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The USFL heads into Week 6 with a pretty weird situation in the standings. All four teams in the North Division are 2-3 right now, as is Memphis in the South Division. The Gamblers and Stallions are 3-2, while the Breakers are 4-1 but were handed their first loss last week. Lot of parity in this league, isn't there?
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 6 DFS slate of USFL contests on DraftKings, which goes live on 5/20/2023 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 6 USFL DFS Picks
Alex McGough - Birmingham Stallions - vs Michigan Panthers - $11,800
With McLeod Bethel-Thompson struggling over the past two games, it's time to crown a new player as the top fantasy QB in the USFL: Birmingham's Alex McGough.
McGough currently sits third in the league in passing yards while leading the USFL in passing touchdowns and passer rating. This is despite McGough splitting snaps in Week 1. In the four games since, he's thrown over 200 yards three times and he's also added a lot of production on the ground, including rushing for a season-high 76 yards last week. His ability to generate yards in multiple ways makes him hard to stop, and it's why I'm so high on him this weekend.
De'Andre Johnson - New Jersey Generals - vs Houston Gamblers - $9,100
The bad news about Johnson: he's completed a total of 14 passes over the last two games. The good news? His rushing floor has helped him salvage solid fantasy showings despite that, and he's yet to throw an interception this season.
What makes me think this can be a good week for Johnson is that he faces a Gamblers team that allows a league-high 226.0 passing yards per game. We know Johnson's rushing ability will always be there, as he's had at least four carries in every game this season and two rushing touchdowns in the last three games. But this is the kind of matchup where we could see him generate some numbers through the air. Nothing wild, but in Week 3 he was 10-for-15 for 180 yards and two touchdowns. Add in his rushing numbers that week and he finished with 30.0 DraftKings points.
DraftKings Running Backs - Week 6 USFL DFS Picks
Mark Thompson - Houston Gamblers - vs New Jersey Generals - $10,200
Another strong showing for Thompson last week as he rushed for three touchdowns, which now gives him eight touchdown runs in just three appearances this season. With Wes Hills struggling last week, I think it's officially time to declare Thompson the league's top back, because his ability to find the end zone has been unmatched.
This week he plays a Generals team that's been good against the run, but also hasn't had to play Houston or New Orleans, which I think kind of skews the number. When they faced Michigan, they allowed Reggie Corbin and Stevie Scott to combine for 101 rushing yards.
(With all this said, Wes Hills is just as good a play as Thompson this week against a defense that allows more rushing yards per game than anyone else. I might like Thompson more rest-of-season and I think his floor is higher, but you should still have exposure to Hills this weekend.)
Stevie Scott III - Michigan Panthers - vs Birmingham Stallions - $6,200
Last week was awful for Stevie Scott, who turned his five carries into negative six yards against the Maulers. He also added two receptions for 14 yards.
But I think this could be a bounce-back week. Last week was the first time all season he hadn't seen double-digit carries, and that was just a really bad game all around for the Panthers. This week, they'll face a Stallions team that allows 137.8 rushing yards per game, the second-most in the league. For comparison, last week was against the league's best run defense, which allows 66.8 rushing yards per game.
With Scott's salary dropping a good bit after last week's letdown, I think there's some good value here.
DraftKings Wide Receivers and Tight Ends - Week 6 USFL DFS Picks
Jace Sternberger - Birmingham Stallions - vs Michigan Panthers - $8,700
While Sternberger's numbers have dropped off some over the last couple of games, he's still getting a lot of usage and he remains a threat to find the end zone every week after he opened the season with three consecutive games with a touchdown.
Last week, Sternberger was targeted six times, tying his season high. He brought four of those in for 41 yards. That led the way for Birmingham in both categories. With a quarterback as talented as McGough throwing the ball, Sternberger is someone I'll always have a high level of interest in.
Bailey Gaither - Pittsburgh Maulers - vs Memphis Showboats - $8,200
Gaither has double-digit DraftKings points in three consecutive games as he's shaken off the slow start he had to the season. Through the first two games, he had a combined four catches for 29 yards. He's finished with at least that many receptions as well as more receiving yards in each individual game since, capped off by catching four passes for a season-high 89 yards last week against Michigan.
This week, Gaither faces Memphis, a team that has struggled to slow down opposing passing attacks, allowing 203.6 passing yards per game, the second-most in the USFL. Over the last few games, Gaither has shown he's got a little higher of a floor than teammate Isiah Hennie, though Hennie at $6,600 should absolutely be in play for you as well this weekend.
Anthony Ratliff-Williams - Houston Gamblers - vs New Jersey Generals - $6,400
This is a boom-or-bust play, but Ratfliff-Williams has boomed in three of the past four games. The matchup against the Generals isn't great as they allow the fewest passing yards per game, but all it takes is one play for Ratliff-Williams to deliver. Last week, he was targeted four times but caught just one of them: a 50-yard touchdown. Houston wants him involved down the field, making him a really intriguing play. He's found the end zone three times over the past four games.
This pick might defy some logic because of how bad the matchup is, but I think a lot of people might fade him because he faces New Jersey. Could be a smart move in a GPP to go the other way and be a little heavy on a guy who just needs the ball one or two times to deliver a big stat line.
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