RADIO
Welcome to the Week 9 edition of RotoBaller's UFL DFS Bargain Bin, where the goal is to touch on some potentially mispriced players in DraftKings' Week 9 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 also to 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. 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 is no 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 is 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
Jordan Ta'amu, D.C. at MEM | $9.3K
Quarterback is a particularly tricky position this week when it comes to values, as several teams rotated signal-callers within their Week 8 games, capping the fantasy production of each. However, Ta'amu is one option at the position that head coach Reggie Barlow has stuck with through thick and thin this season, and this week, he gets a premium matchup against a poor Showboats secondary that sometimes appears to have already packed it in.
Memphis is allowing a league-high 72.0 percent completion rate and the second-highest average yards per completion (11.1), and it's also yielded a league-high 18 touchdown passes while only recording two interceptions. Turnovers have been the bain of Ta'mu's existence at times; however, considering how inefficient the Showboats secondary has been about getting their hands on the ball and the fact Memphis has also recorded the second-fewest sacks (14), it could be one of Ta'amu's cleaner games of the season.
DEFENDERS TAKE THE LEAD
Jordan Ta'amu with a PERFECT throw to Ty Scott 🎯 pic.twitter.com/2O8sTQzJ5W
— United Football League (@TheUFL) April 7, 2024
ALSO CONSIDER: Bryce Perkins, MICH at HOU | $8.8K
UFL Running Back DFS Value Plays
Matt Colburn, MICH at HOU | $8K
Colburn has been outpacing his salaries for several weeks at this point, yet he still profiles as a cost-effective option in Week 9. The versatile back appears to have clearly wrested control of the Panthers backfield from Wes Hillis, who was injured in Week 8, while Colburn logged 24 carries and a pair of rushing TDs.
Colburn has double-digit carries in three of his past four games overall, and he's been a serviceable receiver all season as well, with 12 catches. The opposing Roughnecks have been a stingy matchup for running backs on a per-carry basis, but they've also surrendered 10 rushing touchdowns, and Colburn has enjoyed quite the red-zone role of late and could certainly exploit that vulnerability.
Have a day, @2mjayc 🔥🤩
Another TD for Matt Colburn 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Q3qLtBszI6
— Michigan Panthers (@USFLPanthers) May 18, 2024
Wayne Gallman, STL at ARL | $7.5K
Gallman came into the season as the favorite to helm the Battlehawks backfield, given his past experience and success at the NFL level, but it wasn't long before Jacob Saylors lay claim to that role with a series of highly productive weeks. However, Gallman is still filling an important complementary role, and he notably found the end zone twice on just nine carries in a Week 8 matchup against the Defenders.
The one-time New York Giant now faces a Renegades squad that's given up 4.5 yards per carry and nine rushing touchdowns overall, along with the second-most rushing yards per game (110.0). With the mobile Manny Wilkins set to log a second straight start, Gallman could well have the advantage of facing a front seven partly preoccupied with limiting the signal-caller on the ground, potentially setting up some soft resistance.
ALSO CONSIDER: Mark Thompson, HOU vs. MICH ($7,900)
UFL Wide Receiver DFS Value Plays
Ty Scott, D.C. at MEM | $6.7K
Scott delivered handsomely as a value option in Week 8, getting into the end zone for the second straight week while posting a season-high six receptions and totaling 69 yards. The speedy Missouri State product is now averaging 19.5 yards per reception on his 17 catches, and his game-breaking ability makes him a great value option to pair with Ta'amu.
As already outlined in Ta'amu's entry, the Showboats have been highly generous against the pass and haven't forced quarterbacks into many hurried throws. Scott has the speed to get behind a secondary that's already prone to allowing big plays, and he could, therefore, be a primary focus of the Defenders' air attack once more.
Keke Chism, HOU vs. MICH | $6.2K
Chism has quietly put together an effective season for the struggling Roughnecks, and he's one of just a handful of pass catchers around the UFL that can boast a pair of 10-target games on his resume. The Missouri product has primarily filled a short-to-intermediate-area role while averaging 10.6 yards per reception on his 29 catches, and he's logged at least five targets in four of the last five games.
The Panthers have allowed a fairly elevated 62.0 percent completion rate and 11 passing touchdowns overall, yielding the second-most completions in the UFL (163) along the way. With Nolan Henderson showing some promise as a quarterback while rotating with Reid Sinnett a week ago, Chism could deliver nicely on his very reasonable salary.
ALSO CONSIDER: Kevin Austin Jr., BHAM at SAN | $5.1K
UFL Flex DFS Value Plays
Sal Cannella, TE - ARL vs. STL | $7.9K
Cannella got the job done again as a value recommendation in Week 8, vexing a talented Brahmas defense for a 9-86-1 line on 10 targets. The Battlehawks have been particularly tough against wide receivers all season, so Cannella could find himself in an expanded role once again after logging at least eight targets in each of the last four games.
Cannella snagged a touchdown grab against the Battlehawks in the previous meeting between the teams in Week 2, and he could be a frequent target of Luis Perez's once again if targets are funneled away from the outside by St. Louis' suffocating secondary.
SAL CANNELLA WILL NOT GO DOWN!#RaisinHell | @salnells pic.twitter.com/1jbM9tJtvP
— Arlington Renegades (@XFLRenegades) May 11, 2024
De'Veon Smith, WR - ARL vs. STL | $7.6K
Smith's backfield mate, Leddie Brown, has been placed on IR for the last two weeks of the season, leaving Smith with an even safer floor going into a Week 9 matchup against the Battlehawks. As noted in Cannella's entry, St. Louis's league-best metrics against the pass could funnel work away from the perimeter passing game to the tight end and ground attack, making Smith another potential beneficiary of the matchup.
Smith has usually found running room to be at a premium this season, but he recorded a rushing TD against the Battlehawks in Week 2 and had a 101-yard, two-touchdown effort just two games ago against the Showboats. If Smith logs yet another double-digit rush-attempt tally, he could offer a solid return against a St. Louis defense that's allowed 4.2 yards per carry, 10 rushing touchdowns, and 94 rushing yards per game.
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