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Week 7 of the XFL season was full of action and surprises, including the 0-6 Orlando Guardians defeating the 6-0 D.C. Defenders. That game was a reminder that the talent in the league is well spread out and any game can be competitive -- meaning there are plenty of players who can produce fantasy-relevant weeks out of nowhere.
We're back with our Week 8 XFL rankings for fantasy football, diving into QBs, RBs, WRs, and TEs. The four-team XFL playoff is just a few weeks away, so it's time to lock in and set our best DFS lineups to date.
These positional XFL rankings are a team effort, combing the rankings and analysis of three rankers:
Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers won two writing awards and received 12 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association. A big congrats to our very own Byron Lindeque (Golf) and Jordan McAbee (NASCAR) for both winning Writer Of The Year awards! Be sure to follow RotoBaller's analysis and advice all year long, and win more. Win More With RotoBaller!- Quarterbacks - Jackson Sparks
- Running Backs - Andrew Lennox
- Wide Receivers - Brant Henson
- Tight Ends - Jackson Sparks
As always, just because you haven't hit the jackpot yet -- doesn't mean you won't over the last three weeks of the season! Let's get it RotoBallers!
Quarterback XFL Fantasy Football Rankings
Rankings and analysis by Jackson Sparks
| Rank | Player Name | Team |
| 1 | Ben DiNucci | Seattle Sea Dragons |
| 2 | AJ McCarron | St. Louis Battlehawks |
| 3 | Jordan Ta'amu | DC Defenders |
| 4 | Luis Perez | Arlington Rengades |
| 5 | Quinten Dormady | Orlando Guardians |
| 6 | Cole McDonald | Houston Roughnecks |
| 7 | Jalan McClendon | Vegas Vipers |
| 8 | Kurt Benkert/Jawon Pass | San Antonio Brahmas |
Ben DiNucci continues to provide consistent fantasy production weekly. In Week 7, the Seattle trigger-man racked up 266 passing yards and 52 rushing yards. He's a fixture for solid volume, so sharpie him in as our QB1 once again.
AJ McCarron leads the XFL with 17 touchdown passes, and he's second in the league in passing yards (1,544) and completion percentage (68.9%, minimum 20 attempts). He is the best pure passer in the league, so he'll continue to occupy a spot at the top of the rankings.
Jordan Ta'amu's Defenders lost their first game of the season at the hands of the 0-6 Guardians, but he still played well and delivered a solid fantasy performance with over 300 total yards and three passing touchdowns. Roll with him against the Sea Dragons in what should be a high-scoring affair.
Luis Perez was traded from the Vipers to the Renegades last week, so he wasn't immediately named the starter. After another lackluster performance from Drew Plitt, expect Perez to be QB1 for Arlington against a league-worst Guardians defense.
Quinten Dormady delivered the best fantasy performance among QBs all season in Week 7. The Orlando signal-caller put up 350 yards and six touchdowns to hand the Defenders their first loss. While it is irresponsible to simply shoot Dormady up to the top of the rankings -- he has to move up some. His ceiling is clearly high, so he's a nice budget pick in DFS.
Cole McDonald has a real rushing upside, but he struggled (146 total yards, one touchdown, one interception) in his first start of the season. He's a boom-or-bust play against San Antonio this weekend.
Jalan McClendon and Kurt Benkert are relative unknowns at the QB position, and either could be benched at a moment's notice.
Running Back XFL Fantasy Football Rankings
Rankings and analysis by Andrew Lennox
| Rank | Player Name | Team |
| 1 | Abram Smith | DC Defenders |
| 2 | Brian Hill | St. Louis Battlehawks |
| 3 | DeVeon Smith | Arlington Renegades |
| 4 | Jah-Maine Martin | Orlando Guardians |
| 5 | Max Borghi | Houston Roughnecks |
| 6 | Rod Smith | Vegas Vipers |
| 7 | Ryquell Armstead | DC Defenders |
| 8 | Devin Darrington | Orlando Guardians |
| 9 | Jacques Patrick | San Antonio Brahmas |
| 10 | Brycen Alleyne | Houston Roughnecks |
| 11 | John Lovett | Vegas Vipers |
| 12 | Phillip Lindsay | Seattle Sea Dragons |
| 13 | Mataeo Durant | St. Louis Battlehawks |
| 14 | Dejoun Lee | Houston Roughnecks |
| 15 | Darius Bradwell | Seattle Sea Dragons |
Plenty of news coming out of Week 7 in Seattle. The Sea Dragons picked up their fifth straight win. For the second straight week, Morgan Ellison was out with a knee injury. Darius Bradwell and T.J. Hammonds filled in rushing for a combined 53 yards on 13 carries. With Ellison being placed on the team's injured reserve, Seattle made room to sign former two-time NFL 1000-yard rusher Phillip Lindsay. Getting back to the NFL should motivate Lindsay, which will benefit Seattle and fantasy players.
Losing to the winless Guardians certainly wasn't Abram Smith's fault, and he remains the top-ranked running back going into Week 8. He rushed for an impressive 218 yards on 23 carries to go along with three touchdowns. D.C. does have a tough matchup against Seattle, but Smith has yet to have an off-game this season.
Max Borghi and Brycen Alleyne split time at tailback in Week 7, rushing for a total of 85 yards on 15 carries. We should see similar numbers against San Antonio as the Roughnecks rank fourth in rushing yards, averaging 4.1 yards per carry.
Despite dropping to 3-4, the Renegades' DeVeon Smith had another solid week with two touchdowns and rushing for 61 yards on 12 attempts. Arlington faces the 1-6 Guardians, who despite pulling off a massive upset over D.C., still gave up 36 points and 198 yards on the ground on 30 carries.
There is a reason Brian Hill is the second-leading rusher in the XFL. He's provided consistent offensive production all season for St. Louis. He rushed for 53 yards on 11 carries in Week 7. Hill also helped St. Louis' passing attack, catching three passes for 28 yards. The Battlehawks take on Vegas in Week 8, who has been average against the run this season.
Jah-Maine Martin continues to chug along for Orlando as he rushed for 52 yards on 11 attempts against D.C. Despite the Guardians' record, they rank second in rushing yards in the league. A big reason is Martin, as he has remained solid throughout the season.
Wide Receiver XFL Fantasy Football Rankings
Rankings and analysis by Brant Henson
| Rank | Player Name | Team |
| 1 | Jahcour Pearson | Seattle Sea Dragons |
| 2 | Darrius Shepherd | St. Louis Battlehawks |
| 3 | Hakeem Butler | St. Louis Battlehawks |
| 4 | Blake Jackson | Seattle Sea Dragons |
| 5 | Lucky Jackson | D.C. Defenders |
| 6 | Cody Latimer | Orlando Guardians |
| 7 | Josh Gordon | Seattle Sea Dragons |
| 8 | Landen Akers | San Antonio Brahmas |
| 9 | Chris Blair | D.C. Defenders |
| 10 | Jeff Badet | Vegas Vipers |
| 11 | Victor Bolden | Arlington Renegades |
| 12 | Tyler Vaughns | Arlington Renegades |
| 13 | Jordan Veasy | Seattle Sea Dragons |
| 14 | Brandon Arconado | Arlington Renegades |
| 15 | Deontay Burnett | Houston Roughnecks |
| 16 | Charleston Rambo | Orlando Guardians |
| 17 | Cedric Byrd | Houston Roughnecks |
| 18 | Caleb Vander Esch | Arlington Renegades |
| 19 | Juwan Green | Seattle Sea Dragons |
| 20 | Mathew Sexton | Vegas Vipers |
| 21 | Marcell Ateman | St. Louis Battlehawks |
| 22 | Daniel Williams | Orlando Guardians |
| 23 | Travell Harris | Houston Roughnecks |
| 24 | T.J. Vasher | San Antonio Brahmas |
| 25 | Austin Proehl | St. Louis Battlehawks |
| 26 | Josh Hammond | D.C. Defenders |
| 27 | Damion Willis | Seattle Sea Dragons |
| 28 | Geronimo Allison | Vegas Vipers |
| 29 | Fred Brown | San Antonio Brahmas |
| 30 | Cinque Sweeting | Vegas Vipers |
| 31 | JaVonta Payton | St. Louis Battlehawks |
| 32 | Travis Toivonen | San Antonio Brahmas |
| 33 | Justin Smith | Houston Roughnecks |
| 34 | Gary Jennings | St. Louis Battlehawks |
| 35 | Lujuan Winningham | Arlington Renegades |
| 36 | Steven Mitchell | St. Louis Battlehawks |
| 37 | Rannell Hall | Arlington Renegades |
| 38 | Michael Bandy | Houston Roughnecks |
| 39 | Martavis Bryant | Vegas Vipers |
| 40 | Eli Rogers | Orlando Guardians |
| 41 | Ben Putman | Houston Roughnecks |
| 42 | K.D. Cannon | Orlando Guardians |
Jahcour Pearson has had a very underwhelming past two weeks, hauling in a total of nine receptions for 49 yards and no touchdowns. Nevertheless, the playmaker remains Ben DiNucci’s go-to guy and should bounce back this week in what is the juiciest game on the schedule this weekend.
The worst offensive team vs. the worst defensive team. Something’s gotta give in the Arlington-Orlando matchup. Former San Francisco 49er Victor Bolden hauled in three of five targets for 40 yards last week in just his second game with Arlington.
Slot receivers have had their way with the Guardians’ defense all season long, but pinning the right receiver to go off in this matchup is a tough task given that the Renegades’ passing game has struggled all year long. Tyler Vaughns, Brandon Arconado, and Caleb Vander Esch are all dart throw plays alongside Bolden.
Landen Akers has quietly developed a rapport with Kurt Benkert in San Antonio, nabbing six receptions for 75 yards a week ago.
Former NFL journeyman Darrius Shepherd is on a tear, grabbing 14 catches for 149 yards and three touchdowns through the past two weeks. Shepherd and Hakeem Butler should have their way with a struggling Vegas team.
Jeff Badet is questionable with a hamstring injury. If he can’t go, Mathew Sexton and Geronimo Allison should split his duties in the slot.
Cody Latimer and Charleston Rambo helped carry the Orlando Guardians to their first win of the season over the previously undefeated D.C. Defenders, but on paper face a tougher matchup defensively this week against Arlington. These two teams played in Week 3, and the final score was 10-9. If quarterback Quentin Dormady (Benedict Arnold-turned-Tom Brady) continues to play hot, Latimer and Rambo could have strong showings.
Tight End XFL Fantasy Football Rankings
The tight end position saw more targets as a whole in Week 7, but after the first five or six guys in our rankings, it's still nearly impossible to find production.
Rankings and analysis by Jackson Sparks
| Rank | Player Name | Team |
| 1 | Sal Canella | Arlington Renegades |
| 2 | Alize Mack | San Antonio Brahmas |
| 3 | Ethan Wolf | DC Defenders |
| 4 | Jake Sutherland | St. Louis Battlehawks |
| 5 | Brandon Dillon | Vegas Vipers |
| 6 | Logan Carter | Orlando Guardians |
| 7 | Deon Yelder | San Antonio Brahmas |
| 8 | Nate Becker | Arlington Renegades |
| 9 | Alex Ellis | DC Defenders |
| 10 | Garrett Owens | Houston Roughnecks |
| 11 | Ryan Becker | Orlando Guardians |
| 12 | Travis Koontz | Vegas Vipers |
Through seven weeks, Sal Canella continues to lead all tight ends in targets (48), receptions (32), and receiving yards (282). Unfortunately, his high usage hasn't translated to nuclear fantasy performances, but he's still far and away the locked-in TE1. Luis Perez might provide Canella with a QB upgrade after he was traded from Vegas.
Alize Mack caught 14 of his 20 targets for 118 yards and one receiving touchdown through five weeks. In Week 6, he saw his first game without a target but rebounded with a three-catch, 28-yard performance in Week 7. That said, he's still the TE2 given the scarcity of production at the position. Braham's QB situation is in turmoil, so he might be unreliable week-to-week.
Ethan Wolf missed his third game of the season in Week 7, but if he's active, he's a clear top-three tight end on the best team in the XFL.
Jake Sutherland and Brandon Dillon each saw four targets in Week 7. Sutherland caught all four for 26 yards, while Dillion grabbed two of the four for 12 yards. Neither have high ceilings, but hopefully, they can see similar usage moving forward.
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