiver Austin Proehl as my MVP. Why? First of all, Proehl was targeted often in week one. More specifically, Seattle quarterback Brandon Silvers targeted Austin Proehl ten times in the Dragons week one loss to the DC Defenders. Proehl finished last week’s game with five receptions and 88 receiving yards. It should be noted that two of Proehl’s five receptions were touchdown catches. His week one game statistics translated into a whopping 23.60 FanDuel points!

Another reason that I am going with Austin Proehl as my MVP is that I envision a game script where the Dragons are playing from behind for most of this Saturday’s game. If my assessment regarding the game script is accurate, the Dragons will be in a situation where the offense has to throw the football often. In my opinion, that would result in Austin Proehl having a second consecutive game where he sees a high number of receiving targets.

Flex Plays

Daniel Williams, WR Tampa Bay Vipers $12

There were only two skill position players that were in on 100% of their team’s snaps in week one of the XFL season. The two skill position players that I am making reference to are Houston’s Cam Phillips and Tampa Bay Vipers wide receiver Daniel Williams.

For me, finding a player like Daniel Williams, that plays every offensive snap is a great thing. Why? Well, if a player is on the field that often, he is likely to have a much greater opportunity to perform at a high level from a fantasy football perspective than another offensive player that only sees 50% of the team’s snaps. It’s just common sense.

Let’s take a quick look at how well Williams performed in the Vipers week one loss. Daniel Williams finished last week’s game with six receptions and 123 receiving yards!

DeVeon Smith, RB Tampa Bay Vipers $11

I watched all four of the football games on the XFL schedule in week one. Upon review of the game action I watched, I immediately recognized that the running back position was somewhat marginalized in the XFL. I just did not see any workhorse running backs. However, Tampa Bay running back DeVeon Smith was the one exception. Smith finished last week’s game with 16 rushing attempts that resulted in 79 rushing yards. He also added one reception for eight yards.

If Tampa Bay does find it’s way to a big lead on Saturday, the team may feed Smith often to eat clock. I just think Smith will have ample opportunity to have a great fantasy day on Saturday afternoon.

Keenan Reynolds, WR Seattle Dragons $7

Yes, I know that Keenan Reynolds only had two receptions in the first game of the XFL season. However, Reynolds certainly had his chances to perform from a fantasy perspective. Reynolds was targeted by his quarterback seven times in week one.

I think Reynolds is an outstanding athlete. We should not forget that Reynolds played quarterback at Navy, breaking many of the team’s records in the process. Also, remember that although we did not see any double-forward passes last week, we certainly might in week two. As a former quarterback, Reynolds could be in on the first double-forward pass in XFL history!

Dontez Byrd, WR  Seattle Dragons $6

For my last flex play, I am rolling with Seattle wide receiver Dontez Byrd. I mentioned earlier in this article that I see a game script where the Dragons are behind early on Saturday. That would open the door for Byrd to see more receiving targets than he did in week one. I should note that Dontez Byrd did see five receiving targets in week one. Unfortunately, Byrd was only able to catch two of those five targets. However, at a FanDuel price of only $6 dollars, I think Byrd is worth the risk!

As Always, good luck!