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Welcome to the Week 3 edition of RotoBaller's XFL DFS Bargain Bin, where the goal is to touch on some potentially mispriced players in DraftKings' Week 3 XFL contests. Each week during the XFL 2023 season and postseason, I’ll give you my thoughts on where there may be some value spots to exploit for DraftKings' wide array of tournaments and cash games. After you're done here, be sure to also read all our other weekly XFL fantasy football articles.
The XFL landscape is a bit clearer after two weeks of play, from both a team- and player-level perspective. As we get a better feel for roles, usage and collective offensive/defensive capabilities, spotting viable value plays for DFS purposes should become a less risk-averse exercise, although with a new league, there will always be a certain degree of variance.
DraftKings' XFL DFS rosters largely mirror that of NFL contests, with a notable exception – there is no TE-specific spot, but rather two WR/TE spots and two additional Flex spots that can be filled with a running back, wide receiver, or tight end.
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XFL DFS Bargain Bin Intro
Before we go XFL DFS Bargain Bin hunting, a few particulars about format and content.
The nature of the beast with value plays is at least a modest amount (and sometimes substantially more) of risk. Therefore, the Bargain Bin may prove to be a bit more of a rollercoaster ride on some slates than your typical “tout” article! Naturally, that doesn’t mean there isn’t an upside to be had. All of these selections are therefore suitable for GPPs and can also often serve as solid cash game plays, while often helping you accommodate multiple higher-priced studs into your lineup.
This article is by no means intended to serve as an exhaustive list of all value options for the week. Rather, it’s meant to take a deeper dive into those I feel offer some of the best combinations of savings and upside.
The goal is to recommend truly affordable players, as opposed to, say, a player priced just $300-$400 away from the highest-priced option at his position. I don’t have set-in-stone price limits in mind for each site, but I do consider legitimate affordability a very important criterion.
XFL Quarterback DFS Value Plays
Brett Hundley, VGS vs. SEA | $7,400
Hundley got his XFL feet wet in Week 2 by jumping into action for an ineffective Luis Perez. The NFL veteran looked relatively comfortable by completing 11 of 18 passes for 98 yards and adding another 24 on five carries against an aggressive Defenders defense. With the benefit of game action and another week of practice under his belt, Hundley should be primed for an even better showing against a Sea Dragons crew that showed some vulnerability versus the pass late in Week 2 against A.J. McCarron and the Battlehawks.
ALSO CONSIDER: Kyle Sloter, ARL vs. ORL | $6,000
XFL Running Back DFS Value Plays
Jah-Maine Martin, ORL at ARL | $7,800
Martin's salary would ideally be a bit lower, but he still profiles as an intriguing option as one of the few bright spots on the Guardians offense thus far. The North Carolina A & T product has carried 18 times for 87 yards through the first two games and run with plenty of passion, leading to a bevy of broken tackles.
Martin also proved to be a capable receiver in college but has yet to be given the opportunity (one target) in the first two games, yet that could well begin to change on an Orlando team that's actively searching for playmakers after scoring just 24 total points thus far. The matchup against a Renegades defense that yielded a rushing and receiving touchdown to Roughnecks running backs in Week 2 could also work in his favor.
Morgan Ellison, SEA at VGS | $4,600
Ellison's backfield mate Brenden Knox (foot) will miss the Week 3 battle against the Vipers, leaving the former as the clear lead back following a solid 10-carry, 50-yard performance in Week 2 that was complemented with four receptions for 24 yards. Ellison's ability to contribute in a three-down capacity naturally gives him considerable value at his current salary.
The Vipers proved highly vulnerable to the run in Week 2, giving up a combined 129 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries to the Defenders' backfield duo of Abram Smith and Ryquell Armstead, not to mention another 100 yards and another rushing score to the quarterback tandem of Jordan Ta'amu and D'Eriq King.
ALSO CONSIDER: Ryquell Armstead, DC vs. STL | $4,400
XFL Wide Receiver DFS Value Plays
Jontre Kirklin, HOU vs. SA | $7,700
Kirklin has already demonstrated a knack for big plays through the first two weeks, producing a 7-127-1 line on 14 targets, with five of the LSU product's receptions going for first downs.
He should only continue to thrive in Houston's highly aggressive offense, perhaps even developing into a 2023 version of Cam Phillips, who was P.J. Walker's most potent target back on the 2020 team. The speedster could certainly be involved to a meaningful degree again in Week 3 after logging six targets versus the Renegades last Sunday night.
Hakeem Butler, STL at D.C. | $6,100
Butler is managing a hamstring injury, so keep a close eye on his status leading up to kickoff. However, if he's available, the one-time fourth-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals is firmly in play despite the matchup against the tough Defenders defense.
Butler has drawn 10 targets and brought in seven of them for 93 yards and two touchdowns over the first two games. His 6-foot-5 frame naturally plays very well anywhere on the field, but especially the red zone, where he's a mismatch for any defensive back.
Eli Rogers, ORL at ARL | $3,100
Rogers secured his first touchdown in Week 2 and has a 4-37 line overall in two games, and the savvy veteran certainly has the ability to outperform his current salary as long as he gets at least serviceable quarterback play.
Rogers should continue to serve as a reliable safety valve for either Paxton Lynch or Deondre Francois against the Renegades, which allowed 14 receptions for 173 yards and two touchdowns to Houston pass catchers in Week 2.
ALSO CONSIDER: Cinque Sweeting, VGS vs. SEA | $4,300
XFL Flex DFS Value Plays
Sal Cannella, TE - ARL vs. ORL | $7,100
Cannella will be a fixture in this space for as long as his salary can rightfully be labeled as being at value level. The pass-catching tight end got off to another hot start in Week 2 against the Roughnecks before a quiet finish, but he still finished with four catches for 38 yards on as many targets.
That followed an impressive 7-70 line in Week 1, and Cannella now draws a very favorabe matchup versus a Guardian squad that allowed three passing touchdowns to the Brahmas in Week 2, as well as a 4-48-1 line to tight end Alize Mack.
Alize Mack, TE - SA at HOU | $3,400
Speaking of Mack, the Notre Dame product and 2019 seventh-round pick of the New Orleans Saints has gotten his XFL career off to a promising start. In addition to the aforementioned four-catch outing in Week 2, Mack had three receptions in the opener versus the Battlehawks and has quickly developed chemistry with rookie quarterback Jack Coan.
The athletic tight end tallied 14 DK points against Orlando in Week 2, and anything resembling that return versus a Roughnecks defense that surrendered a 5-51 line to the Renegades' tandem of Cannella and Nate Becker in Week 2 would be considered excellent dividends at his salary.
ALSO CONSIDER: Ben Putman, WR - HOU vs. SA | $4,400; Cody Latimer, TE - ORL at ARL | $4,100
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