X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Join the Best Live Fantasy Chat Community!

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


LINEUP RESOURCES

Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Player Comparisons
News and Alerts

XFL Risers and Fallers Week 6: Players With Expanding Roles Including Quentin Dormady, Abram Smith, Charleston Rambo, More

Welcome to the Week 6 edition of RotoBaller's XFL Risers and Fallers, where we'll aim to identify multiple players at each skill position each week that appear to be either be trending toward an expanding or shrinking role.  After you're done here, be sure to also read all our other weekly XFL fantasy football articles.

Naturally, the participation and success level of many players can vary from week to week. However, the goal will be to spotlight players that have clear-cut reasons to support a continued ascension or decline while factoring in conditions such as the offensive system they're in, injuries around them, and the roles of other teammates at their position.

One note about the general protocol I'll try to follow with the selection of players for this article – once a player has been designated as either Riser or Faller in a particular week, I'll usually refrain from assigning them the same designation the very following week. The rare exception will be when an additional factor that makes them even more of a Riser or Faller surfaces during that specific time frame.

For a look at who was featured in the Week 5 edition of Risers and Fallers, click here.

XFL Quarterback Risers         

Luis Perez, Vipers | Week 6 matchup: vs. Battlehawks (Sat.)

Perez left no doubt as to his grip on the Vipers starting quarterback job with his Week 5 performance, as he completed 20 of 28 passes for 269 yards and three touchdowns against the Guardians. The spring league vet continues to cultivate excellent chemistry with Jeff Badet, but he also encouragingly got Geronimo Allison back into the mix in Week 5 and has a host of other talented pass-catching options.

Perez has the added benefit of an excellent backfield trio of Rod Smith, John Lovett and Deandre Torrey to support him. All three backs can also catch the ball effectively, and Lovett and Torrey can especially make plays in space. Factor in that a highly experienced play caller in long-time NFL coach Ray Sherman is now the voice in Perez's headset, and the quarterback's stock is in rock-solid shape going into Week 6.

Quentin Dormady, Guardians | Week 6 matchup: vs. Sea Dragons (Sat.)

Guardians head coach Terrell Buckley hasn't been shy about making changes on offense over the first five weeks as he tries to coax a long-awaited first win out of his squad. That was evident again in Week 5, when Buckley pulled veteran signal-caller Paxton Lynch late in the first half and inserted Dormady with great success.

The Central Michigan alum led a touchdown drive on his first possession and finished 22 of 25 for 256 yards and two touchdowns. He displayed very good rapport with an array of underrated pass catchers that includes Cody Latimer, Charleston Rambo, Lance Lenoir and Eli Rogers. Given Orlando's desperation for a victory, there's no reason for Buckley to turn back to Lynch following Dormady's upside.

XFL Quarterback Fallers

Brett Hundley, Vipers | Week 6 matchup: vs. Battlehawks (Sat.)

Hundley's inclusion in this spot is in direct relation to what was said about Perez above. The NFL veteran was thought to have an excellent chance of remaining the starter once he learned the playbook following his late arrival in camp. However, given how Perez has exceeded expectations in the last two games, it's clear Hundley is relegated to the No. 2 spot for now.

 

XFL Running Back Risers  

Rod Smith, Vipers | Week 6 matchup: vs. Battlehawks (Sat.)

Smith has had a couple of down games, but if his usage under Sherman's playcalling in Week 5 is any indication, the veteran could be headed for a stellar second half of the season. The former Dallas Cowboy logged a season-high 18 carries in Week 5 and recorded a pair of short touchdowns along the way. That followed strong results with limited opportunity in Weeks 2-4, when he'd put up 102 yards on 21 carries.

Smith's Week 6 matchup against the Battlehawks, which just allowed 218 rushing yards to the player we'll profile next, Abram Smith, gives the Vipers' lead back a chance to keep the momentum going. Additionally, Smith's proven ability to handle a hefty workload and Sherman's clear comfort level with him gives him a bright fantasy outlook for the time being.

Abram Smith, Defenders | Week 6 matchup: vs. Roughnecks (Mon.)

Smith's just alluded-to breakout Week 5 performance also included three touchdowns and a season-high 23 carries. The Baylor product had also logged 22 rush attempts in Week 4, however, so his ability to handle a true workhorse role on a team that is intent on operating a run-heavy gameplan is corroborated.

Smith has just six receptions on the season, but that's not to say he can't get involved in the passing game more often as the second half of the campaign unfolds. Given Washington is averaging a league-high 174 rushing yards per contest and Smith has double-digit carries in each game, there's plenty to like about his prospects.

ON THE RADAR: De'Andre Torrey, Vipers | Week 6 matchup: vs. Battlehawks (Sat.)

XFL Running Back Fallers

Mataeo Durant, Battlehawks | Week 6 matchup: @ Vipers (Sat.)

Brian Hill was profiled as a Riser heading into Week 5 and responded with 14 carries for 79 yards and three receptions for 29 yards. Meanwhile, Durant was limited to two carries, his third straight game in single digits and fourth overall in the first five contests. The only exception was the Week 2 game Hill sat out, and as long as his veteran teammate is healthy, Durant appears destined for a minimal role.

 

XFL Wide Receiver Risers

Charleston Rambo, Guardians | Week 6 matchup: vs. Sea Dragons (Sat.)

Rambo offered a glimpse of his talent during his final college season in 2021. The speedy wideout finished with 79 receptions for 1,172 yards and seven touchdowns on 118 targets, averaging nearly 15.0 yards per catch. While his XFL career hasn't quite gotten off to as auspicious a start, Rambo is clearly a player on the rise after the last two weeks.

The former Miami Hurricane has put together a combined 7-158-2 line on seven targets in the last pair of contests. With Dormady apparently taking the reins of the starting quarterback job for now and showing some nice chemistry with Rambo already, it would be wise to have the 23-year-old in starting lineups moving forward.

Travell Harris, Roughnecks | Week 6 matchup: @ Defenders (Mon.)

The Roughnecks lost talented downfield threat Jontre Kirklin to a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 5, which sets the rest of the receivers in Houston's pass-centric offense up for plenty of opportunity. Consequently, the likes of Deontay Burnett and Cedric Byrd arguably have a case for inclusion in this category as well, but we'll focus on Harris this week.

To begin with, the Washington State alum was already displaying plenty of upside prior to Kirklin's injury. Harris had put together a 10-179-2 line over his first three games. Harris then managed to record five receptions for 58 yards on six targets in the Week 5 loss to Seattle, and his well-established rapport with quarterback Brandon Silvers should allow him to hit the ground running in helping make up for Kirklin's absence beginning Week 6.

ON THE RADAR: Justin Smith, Roughnecks | Week 6 matchup: @ Defenders (Mon.) // Damion Willis, Sea Dragons | Week 6 matchup: @ Guardians (Sat.)

XFL Wide Receiver Fallers

Kelvin McKnight, Sea Dragons | Week 6 matchup: @ Guardians (Sat.)

The Sea Dragons may have the deepest wideout corps in the league, and that naturally works to McKnight's detriment. With Josh Gordon, Jahcour Pearson, Blake Jackson and Damion Willis among those in front of him, McKnight remains lost in the shuffle. The Samford product put up some eye-popping numbers in college and even came into the XFL with eight games (five starts) of CFL experience, but his 4-19 season line thus far with Seattle was exclusively produced in Week 1.

 

XFL Tight End Risers  

Logan Carter, Guardians | Week 6 matchup: vs. Sea Dragons (Sat.)

The Renegades' Sal Cannella and the Brahmas' Alize Mack continue to likely be the most reliable week-to-week fantasy assets in the league at tight end. However, don't lose sight of Carter, who's put together a 9-73 line through five games. While those numbers aren't earth-shattering by any stretch, Carter's involvement has been progressively creeping up.

After producing just three catches for 10 yards over the first two weeks, Carter progressed to recording a 13-yard reception in Week 3, two catches for 19 yards in Week 4, and most recently, three grabs for 31 yards in Week 5. The Oklahoma State product has shown an ability to make some chunk plays downfield and is therefore an intriguing pick-up and/or streaming option for the time being.

XFL Tight End Fallers

Deon Yelder, Brahmas | Week 6 matchup: @ Renegades (Sun.)

As alluded to, Mack has been the clear-cut top tight end in San Antonio thus far. That's left Yelder out in the cold for the last several games, as the one-time Kanas City Chief has been held without a reception on three targets over the last three games. With no tangible sign of that changing anytime soon and Brahmas quarterback Jack Coan seemingly regressing in the last couple games, Yelder's stock is trending firmly down for the moment.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!




Win Big With RotoBaller

Be sure to also check out all of our other daily fantasy football articles and analysis to help you set those winning lineups, including this new RotoBaller YouTube video:

More Weekly DFS Analysis




LINEUP RESOURCES

Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Player Comparisons
News and Alerts

ROTOBALLER PLAYER NEWS

José Ramírez5 hours ago

Jose Ramirez Shatters Homer-Less Skid With Three Blasts
Brandon Nimmo7 hours ago

Flexes Some Power With Grand Slam
David Robertson7 hours ago

Blows Save Thursday
Alex Lange7 hours ago

Has Rough Appearance Thursday
Clay Holmes7 hours ago

Notches Seventh Save
Clayton Kershaw7 hours ago

Hurls First Scoreless Start Since Late-April
Kendall Graveman7 hours ago

Closes Out Yankees Thursday
Félix Bautista7 hours ago

Felix Bautista Picks Up 16th Save
Spencer Strider7 hours ago

Knocked Around For Season-Worst Eight Runs
Jordan Romano7 hours ago

Collects 17th Save
Denver Broncos9 hours ago

Frank Clark Signs One-Year Deal With Broncos
Los Angeles Chargers9 hours ago

Ja'Sir Taylor Has Been The Starter At Slot Corner
Justin Herbert9 hours ago

Could Be Going Deep Often
Eloy Jiménez9 hours ago

Eloy Jimenez Day-To-Day With Leg Injury
Drew Hutchison9 hours ago

Phillies Sign Drew Hutchison To Minor-League Deal
Adam Duvall10 hours ago

To Come Off Injured List Friday
Jorge Polanco10 hours ago

Day-To-Day With Hamstring Injury
Eloy Jiménez10 hours ago

Eloy Jimenez Leaves Contest Early Thursday
Alex Cobb10 hours ago

Experiences Hip Tightness Thursday
Cody Bellinger10 hours ago

To Face Live Pitching In Arizona
Pete Alonso11 hours ago

Heads Back To New York For More Tests
Yordan Alvarez11 hours ago

Exits Thursday's Game Against Toronto
Kevin Kiermaier11 hours ago

Injured On Thursday
Lance McCullers Jr.11 hours ago

Will Have An MRI After Setback
Chase Claypool12 hours ago

Getting Praise From Coaching Staff
Chicago Bears12 hours ago

Eddie Jackson Returns To OTAs
Carson Wentz12 hours ago

An Option For Raiders?
Puka Nacua12 hours ago

Receives Praise From Coaches
Hunter Renfrow12 hours ago

Receiving Little Trade Interest
Sacramento Kings13 hours ago

Dwight Howard Wants To Play For Kings
MarJon Beauchamp13 hours ago

To Play In Summer League
Tyler Herro13 hours ago

To Remain Out For Game 4
Jamal Murray13 hours ago

Dealing With Minor Injury
Khris Middleton13 hours ago

Has Successful Surgery
Noah Gragson14 hours ago

To Miss Sonoma With Concussion-Like Symptoms
Eryk Anders15 hours ago

Set For Middleweight Showdown On Enemy Turf
Marc-Andre Barriault15 hours ago

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Nate Landwehr16 hours ago

Set For First UFC-Numbered Event
Dan Ige16 hours ago

Looking To Start Another Streak At UFC 289
Philadelphia Eagles18 hours ago

Derek Barnett At OTAs Thursday
New York Giants18 hours ago

Giants Cancel OTAs Due To Poor Air Quality
Jani Hakanpaa18 hours ago

Will Have Offseason Knee Surgery
Quez Watkins18 hours ago

Standing Out This Spring
Demarcus Robinson18 hours ago

Rams Agree With Demarcus Robinson
Adin Hill19 hours ago

The Game 3 Starter For Vegas
Sergei Bobrovsky19 hours ago

Named Panthers Game 3 Starter
CeeDee Lamb21 hours ago

Tweaks Leg In Practice
Dallas Cowboys21 hours ago

Kelvin Joseph Injured Wednesday
Cooper Kupp21 hours ago

"Feeling Really Good" After Surgery
Chase McLaughlin21 hours ago

Wins Kicking Competition
Bryce Young21 hours ago

Working With First Team At OTAs
Dalvin Cook21 hours ago

Vikings Still Trying To Trade Dalvin Cook
Carolina Panthers21 hours ago

Jaycee Horn To Miss Rest Of OTAs And Minicamp
Khalil Herbert21 hours ago

Has Early Lead For RB1 Role In Chicago
Dalvin Cook22 hours ago

Released By Vikings
Caleb Martin23 hours ago

Gets Going Again In Game 3
Bam Adebayo23 hours ago

Has Big Double-Double Despite Awful Shooting
Jimmy Butler23 hours ago

Leads Miami With 28 Points Wednesday
Christian Braun23 hours ago

Produces 15 Points In 19 Minutes
Aaron Gordon23 hours ago

Notches A Double-Double In Game 3
Jamal Murray23 hours ago

Makes Finals History With Another 10-Assist Game
Nikola Jokic23 hours ago

Logs Historic Triple-Double
Shaedon Sharpe2 days ago

Appears To Be Off-Limits
Radko Gudas2 days ago

Expected To Play In Game 3
Andreas Athanasiou2 days ago

Signs Two-Year Extension With Blackhawks
Josh Hart2 days ago

Expected To Opt Out
Andre Drummond2 days ago

Likely To Exercise Player Option
Vladislav Gavrikov2 days ago

Kings Extend Vladislav Gavrikov For Two Years
Gary Trent2 days ago

Jr. Could Be Leaving Toronto
Alex DeBrincat2 days ago

Senators Exploring Trade Options Involving Alex DeBrincat
Tyler Herro2 days ago

To Go Through Workout On Thursday
Cody Zeller2 days ago

Will Play In Game 3
Timo Meier2 days ago

Set To Begin Contract Talks With Devils This Week
Ivan Provorov2 days ago

Traded To Columbus
Chris Paul2 days ago

To Be Waived By The Suns
Adam Hadwin2 days ago

Looks To Bounce Back In Home Country
Matt Kuchar2 days ago

A Fade At RBC Canadian Open
PGA2 days ago

Matthew Fitzpatrick A Favorite In Canada
Dylan Wu2 days ago

Struggling To Find Form Heading To Oakdale
Doug Ghim2 days ago

Playing Well Heading To Oakdale
Robby Shelton2 days ago

Struggling With Consistency Heading To Oakdale
Eric Cole2 days ago

Making Debut At RBC Canadian Open
Brendon Todd2 days ago

To Play Through Shoulder Injury
Taylor Pendrith2 days ago

Making First Appearance At RBC Canadian Open Since 2015
Aaron Wise2 days ago

Returns To RBC Canadian Open
Alex Smalley2 days ago

Could Repeat Performance At RBC Canadian Open
Nick Taylor2 days ago

Hoping To Find Early Season Form Heading To Oakdale
Nicolai Hojgaard2 days ago

Looks To Bounce Back After Missed Cut Last Week
Keith Mitchell2 days ago

Looks To Continue Strong Play At Oakdale
Rory McIlroy2 days ago

To Defend Title At RBC Canadian Open
Cameron Champ2 days ago

Playing Better Into Canada
Will Gordon2 days ago

A Solid Sleeper In Canada
Corey Conners2 days ago

Looking To Rebound In Canada
Tyrrell Hatton2 days ago

An Elite Option At RBC Canadian Open
Cameron Young2 days ago

Will Struggle In Canada
PGA2 days ago

Approach Play Holding S.H. Kim Back
D'Angelo Russell2 days ago

Lakers Want To Keep D'Angelo Russell?
Brook Lopez2 days ago

Rockets Targeting Brook Lopez
Jonathan Marchessault3 days ago

Scores Two Goals In Game 2 Victory
Adin Hill3 days ago

Makes 29 Saves In Game 2 Victory
Sergei Bobrovsky3 days ago

Pulled In Game 2 Of Stanley Cup Final
Cole Caufield4 days ago

Signs Eight-Year Deal To Remain In Montreal
Sergei Bobrovsky4 days ago

The Expected Starter Monday
Adin Hill4 days ago

The Likely Starter In Game 2
Amir Albazi4 days ago

Extends His Winning Streak
Daniel Pineda4 days ago

Unable To Earn A Victory Saturday
Jesse Butler4 days ago

Suffers Knockout Loss
Victor Altamirano4 days ago

Unable To Earn A Victory Saturday
Ketlen Souza4 days ago

Takes Submission Loss
Muhammad Naimov4 days ago

Shines With Second-Round TKO Win
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos4 days ago

Defeats Abubakar Nurmagomedov
Kevin Harvick4 days ago

Rounds Out The Top 10 At Gateway
Michael McDowell4 days ago

Scores Best Finish In Two Months
Carson Hocevar4 days ago

Strong Start Ends Early
Daniel Suarez4 days ago

Runs A Strong Race At Gateway
Ryan Blaney4 days ago

Building Momentum
Martin Truex Jr4 days ago

. Finishes Where He Began Sunday
Kyle Larson4 days ago

Eventually Moved Up To Fourth On Sunday
Joey Logano4 days ago

Finds Way To Third Place On Sunday
Denny Hamlin4 days ago

Takes Second Place At Gateway
Kyle Busch4 days ago

Wins At Gateway For Third Win Of Season
Kai Kara-France5 days ago

Suffers Controversial Split-Decision Loss
Alex Caceres5 days ago

Pulls Off Action-Packed Co-Main-Event Win
Anthony Duclair5 days ago

Scores Fourth Playoff Goal
Jack Eichel5 days ago

Opens Stanley Cup Finals With Two Assists
Jonathan Marchessault5 days ago

Extends Point Streak With Another Goal
Jim Miller5 days ago

Adds To All-Time Wins Total With Big Knockout
Tim Elliott5 days ago

Dominates To Take Decision Win
Karine Silva5 days ago

Locks In Submission For First-Round Win
MMA5 days ago

Abubakar Nurmagomedov Takes Loss In Close Decision Call
Denny Hamlin5 days ago

The Favorite To Win Gateway After Strong Practice
Ross Chastain5 days ago

Really Happy With His Chances At Gateway
NASCAR5 days ago

B.J. McLeod Does Not Start Last This Week
Ty Dillon5 days ago

Starts 33rd At Gateway On Sunday
Gray Gaulding5 days ago

Debuts At Gateway On Sunday
Noah Gragson5 days ago

Begins 32nd For Gateway On Sunday
Ryan Preece5 days ago

May Have Long Afternoon Sunday
Erik Jones5 days ago

Another DFS Possibility For Gateway
Justin Haley5 days ago

Can Move Up On Sunday Again
NASCAR5 days ago

Bubba Wallace Needs To Keep It Together Sunday
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF