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It's time for Week 8 of the XFL season. The league is quickly approaching the playoffs, with the top two teams in each conference facing the final weekend of this month to determine which teams will head to the Alamodome in May to determine a champion. And with the three best teams all in the XFL North, that battle in particular will be fascinating to watch down the stretch.
With DraftKings offering XFL 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, even when there's a game on Thursday.
Below, you'll find my thoughts on the Week 8 DFS slate of XFL contests on DraftKings, which goes live on 4/8/2023 at 1:00 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 8 XFL DFS Picks
Ben DiNucci - Seattle Sea Dragons - vs DC Defenders - $12,000
The DC Defenders allow 248.3 passing yards per game, the most in the XFL. Part of that is just simply that the Defenders are so good on offense that their opponents have to play from behind and thus throw more. Another part is their run defense is so good that teams have to throw more if they want to move the football.
Back in Week 1, Ben DiNucci threw 54 passes in a 22-18 loss to Seattle. He finished with 282 passing yards and a touchdown, though he was picked off twice. He's thrown at least one interception in all but one game, but he's also thrown a touchdown in every game this season, and has been held under 200 yards just twice. DiNucci is the XFL's best (or, at worst, second-best) quarterback, and this projects to be a good week for him.
Quinten Dormady - Orlando Guardians - vs Arlington Renegades - $9,400
The Guardians got their first win of the season in Week 7, handing the Defenders their first loss in a 37-36 upset. And it was Quinten Dormady who really fueled that win, as he was 27-for-34 through the air for 328 yards and three touchdowns, plus added 22 yards and three more touchdowns on the ground. It was an elite showing, with Dormady ending up with 48.32 fantasy points.
The team's decision to start him has kickstarted this offense. He had 243 passing yards in his first start and while a two-game sample isn't a lot, signs suggest Dormady has joined the short list of XFL quarterbacks who can actually throw the football.
He faces a Renegades team that actually allows the second-fewest passing yards per game, but that 243-yard game came against a Seattle team that allowed the third-fewest, so I'm not super worried about the matchup.
DraftKings Running Backs - Week 8 XFL DFS Picks
Abram Smith - DC Defenders - @ Seattle Sea Dragons - $10,300
When it comes to finding an elite running back in the XFL, the answer is pretty much just former Baylor Bear Abram Smith. He was held to 28 yards back in Week 1 (against this Seattle team), but he's found his stride since, with over 50 yards in every game since. He's really taken a leap in the last three games, finishing with totals of 218, 95 and 127 yards, with five rushing touchdowns over that span.
Brian Hill - St. Louis BattleHawks - vs Vegas Vipers - $9,700
No team allows more rushing yards per game than the Vipers, which is why I'm targeting Brian Hill this weekend. Or, rather, it's part of why I'm targeting him. The other part is he's had double-digit carries in five consecutive games, so he'll have plenty of opportunities to find running room on the ground against Vegas. When these teams last met, Hill had 14 carries for 71 yards, plus caught four passes for 29. Really high floor option this week.
DraftKings Wide Receivers and Tight Ends - Week 8 XFL DFS Picks
Blake Jackson - Seattle Sea Dragons - vs DC Defenders - $8,900
The Sea Dragons passing attack is good, averaging a league-high 248.9 yards per game. But with three mouths to feed in the receiving game—Jahcour Pearson and Josh Gordon, plus Jackson—it's been tough to predict things.
But I think things are starting to make some sense. Pearson's the No. 1 receiver, but Jackson seems to have jumped Josh Gordon. Last week, Jackson has four catches for 68 yards to Gordon's three for 43. The week before, six for 79 for Jackson to zero for zero for Gordon.
Considering Jackson is $8,900 while Pearson is $11,400 and Gordon is $9,800, there's some good value here.
Darrius Shepherd - St. Louis BattleHawks - vs Vegas Vipers - $8,800
After a slow start for Shepherd—he had four catches for 19 yards over the first two games—he's really come on strong lately, posting 50-plus receiving yards in four of the last five games. He's also caught three touchdowns in the last two games, including two of them in Week 6 against the Vipers, who he gets again this week.
In that game against Vegas, Shepherd finished with seven catches for 79 yards, his second-highest total of the year. He was targeted a season-high 10 times in that game. Shepherd's kind of quietly become one of the XFL's best wide receivers.
Victor Bolden - Arlington Renegades - @ Orlando Guardians - $3,000
If you're looking for some deep value, then take a look at Bolden. He's only appeared in two games for the Renegades, but he saw some good involvement last week against Seattle, as he was targeted five times, second on the team behind tight end Sal Cannella. He caught three of those for 40 yards.
Arlington's just had no luck finding consistent receiver play this year, but Bolden might be an answer. Last year, he finished fourth in the USFL in receiving yards, and it's not a stretch to call him the most talented wideout on this roster. Also helpful this week: he plays a Guardians team that allows the second-most passing yards in the XFL.
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