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Welcome to the Week 1 edition of RotoBaller's UFL DFS Bargain Bin, where the goal is to touch on some potentially mispriced players in DraftKings' Week 1 UFL contests. Each week during the UFL 2024 season and postseason, I’ll give you my thoughts on where there may be some value spots to exploit for DraftKings' wide array of tournaments and cash games. After you're done here, be sure to also read all our other weekly UFL fantasy football articles.
The XFL and USFL had both defied the odds over the last pair of springs to complete full seasons -- one in the case of the former and two in the case of the latter -- and they've now joined forces in the hopes of forming a stable and long-lasting pro football alternative for fans that also serves as a launchpad to the NFL for as many players as possible. There's a solid degree of carryover in terms of personnel from both leagues for the 2024 season, even though several teams from each league didn't make the cut for the UFL.
DraftKings' UFL DFS rosters largely mirror that of NFL contests, with a notable exception -- there is no TE-specific spot, but rather two WR/TE spots and two additional flex spots that can be filled with a running back, wide receiver, or tight end.
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UFL DFS Bargain Bin Intro
Before we go UFL DFS Bargain Bin hunting, a few particulars about format and content.
The nature of the beast with value plays is at least a modest amount (and sometimes substantially more) of risk. Therefore, the Bargain Bin may prove to be a bit more of a roller coaster ride on some slates than your typical “tout” article! Naturally, that doesn’t mean there isn’t an upside to be had. All of these selections are therefore suitable for GPPs and can also often serve as solid cash game plays, while often helping you accommodate multiple higher-priced studs into your lineup.
This article is by no means intended to serve as an exhaustive list of all value options for the week. Rather, it’s meant to take a deeper dive into those I feel offer some of the best combinations of savings and upside.
The goal is to recommend truly affordable players, as opposed to, say, a player priced just $300-$400 away from the highest-priced option at his position. I don’t have set-in-stone price limits in mind for each site, but I do consider legitimate affordability a very important criterion.
UFL Quarterback DFS Value Plays
E.J. Perry, MICH vs. STL | $8,800
Perry provided quite the spark for the Panthers during the latter portion of the 2023 USFL season, throwing for 121 yards and rushing for another 48 and a score in Week 10 in a performance that netted 17.6 DK points. That earned him the start in a playoff game against the Maulers, and although the Panthers came up short, Perry racked up 33 DK points by throwing for 370 yards and posting three total touchdowns.
Perry has been named the starting quarterback for Week 1, and he also boasts an impressive body of work from his last two college seasons at Brown, where he showed off his dual-threat skills. With a potential high-scoring affair against the talented Battlehawks offense on tap, Perry could be heavily involved as both a passer and runner and thereby offer a nice return on investment.
ALSO CONSIDER: Luis Perez, ARL vs. BHAM | $9,000
UFL Running Back DFS Value Plays
C.J. Marable, BHAM at ARL | $7,900
Marable put together a strong resume over the last two springs for the Stallions in the USFL, rushing for 925 yards and eight touchdowns while adding a 48-396-2 line through the air. The Coastal Carolina product brings a nice blend of power and speed at a compact 5-foot-10, 200 pounds. Last season, he racked up eight consecutive double-digit DK-point tallies from Week 5 through the USFL Championship Game.
Marable no longer has to share backfield duties with Bo Scarbrough, who opted for retirement. He's listed as the top running back on the Stallions' depth chart for Week 1, and given head coach Skip Holtz's propensity for running balanced offenses, Marable should get plenty of opportunity as both a rusher and safety valve out of the backfield for first-time starter Matt Corral.
Tiyon Evans, HOU vs. MEM | $5,100
Mark Thompson is dealing with a knee injury that has him listed as doubtful for Sunday's game, a development that would leave Evans as the presumptive lead back for Houston if it comes to pass. The Louisville product mostly filled a part-time role in college, but he was highly efficient in it by averaging 6.4 yards per carry and recording 12 rushing touchdowns over 15 games with the Cardinals.
Evans doesn't have much of a track record as a receiver, but even when factoring that in, he could well enjoy enough opportunity to deliver on a very reasonable salary. That's particularly true when considering the Gamblers' passing game could take some time to develop, considering Jarrett Guarantano, who has only modest college experience and none at the professional level in regular-season play, will draw the start under center.
ALSO CONSIDER: Trey Williams, MEM at HOU | $6,600
UFL Wide Receiver DFS Value Plays
Trey Quinn, MICH vs. STL | $6,900
Last season, Quinn parlayed the fact he had a lot more NFL experience than many of his USFL counterparts to post a 37-439-4 line over 10 regular-season games. Quinn then added five receptions for 104 yards and a touchdown in the postseason matchup against the Maulers, putting a bow on a career-best season at the pro level for SMU product.
Quinn scored 12.2 to 24.4 DK points in six games overall last season, certainly giving him the upside to justify his current salary. He already worked very well with Perry during the last two games of the season in 2023 as well. Given that Michigan's offense may have to remain aggressive to keep up with the Battlehawks, Quinn is a definite consideration.
Deon Cain, BHAM at ARL | $5,900
Cain closed out the Stallions' second consecutive USFL title run in the most memorable way possible last July, posting a 4-70-3 line that netted 29 DK points as Birmingham disposed of the Maulers. The one-time NFL wideout also generated tallies of 11.1, 15.2, and 15.4 DK points during the stretch run and the Stallions' first playoff game.
Cain is listed as a starting wideout for Saturday's game, and although he'll be working with a first-time starter Matt Corral, his experience and how efficient the Stallions offense has proven to be under multiple quarterbacks the last two seasons supports the notion Cain could generate strong production relative to salary.
Marcell Ateman, STL at MICH | $5,600
Ateman offers cost-effective exposure to a Battlehawks offense that could once again be one of the most effective this spring, in large part because of the high degree of continuity it enjoys. The most important returnee may well be veteran signal-caller A.J. McCarron, who already worked effectively with Ateman last season.
While Hakeem Butler served as a clear No. 1 receiver for St. Louis in 2023, Ateman was a key complementary option who finished with a 19-259 line over seven games (six starts). Ateman also boasts 19 games of NFL experience, and at 6-foot-4, 216 pounds, could be a nice red-zone threat for McCarron to open the season.
— St. Louis Battlehawks (@XFLBattlehawks) January 25, 2023
ALSO CONSIDER: Gary Jennings, BHAM at ARL | $3,900
UFL Flex DFS Value Plays
Jace Sternberger, TE - BHAM at ARL | $6,100
Sternberger was a breakout star during the 2023 USFL season, producing a 33-517-7 line in 10 games (nine starts) before adding six receptions for 127 yards and a touchdown during the postseason. The athletic tight end, who also has NFL experience with Aaron Rodgers from their mutual Packers days, posted six tallies of 14.8 DK points or more last season. He logged no fewer than four targets in any regular-season or postseason game. Given the ceiling he demonstrated last season and his knowledge of the offense, Sternberger could be an excellent value play while serving as a key target for Corral.
Sage Surratt, TE - MEM at HOU | $6,000
Surratt is another athletic tight end who made plenty of noise last USFL season, putting up even better numbers than Sternberger in the form of a 50-552-1 line while starting all 10 regular-season games. The Wake Forest product added seven receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown in the playoff loss to the Stallions, and he averaged a solid 12.2 DK points per game throughout the regular season and postseason. Surratt now gets to work with Case Cookus, who threw for 27 touchdowns with the Philadelphia Stars over the last two USFL seasons.
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