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Welcome to Week 4 of the inaugural UFL season, RotoBallers! The season is rolling along, and we're seeing some teams separate from the pack. The Birmingham Stallions are the lone undefeated team, while the Houston Roughnecks and Arlington Renegades remain winless. Chase Garber's being ruled out for the season creates an exciting pivot point on this slate, as his replacement is priced at the minimum salary, and using him allows you to play whoever you want outside of QB. The Memphis-St. Louis and D.C.-Birmingham games are projected to be blowouts, while the Michigan-San Antonio and Arlington-Houston matchups should be more competitive.
Below are my thoughts on DraftKings' Week 4 DFS slate of UFL contests, which goes live on 4/20 at 12:30 pm 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 4 UFL DFS Picks
Quinten Dormady - San Antonio Brahmas vs. Michigan Panthers - $6,000
The Brahmas will be without star quarterback Chase Garbers for the rest of the season. After three weeks, Garbers led the UFL with a 70.8% completion rate and a sparkling 6/1 TD/INT ratio. Quinten Dormady steps in as his replacement, and we have to like his chances to exceed value in this offense at the minimum salary on DraftKings.
There's not much in the way of statistics for the 28-year-old, a practice squad member for the Canadian Football League before getting four starts for the Orlando Guardians in the XFL. He went ballistic in one of those starts, though, passing for 328 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 22 yards and three additional scores against the DC Defenders. The Panthers have a solid pass defense, but the sportsbooks are projecting a close game (Michigan -1.5), and I'm all over minimum-priced QBs in these spots.
Case Cookus - Memphis Showboats vs. St. Louis Battlehawks - $9,500
Case Cookus has had some uneven performances from a daily fantasy perspective, but there are enough positive signs for me to be interested in getting to him this week. The Showboats have thrown 112 passes (37.3 per game) through three weeks, and while Cookus ceded 11 attempts to Troy Williams in Week 3, I don't see that being the case moving forward. There's something to be said about that level of passing volume, and I think it's reasonable to expect Cookus to finally break through and pass for more than one touchdown this week.
The Battlehawks have a middle-of-the-pack defense, but it's important to note that they will be without two starting defensive linemen in Week 4. The sportsbooks have St. Louis projected to win by seven points in a game with a 45.5-point implied total, so the game script should work well for Cookus and the Showboats to pass all day long.
DraftKings Running Backs - Week 4 UFL DFS Picks
Ricky Person Jr. - DC Defenders vs. Birmingham Renegades - $6,600
Ricky Person Jr. has scored a touchdown in three consecutive weeks and holds the highest DK points per game average on the slate. He's not getting a ton of carries as the RB2 in the offense, but he's punching it into the end zone and contributing enough on the receiving end to warrant a high salary. However, he's slated as the 10th-most expensive running back on the slate, and I don't understand why that's the case. Birmingham is a nine-point favorite in a game with a high 46.5-point implied total, so game script should also be on Person Jr.'s side.
T.J. Pledger IV - Houston Roughnecks vs. Arlington Renegades - $6,700
T.J. Pledger IV has received most of the workload out of the backfield for the Roughnecks to start the season, with starter Mark Thompson rehabbing a knee injury. While he hasn't done much on the ground, he steadily increased his daily fantasy production with games of 4.8, 8.7, and 10.9 DK points through three weeks. Mark Thompson is on track to return this week against the Arlington Renegades, but I find it hard to believe that the backfield will be handed off to him after a lengthy absence.
Arlington has the worst rush defense in the league, allowing 363 rushing yards on 73 attempts (5.0 yards per carry) and a whopping 121 rushing yards per game. This game also features a lofty 46.5-point implied total and projects to stay close, so we can feel good about Pledger IV's ability to gash this defense and wind up having a big day.
DraftKings Wide Receivers and Tight Ends - Week 4 UFL DFS Picks
Jontre Kirklin - San Antonio Brahmas vs. Michigan Panthers - $10,000
We can afford to get up to the slate's most expensive non-QB if we pair him up with the laughably cheap Dormady. Jontre Kirklin ranks sixth in receiving yards, and Marcell Ateman is pacing the UFL with three touchdown catches, but we can't deny the target volume we're seeing from the former LSU wideout. Kirklin has hauled in 23-of-32 targets through three weeks, and I don't see his volume taking too much of a hit with the downgrade at quarterback. Dormady will look to Kirklin early and often, and while Michigan has a solid defense overall, their coverage grades rank middle-of-the-pack, and their pass rush ranks dead last.
Marcus Simms - Michigan Panthers vs. San Antonio Brahmas - $5,600
Marcus Simms looks like a terrific value option to get exposure to on the other side of the ball. He has been one of the most productive receivers in the league over the first three weeks, ranking fifth with 14.3 DK points per game on the heels of two straight games with at least 84 yards and a touchdown. He's the only top receiver who isn't priced where he should be, and that has to pique our interest. The game has the lowest implied total on the board at 41.5 points, but Simms is underpriced no matter how we slice it up.
Sage Surratt - Memphis Showboats vs. St. Louis Battlehawks - $6,000
We're going with a tight end for the final recommendation. A Cookus-Surratt stack won't be popular on this slate, but I love Memphis stacks with the expected game script, and Sage Surratt has been a consistent target through three weeks. He has snagged 10-of-18 targets for 110 scoreless yards, but he's the only tight end on the team getting any target volume. That leads me to believe he has an above-average chance of getting open in the end zone and providing some value on this slate. I'll mix Daewood Davis, Jonathan Adams, and Vinny Papale into my lineups as higher-priced stack options, but I have a sneaky feeling that Surratt will get on the board with his first score this week.
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