The NFL concluded its season on Sunday and for the first time in 20 years, we are going to get XFL back on our TV. It is exciting to see what this new spring league is all about and I’m interested to see how the gameplay will be in Week 1. We are going into this thing blind and we don’t have a clue what could happen and I think that is a good thing. The XFL has been transparent as possible when it comes to their exclusive rules and I think this has the potential to be something special. I am going to try to do a lineup for you guys each week and breakdown who I think will perform the best in each upcoming week. Since this is Week 1, I probably will not do that great and I understand that literally anything can happen and things can change in an instant, but I think that is what is going to make XFL on DraftKings fun. I didn’t write an XFL predictions article, but I think it will be the DC Defenders facing the Dallas Renegades in the Championship with the Renegades taking the title. Below I will break down my Week 1 lineup and the unique XFL format on DraftKings.

The format on DraftKings is a little different than the NFL and it could be an indicator of how the league will be played. Instead of 2 RBs, there is only 1 RB, but a extra FLEX option is in its place. Also, there is one less WR and no TE option in the XFL format. It should be a really fun contest each week and I don’t want to waste any more time, so here is my Week 1 lineup.

QB: Matt McGloin ($9,700)

I presume that passing will be very important in the XFL and it is very important to have the right QB in your lineup each week. With a couple injury designations for a couple of the top QBs, it will be interesting to see who people pick in their lineups. I think Matt McGloin is the guy with the highest upside and I think a lot of players will overlook him. With Cardale Jones, Aaron Murray, and possibly Landry Jones to choose from, I feel like a lot of people will go in that direction. I think Cardale Jones will be the highest picked QB this week, but I think McGloin has a ton of potential against a potentially weak defense. McGloin started for the Oakland Raiders in 6 games in the 2013 season and this will be a great opportunity to fight his way back to the NFL.

RB: Cameron Artis-Payne ($6,800)

Here is a familiar face to the people of Charlotte. Cameron Artis-Payne played with the Carolina Panthers for 4 seasons. Although he never really received a legitimate shot to prove himself, he will get a wonderful shot in the XFL. He is playing for the Dallas Renegades in a system with high expectations. He is the 5th highest priced RB on DraftKings this week, but I think he has the most value. From what I can tell, he has one of the best shots to have the majority of the carries for any team. Christine Michael and Elijah Hood will likely be chosen a lot, so I tried to avoid them this week. Artis-Payne should get a good amount of carries and volume will be important on a week-to-week basis.

WR: Mekale McKay ($9,900)

I wanted to pair Matt McGloin with a good NY Guardians WR and I think I chose the best one. I’m not entirely sure how things will shake out during the game, but it appears that Mekale McKay will be the starter heading into Sunday’s game. He was a 2nd round draft pick for the Guardians and I think he will get a good chance to showcase his talent. McKay is a big target at 6’4” and he played at Cincinnati in college, but his most recent football experience is in the AAF last season. I think he will be McGloin’s top target and hopefully he has a good showing this week.

WR: Cam Phillips ($5,100)

I have declared myself a Houston Roughnecks fan due to the fact that it is similar to the Houston Oilers logo and I think the red and blue color scheme always works. With that being said, I wanted to pick someone from the team because of their head coach, June Jones. He has a tendency to pass, a lot. Phillips isn’t the number one receiver on the roster, but he is listed as a starter and has a ton of potential in today’s game against the LA Wildcats. He is a 24-year old WR out of Virginia Tech and he even spent a little time on the Buffalo Bills practice squad in 2018. He should get a good shot to prove himself in Houston this season.

FLEX: Nick Truesdell ($6,900)

I think Nick Truesdell is one of those guys that will earn a spot on an NFL roster in the near future. Truesdell is a 6’6” Tight End who happens to run under a 4.5 40-yard dash. That is a deadly combo and I think it will be fully exploited in the XFL. He should be a top target of Aaron Murray’s this season and it will be interesting to see how TEs will be used in the XFL. I feel like he will be utilized a great deal due to the fact he was the first player chosen for the Tampa Bay Vipers in the XFL draft. Truesdell has bounced around quite a bit, but he was most successful in the Arena Football League, especially in 2015, when he caught 23 TDs and fell just short of a 1,000-yard season. He should be a big TD target for the Vipers this year and hopefully we see that this week.

FLEX: De’Mornay Pierson-El ($6,200)

This is a wildcard, but I think Pierson-El has a lot of PPR potential. He is listed as the St. Louis Battlehawks starting slot receiver and in an offense that seems to promote going to a slot receiver, which is encouraging. Pierson-El is a 24-year old burner, he played his college ball at Nebraska and he yields punt and kick return potential as well. How they use him will be interesting, but I think Battlehawks QB, Jordan Ta’amu will look his way a lot tomorrow night.

D/ST: DC Defenders ($4,200)

This is a totally random pick, but with a name like the Defenders, it would kinda be wrong to pick anyone else in Week 1. It would’ve been awesome to see PFT on this squad, but the Defenders are still one of favorites to come out of the East. The Defenders are playing the Seattle Dragons this week and they have the worst odds to win the championship this season, so I think it makes sense to pick the Defenders this week. We’ll know better this time next week how good the defenses are and how each team plays, but for now, I think this is the best option.

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Yacs

XFL Week 1 DraftKings Tips