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Welcome to Week 2 of the inaugural UFL season, RotoBallers! The new league's debut went without a hitch, and there were some entertaining moments, including a 64-yard game-winning field goal and a trick play where the punter threw to the center for a long touchdown. The picks in this article didn't crush your lineups, but they weren't optimal, as the St. Louis Battlehawks stack let us down, and the Brahmas/Stallions stacks dominated. We now have some data to utilize, so let's tackle Week 2 with a vengeance.
Below are my thoughts on DraftKings' Week 2 DFS slate of UFL contests, which goes live on 4/6 at noon ET. I'd encourage you to read all our other weekly UFL fantasy football articles and stay on top of injury news, and roster moves to remain well-informed and ahead of the competition. Let's get to it. Good luck, RotoBallers!
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DraftKings Quarterbacks - Week 2 UFL DFS Picks
E.J. Perry - Michigan Panthers vs. Birmingham Stallions - $9,300
E.J. Perry didn't have a great game from a real-life perspective in Week 1, completing just 12-of-24 passes for 176 yards and two interceptions. He salvaged his fantasy output with six carries for 17 yards and two touchdowns, though, and that's why I am interested in him this week. The Panthers have decent receiving weapons and a solid running back in Wes Hill, who rushed 11 times for 85 yards last week, but Michigan coach Mike Nolan has to like what he's seeing from Perry rushing at the goal line. I shouldn't need to tell you that these situations can be gold mines for daily fantasy contests (i.e., prime Cam Newton).
The Stallions boast the top defense and the best pass-rushing grades (via Pro Football Focus), but one-game sample sizes must be taken with a giant grain of salt. They played Luis Perez and the talent-deficient Arlington Renegades, who I expect to be cellar dwellers this season. I don't think many people will want to attack this Birmingham defense after their stifling effort in Week 1, so there will be some leverage we can gain on the field with this selection as well.
A.J. McCarron - St. Louis Battlehawks vs. Arlington Renegades - $10,500
The former highly regarded NFL backup disappointed last week, finishing as QB4 with 17.6 DK points while being the highest-priced player on the slate. However, all the signs were there for him to smash, and we're returning to the well. The volume was there as he threw 37 passes, trailing only Case Cookus (12.8 DK points) and Jordan Ta'amu (9.1 DK points) for the week. He also looked sharp with his high volume, completing 65% of his passes while notching two scores through the air.
As mentioned above, Arlington has some issues on both sides of the ball. While we can't do much with just one game of data, they rank last or second-to-last in all relevant PFF grades on the defensive side. I don't expect this team to turn its fortunes around on a dime, and I fully anticipate McCarron and the Battlehawks dominating this matchup.
DraftKings Running Backs - Week 2 UFL DFS Picks
Cam'Ron Harris - DC Defenders vs. Houston Roughnecks - $7,700
Cam'Ron Harris and the rest of the Defenders had a rough week against the Brahmas, who ran away with a 27-12 beatdown in San Antonio. Harris finished with just 3.4 DK points, rushing eight times for 20 yards while catching 1-of-2 targets for four receiving yards. I promise there's some good news coming. First and foremost, Harris was the only running back on the team to receive more than one carry, so he has the starting role and will receive the bulk of the workload moving forward. That has significant value, especially at his comparatively cheap pricing.
The Defenders are five-point favorites playing at home against Houston, which means there's a great chance of game script favoring leaning on the running game. Lastly, Houston held the uninspiring Memphis offense to 34 rushing yards on 19 attempts. That type of production is unsustainable, and I think the field will be overvaluing its performance from Week 1.
Wayne Gallman - St. Louis Battlehawks @ Arlington Renegades - $8,000
We're sticking with the former Giants running back after he let us down with just 6.6 DK points in Week 1. As touched on with McCarron, Arlington is a team to attack, and I think the Battlehawks handle business at home against an overmatched team. That means Gallman should get plenty of work playing with the lead, and he shouldn't have much competition for carries, as fellow running back Jacob Saylors had an awful game with six carries for seven yards.
The Renegades allowed 183 rushing yards on 36 carries (5.1 yards per carry) to the Brahmas in Week 1. They also gave up four receptions for 66 yards to running backs in their loss. Until they prove otherwise, we will attack this team from all angles.
DraftKings Wide Receivers and Tight Ends - Week 2 UFL DFS Picks
Daewood Davis - Memphis Showboats vs. San Antonio Brahmas - $6,600
Daewood Davis is underpriced relative to his target share, even though we only have one week to work with. Case Cookus threw a whopping 40 passes in their Week 1 win over Houston - Davis received a league-leading ten of those targets. He was productive with them, too, catching seven passes for 43 yards to finish with 12.8 DK points. He also had a carry that went for 15 yards, a sweet bonus we don't typically get from the WR/TE position. The Brahmas rated out well defensively in their demolition of the Renegades in Week 1, but I'm banking on the target volume boosting Davis' DFS output again this week.
Deon Cain - Birmingham Stallions @ Michigan Panthers - $6,400
We're riding the hot hand with Deon Cain against our Panthers' stacks as a runback option. Cain was WR4 in Week 1, catching 3-of-6 targets and a score to finish with an impressive 15.6 DK points against the vulnerable Renegades. This could be a tricky receiving corps to figure out as they spread 28 attempts across ten different targets, but Cain was the clear leader with six of them and receiving the lone receiving touchdown for the team.
The Panthers snuck out a win against St. Louis in Week 1, but their defense graded second-worst in the league after the Renegades. They finished with the worst coverage grade and second-worst pass rush, so there should be plenty of opportunity for Cain and the Stallions to move the ball through the air in this one.
Marcell Ateman - St. Louis Battlehawks vs. Arlington Renegades - $6.500
We already discussed why McCarron is a great play this week against the Renegades, so why wouldn't we want to pair him up with his favorite receiver? Marcell Ateman caught 6-of-7 targets for 60 yards and a touchdown in Week 1, finishing as WR2 behind San Antonio's Jontre Kirklin. He's priced as the 15th most expensive WR/TE option in Week 2, and to me, that's a mistake. Hakeem Butler, Blake Jackson, and Darrius Shepherd are all more expensive than him, but we can have some faith that what McCarron and the Battlehawks showed us in the game will carry over into Week 2.
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