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Welcome to the Week 10 edition of RotoBaller's XFL Risers and Fallers, where we'll aim to identify multiple players at each skill position each week that appear to be either be trending toward an expanding or shrinking role. After you're done here, be sure to also read all our other weekly XFL fantasy football articles.
Naturally, the participation and success level of many players can vary from week to week. However, the goal will be to spotlight players that have clear-cut reasons to support a continued ascension or decline while factoring in conditions such as the offensive system they're in, injuries around them, and the roles of other teammates at their position.
One note about the general protocol I'll try to follow with the selection of players for this article – once a player has been designated as either Riser or Faller in a particular week, I'll usually refrain from assigning them the same designation the very following week. The rare exception will be when an additional factor that makes them even more of a Riser or Faller surfaces during that specific time frame.
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XFL Quarterback Risers
Jack Coan, Brahmas | Week 10 matchup: vs. Defenders (Sat.)
Coan put together his first 300-yard effort in Week 9 while looking like a different quarterback than he had all season. The Notre Dame product completed a season-high 80.6 percent of his passes on 31 attempts, one week after putting the ball up 41 times in a loss to the Roughnecks. San Antonio's offense looked especially proficient against the Guardians in Week 9, and Coan could be headed for a big finish to the regular season.
The Brahmas need a win to have any chance for the postseason, and Coan could be the beneficiary of a couple of different circumstances to close out the season. Not only should the playcalling remain aggressive for San Antonio, but given how well the Defenders stop the run and how vulnerable they are to the pass, Coan could certainly be in for a great encore to his Week 9 performance.
XFL Quarterback Fallers
Brandon Silvers, Roughnecks | Week 10 matchup: @ Renegades (Sun.)
Silvers has been playing at a much lower statistical standard than earlier in the season, as he hasn't cracked 150 passing yards in three straight games while producing a 2:5 TD:INT. Now, the Roughnecks, already in possession of the South Division title and therefore likely to rest or limit the playing time of many of their starters in the finale, are facing a Renegades defense that's surrendered a stingy 198.7 passing yards per game. The confluence of factors puts Silvers firmly in the Faller category to close out the regular season.
XFL Running Back Risers
Devin Darrington | Week 10 matchup: @ Battlehawks (Sat.)
Darrington finally had an opportunity to operate as the full-fledged lead back in Week 9 and thrived with it, rattling off 133 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. Darrington's speed had already started to earn him more involvement -- he'd logged 22 combined touches in the previous two games as well -- and the results he was able to generate as the primary backfield option should definitely earn him another shot to reprise the role.
Darrington's backfield mate Jah-Maine Martin could very well be inactive again to close out the season, but even if he suits up, head coach Terrell Buckley is likely to stick with the hot hand. Additionally, the opposing Battlehawks have allowed a league-high 131 rushing yards per contest, which brightens Darrington's outlook even further.
John Lovett, Vipers | Week 10 matchup: @ Sea Dragons (Sun.)
Lovett is back into Riser category to finish off the regular season for a couple of reasons. Not only did the versatile Penn State product log a season-high nine carries for the second time in the last three games in Week 9, but he also scored a rushing touchdown for the third straight contest. Lovett also recorded an impressive 4-63 line through the air, an extension of some of the impressive work he's flashed as a receiver during the season.
Additionally, Lovett could have the lead-back role all to himself in the regular-season finale, as backfield mate Rod Smith wasn't able to practice this week because of an ankle injury. That certainly puts Smith's chances of playing in serious jeopardy, making Lovett's stock all the more bullish against a so-so Seattle run defense that's allowed 90.2 rushing yards per contest.
Don’t say it
Don’t say it
Don’t say it…We LOVETT. @_jlovett7 pic.twitter.com/Itqtg7fYlD
— Vegas Vipers (@XFLVipers) April 15, 2023
ALSO RISING: Brycen Alleyne, Roughnecks | Week 10 matchup: @ Brahmas (Sun.)
XFL Running Back Fallers
Jah-Maine Martin, Guardians | Week 10 matchup: @ Battlehawks (Sat.)
As alluded to in Darrington's entry, Martin could be set to finish the season on the inactive list after missing Week 9. Darrington took full advantage of the opportunity to serve as the lead back as explained earlier, and even if Martin does play in the finale, he could see an even smaller role than usual, one that has seen him max out at 11 carries in a single game.
XFL Wide Receiver Risers
Marcell Ateman, Battlehawks | Week 10 matchup: vs. Guardians (Sat.)
Ateman's outlook was bright heading into the season given his NFL experience, but he's battled injury and some inconsistency. However, the big-bodied wideout has started to come on over the last two weeks, a span during which he's generated an 11-166 line on a whopping 17 targets while working with two different quarterbacks in Nick Tiano (IR-undisclosed) and A.J. McCarron.
St. Louis now faces a must-win scenario in Week 10 and will be working against one of the vulnerable secondaries in the league in that of the Guardians. Orlando has given up big games to receivers all season and this game will be played in the fast track of The Dome, so Ateman should have a very good chance of keeping the momentum going to finish the regular season.
Nick Holley, Brahmas | Week 10 matchup: vs. Defenders (Sat.)
We have just one spectacular showing from Holley this season, but it came in Week 9 on his new Brahmas squad. The versatile Kent State alum, who also has doubled as a running back in the past, generated a 4-105 line that features a 48-yard reception.
With San Antonio's thin playoff hopes resting first and foremost on a win in this Week 10 matchup against the Defenders, head coach Hines Ward could turn right back to Holley, especially considering the lack of playmakers the offense has been plagued by all season.
The Defenders could also have trouble keeping up with Holley, considering they've allowed the most passing yards per game this regular season (262.2). We'll bank on Holley being kept involved again in this key matchup.
XFL Wide Receiver Fallers
Travell Harris, Roughnecks | Week 10 matchup: @Renegades (Sun.)
Harris was one of the Roughnecks' most consistent targets earlier in the season, but the passing game as a whole has slowed down and the Washington State product's numbers have taken a hit. Harris has still seen five targets apiece in each of the last three games, but he's only produced a 7-60 line in that span.
When also factoring in Houston may opt to rest some key players or limit their exposure thanks to this matchup against a tough Renegades defense being mostly meaningless for the Roughnecks, Harris is one player who is hard to envision experiencing a resurgence to close out the regular season.
XFL Tight End Risers
Sal Cannella, Renegades | Week 10 matchup: vs. Roughnecks (Sun.)
Cannella was able to bounce back from his only blanking of the season in Week 8 to put together a season-best effort in Week 9. Cannella posted a 7-92 line on 10 targets, and although the Auburn alum has been featured as a Riser previously in this space, he warrants an inclusion again due to the fact those numbers were accomplished with a new quarterback.
Luis Perez, who was featured as a Riser in last week's column, was the quarterback that helped lead Cannella to his stellar performance after not targeting him a single time in Week 8. Whether it was all circumstantial or simply a case of head coach Bob Stoops making sure one of his best offensive players wasn't ignored again, it's encouraging Cannella clearly has the trust of Perez and therefore could likely be counted on for another busy day to close out the regular season.
XFL Tight End Fallers
Brandon Dillon, Vipers | Week 10 matchup: @ Sea Dragons (Sun.)
Dillon flashed in Week 4 with a 3-47 line, but he's simply been unable to make an impact since despite changes at quarterback and an improvement in the Vipers offense overall. The 25-year-old has just a 4-34 line on seven targets over the last five games, including just one reception for nine yards in the last pair of contests.
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