RADIO
With the NFL offseason in full swing, fans are dying for some action. While we may be months away from NFL football, who needs the NFL when we have UFL? After the XFL and USFL merger, the two spring football leagues will be playing under one UFL entity this season.
The United Football League season will kick off on Saturday, March 30 as the Arlington Renegades and the Birmingham Stallions, defending champions of the XFL and USFL, meet head-to-head. Are you a diehard fantasy football player who is looking for season-long UFL rankings? If so, you came to the right place. RotoBaller's UFL experts dive into a season-long preseason breakdown by position:
- Quarterbacks - Brant Henson
- Running Backs - Andrew Lennox
- Wide Receivers - Brant Henson
- Tight Ends - Andrew Lennox
With limited information on depth charts and an influx of new players into the league, our experts gathered all known information to come to their consensus rankings. These are subject to change given that we don't even know who the starting quarterbacks are for most teams, but we put our best foot forward in projecting depth charts. Let's dig into it.
Quarterback UFL Fantasy Football Rankings
Rankings and analysis by Brant Henson
For some of these teams, we will see quarterback battles go into the season. Others, such as the St. Louis Battlehawks with A.J. McCarron, are lucky enough to bring over their incumbent starter from the previous season's action. The below rankings are based on experience, skill, and surrounding weapons of the eight projected UFL starting quarterbacks.
| Rank | Player Name | Team |
| 1 | A.J. McCarron | St. Louis Battlehawks |
| 2 | Matt Corral | Birmingham Stallions |
| 3 | Luis Perez | Arlington Renegades |
| 4 | Jordan Ta'amu | DC Defenders |
| 5 | Danny Etling | Michigan Panthers |
| 6 | Reid Sinnett | Houston Roughnecks |
| 7 | Case Cookus | Memphis Showboats |
| 8 | Quinten Dormady | San Antonio Brahmas |
A.J. McCarron was an XFL fantasy weapon in 2023, and his supporting cast is looking even stronger after adding last year's XFL leading receiver in Jahcour Pearson for 2024. McCarron has limitless options to throw to and should see tons of success again.
At just 25 years old as a former third-round NFL pick, Matt Corral hopes to keep his professional football dream alive as the Birmingham Stallions' QB1.
Luis Perez delivered a title to Arlington in 2023 after joining the team midseason via trade and is a viable option as an experienced spring football quarterback at age 29.
Running Back UFL Fantasy Football Rankings
Rankings and analysis by Andrew Lennox
Unfortunately for the DC Defenders, running back Abram Smith will be out for the entire season. The XFL leading rusher from a season ago was placed on the team's injured list due to an ACL injury he suffered in practice. With the absence of Smith, there will be plenty of room for other tailbacks to step up. However, anticipating which running backs will lead the league in carries and rushing yardage may prove challenging for fantasy football players with limited information before the season. We should see early though certain running backs establish themselves as top performers in the eight-team team league.
| Rank | Player Name | Team |
| 1 | Mark Thompson | Houston Roughnecks |
| 2 | Wes Hills | Michigan Panthers |
| 3 | C.J. Marable | Birmingham Stallions |
| 4 | De'Veon Smith | Arlington Renegades |
| 5 | Wayne Gallman | St. Louis Battlehawks |
| 6 | Darius Victor | Memphis Showboats |
| 7 | Trey Williams | Memphis Showboats |
| 8 | Matthew Colburn II | Michigan Panthers |
| 9 | John Lovett | San Antonio Brahmas |
| 10 | Devin Darrington | Arlington Renegades |
| 11 | Pooka Williams | DC Defenders |
| 12 | Cam’Ron Harris | DC Defenders |
| 13 | Leddie Brown | Arlington Renegades |
| 14 | T.J Pledger | Houston Roughnecks |
| 15 | Mataeo Durant | St. Louis Battlehawks |
Houston Roughnecks' Mark Thompson could be a force to be reckoned with. The running back played in eight of 10 games last season in the USFL rushing for 653 yards and leading the league with 14 rushing touchdowns. However, he did sprain his knee in practice but will be back hopefully soon.
Former New Orleans Breakers tailback Wes Hills now with the Michigan Panthers led the USFL in rushing yards with 679 and tallied 10 touchdowns in 10 games. He could play a key role in the Panther's offense and get plenty of carries with their quarterback Danny Etling ranked fifth of eight quarterbacks on our preseason rankings list.
Most likely the feature back De'Veon Smith will be an integral part of the Arlington Renegades quarterback Luis Perez's offense that won the XFL championship last season. Smith was solid in a pass-heavy league rushing for 365 yards on 117 attempts.
Wide Receiver UFL Fantasy Football Rankings
Rankings and analysis by Brant Henson
The UFL receiver values are total crapshoots at this point given that many of these players have yet to have shown any public rapport with their respective quarterbacks. With little continuity pouring over into some of these rosters from a season ago, it's anybody's guess as to who could emerge as the de facto target in some of these offenses. That being said, there are a few easy pinpoints here starting in St. Louis.
| Rank | Player Name | Team |
| 1 | Jahcour Pearson | St. Louis Battlehawks |
| 2 | Hakeem Butler | St. Louis Battlehawks |
| 3 | Trey Quinn | Michigan Panthers |
| 4 | Amari Rodgers | Birmingham Stallions |
| 5 | Jontre Kirklin | San Antonio Brahmas |
| 6 | Deon Cain | Birmingham Stallions |
| 7 | Deontay Burnett | Arlington Renegades |
| 8 | Darrius Shepherd | St. Louis Battlehawks |
| 9 | Keke Coutee | DC Defenders |
| 10 | Dezmon Patmon | Michigan Panthers |
| 11 | Kevin Austin Jr. | Birmingham Stallions |
| 12 | Landen Akers | San Antonio Brahmas |
| 13 | Tyler Vaughns | Arlington Renegades |
| 14 | Rashard Davis | Memphis Showboats |
| 15 | Kelvin Harmon | DC Defenders |
| 16 | Cyril Grayson | Houston Roughnecks |
| 17 | Marcell Ateman | St. Louis Battlehawks |
| 18 | Steven Dunbar Jr. | Houston Roughnecks |
| 19 | Gary Jennings | Birmingham Stallions |
| 20 | Isaiah Winstead | Arlington Renegades |
| 21 | Slade Bolden | Birmingham Stallions |
| 22 | Jazz Ferguson | DC Defenders |
| 23 | Daewood Davis | Memphis Showboats |
| 24 | Samson Nacua | Michigan Panthers |
| 25 | K.D. Cannon | San Antonio Brahmas |
| 26 | Binjimen Victor | Birmingham Stallions |
The Battlehawks took one of the top passing attacks in last season's XFL, returned the top three receivers on a yards-per-game basis, and added last year's league leader Jahcour Pearson. With so many weapons in the offense, is ranking Pearson as WR1 feasible? Yes, it absolutely is. Even in a loaded Seattle Sea Dragons offense in 2023, Pearson drew targets at a high clip and likely will do so again with a quarterback upgrade.
Two Battlehawks in the top two? That's how good this passing attack is. Hakeem Butler scored eight touchdowns in ten regular season games last season and will remain a go-to red zone target for McCarron.
Don't discount 2018's Mr. Irrelevant: Trey Quinn led the Michigan Panthers in receiving yards a season ago and should continue to reap up slot targets from former NFL quarterback Danny Etling. One other receiver on Michigan who falls inside my top 10 and is a sleeper to finish top five is Dezmon Patmon, who caught a touchdown with the Colts in 2021.
Jontre Kirklin was off to a hot start in 2023 before suffering a season-ending injury in Week 4. He should be San Antonio's unquestioned WR1.
Birmingham undoubtedly holds the most perplexing receiver room. With tons of talent and depth, Matt Corral will have no shortage of weapons. The challenge at this point is pinpointing who will become his favorite target. Some options include Deon Cain, the top returning receiver from the championship team in 2023, along with NFL veteran Amari Rodgers, the big-bodied Kevin Austin Jr. out of Notre Dame, and former Alabama slot man Slade Bolden. The receiver talent should be plenty for Corral to work with and to find success.
Another former NFL player who finds himself in the mix is DC's Keke Coutee, who had 400 yards and three touchdowns with the Houston Texans in 2020. Coutee likely steps into DC as the top target for incumbent quarterback Jordan Ta'amu.
A favorite sleeper of mine is Arlington's Isaiah Winstead, who famously went viral after posting his highlights after going undrafted and unsigned in 2023. Winstead's size-speed combo is perplexing as he continues to pursue his NFL dreams.
Fun tidbit: Puka Nacua's older brother, Samson Nacua, will be suiting up for the Michigan Panthers. Nacua spent some time with the Indianapolis Colts but never saw the field. He spent four years at Utah before spending a final season at BYU.
Tight End UFL Fantasy Football Rankings
Rankings and analysis by Andrew Lennox
Like in NFL fantasy football, there will likely be a select few tight ends that will excel during the season. Identifying those guys could give fantasy managers and DFSers a real edge over the competition. It's worth noting some UFL teams could have major shakeups early on at that position as they try and find what works for their offense.
| Rank | Player Name | Team |
| 1 | Jace Sternberger | Birmingham Stallions |
| 2 | Cody Latimer | San Antonio Brahmas |
| 3 | Sal Canella | Arlington Renegades |
| 4 | Sage Surratt | Memphis Showboats |
| 5 | Cole Hikutini | Michigan Panthers |
| 6 | Briley Moore | DC Defenders |
| 7 | Braedon Bowman | Houston Roughnecks |
| 8 | Jake Sutherland | St. Louis Battlehawks |
| 9 | Alex Ellis | DC Defenders |
| 10 | Derek Deese Jr. | Michigan Panthers |
Sal Canella was one of the few XFL tight ends who was a big contributor to their team's offense. Arlington's Canella is presumably going to be heavily involved in their passing attack as he registered 42 catches for 415 yards in last year's XFL campaign.
The hybrid TE/WR Cody Latimer projects to carry a lot of value in DFS play. The former Denver Bronco excelled in the XFL tallying four touchdowns while catching 50 passes for 593 yards.
Jace Sternberger's upside depends on Birmingham Stallions quarterback Matt Corral's effectiveness. He could provide a huge boost to the Stallion's offense as he had a fantastic season in the USFL one year ago logging 517 receiving yards and collecting seven touchdowns with Birmingham.
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
