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The USFL heads into Week 3, with three teams undefeated, including the Breakers and Stallions, who get the week's action going Saturday afternoon. In the Saturday night game, either the Showboats or Gamblers will get into the win column, while Sunday features the Maulers taking on the Stars followed by the Generals facing the Panthers.
With DraftKings offering USFL contests again this year, I'll be here every week with lineup picks for the league. It looks like the plan at DraftKings is to do one four-game slate each weekend, so that's what we'll cover here.
Below, you'll find my thoughts on the Week 3 DFS slate of USFL contests on DraftKings, which goes live on 4/29/2023 at 12:30 p.m. ET. Be sure to also read all our other weekly XFL fantasy football articles. Let's get to it, and good luck RotoBallers!
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DraftKings Quarterbacks - Week 3 USFL DFS Picks
McLeod Bethel-Thompson - New Orleans Breakers - vs Birmingham Stallions - $10,100
Through two games, former CFL veteran McLeod Bethel-Thompson leads the USFL in passing yards with 553. He's thrown three touchdowns, and maybe more importantly hasn't thrown an interception yet, whereas the other top passer in the league, Philly's Case Cookus, has been picked off twice already.
At this point, it seems like DFS managers have two clear choices at QB: Bethel-Thompson and Cookus. Both are strong plays, but Bethel-Thompson's ball control puts him just ahead for me—and the fact he's $900 less than Cookus helps too.
The one concern here for me: the Stallions allow the fewest passing yards per game. But a two-game sample really isn't much, and they played some questionable QB talent: the combo of Dakota Prukop and De'Andre Johnson in Week 1, then Brady White last week. I think their pass defense is good, but probably not as good as the numbers suggest.
Alex McGough - Birmingham Stallions - vs New Orleans Breakers - $9,700
With J'Mar Smith on IR, McGough took over as Birmingham's starter last week and made an immediate impact. I said above that Bethel-Thompson and Cookus were the two clear choices, but McGough seems like the best option to break into the tier, assuming he stays the starter.
In his first start, McGough was 21-for-28 for 301 yards and four touchdowns. He wasn't intercepted, and he also added 32 yards on the ground. The Breakers also have a good pass defense on paper, but I'm really not ready to buy into any USFL defense after two games.
DraftKings Running Backs - Week 3 USFL DFS Picks
Reggie Corbin - Michigan Panthers - vs New Jersey Generals - $8,800
Corbin leads the USFL in rushing yards this season with 160, and he's also already added seven catches for 28 yards, giving him one more reception than he had all of last season.
In Week 2, Corbin exploded for 131 rushing yards on 11 carries, and he found the end zone twice. He's been a much more efficient runner than Stevie Scott, and that should lead to more touches for Corbin going forward.
Wes Hills - New Orleans Breakers - vs Birmingham Stallions - $6,500
Last week was the Wes Hills show in New Orleans. After not getting a touch in Week 1, Hills took complete control over Anthony Jones in Week 2, out carrying him 18-4 and finishing with 110 yards and three touchdowns. He also added three receptions for 17 yards,
Sure, there's no guarantee that the Week 3 rushing usage looks like the Week 2 rushing usage, but I'd bet last week's showing makes Hills the top guy here going forward. And while it's still a little early to buy into defensive trends, it's probably worth noting that the Stallions have allowed the second-most rushing yards this season.
DraftKings Wide Receivers and Tight Ends - Week 3 USFL DFS Picks
Devin Gray - Philadelphia Stars - vs Pittsburgh Maulers - $8,700
Gray's no longer a value like he was in the first two weeks, but he's firmly established himself as one of the top receivers in the USFL.
In Week 1, Gray was targeted nine times, catching seven passes for 77 yards and a touchdown. Last week, he was again targeted nine times, catching eight of those for 67 yards.
To put it simply: there are only a few passing games you can rely on in this league, and Philadelphia is one of them. Gray's the top option in this offense, and the presence of Corey Coleman on the other side of the field means defenses can't really key in on Gray.
Sage Surratt - New Orleans Breakers - vs Birmingham Stallions - $7,200
Surratt cost $4,200 last week. He's up to $7,100 this week, but I'm still going heavy on him, because the former college quarterback is on fire, as he leads the USFL in receptions, targets and receiving yards.
After catching five of his nine targets for 85 yards in Week 1, Surratt really broke out last week, hauling in all 11 of his targets for 121 yards and a touchdown. He's the top weapon for a talented, veteran QB, and McLeod Bethel-Thompson will keep peppering Surratt with targets. The only thing I can see stopping him would be an NFL contract coming his way.
Isiah Hennie - Pittsburgh Maulers - vs Philadelphia Stars - $5,200
I love the value here with Isiah Hennie. After a weird Week 1 where he found the end zone via punt return but didn't haul in any of his four targets, the Maulers made a bigger effort to get him involved in Week 2.
And it worked—well, for Hennie, at least. Pittsburgh only scored three points, so it didn't really work for the team. But Hennie saw 11 targets in the game, catching nine passes for 53 yards. No other Mauler had more than four targets. Hennie isn't going to be some game-breaking play, but his volume makes for a good value play.
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