XFL Fantasy Football Week 2 Rankings

Week 1 of the XFL has come and gone and there was much to learn. Running backs may not be the high-value plays we thought, receiver may be deep but stud receivers will be worth their weight and gold, and a good quarterback is someone you have to go get ASAP. When considering these fantasy rankings, remember that there are a few guys to keep an eye on injury-wise, especially at quarterback. Keep an eye on social media and the official injury report as well.

Week 1 had a great deal to teach us, starting with the fact that no running backs may be reliable. Preseason running back locks under-performed and “no-name” players looked like superstars. Look to get about 6-9 points from a starting running back and having a back average double-digits looks like a challenge. Receiver depth looks to be a thing in the pass-happy XFL, but red-zone targets will be the big difference in elite receivers or receivers with “boom” potential. Target receivers who play with a strong quarterback and who are receiving at least 15% of their team’s targets. A solid tight end will be someone who gets targeted 3-5 times and is right around 50 yards, nothing spectacular, but hey, it is early in the season still. Without any further ado, here are your XFL fantasy rankings for Week 2.

READ ALSO
XFL Fantasy Football Week 2 Waiver Wire Pickups
XFL Daily Fantasy Football Week Two Picks | DraftKings Core Plays

Quarterbacks

No position has been more impacted by injuries than the quarterback position. Landry Jones may be the biggest early quarterback star so far in the XFL and has yet to take the field. He looks ready to come back this week and will do so against a Wildcats defense that was torched for four passing touchdowns and 272 yards by PJ Walker. If Jones is back healthy, look for him to torch a defense that fired their defensive coordinator and cut their defensive captain.

Josh Johnson looks like he will play this week, be wary of him in his first week back before he proves himself… Outside of injuries, look for Cardale Jones, Landry, and Jordan Ta’amu to pace the QBs again this week… Other than Jones, Seattle is also dealing with an injury to Brandon Silvers that held him out of practice Wednesday, if you have him go get BJ Daniels as an insurance policy… The same thing goes for Aaron Murray of Tampa, he did not practice Wednesday either, the QB situation is murkier there, but Quinton Flowers will most likely see an expanded role no matter what so he is worth a stash or a fringe start after he showed dynamic playmaking abilities in limited-action last week.

Running Backs

The Three-Headed Dragon lives!!! Seattle has a trio of talented backs in Ja’Quan Gardner, Kenneth Farrow, and Trey Williams, all three of them will see a share of the touches Saturday at home. Gardner led all Seattle backs with nine carries and appeared to be the preferred target when the Dragons approached the goal line but did not record a target in the passing game. Farrow was productive and took 41% of the running back touches and should continue to pace the Three-Headed Dragon. Trey Williams is the wild card of the group, he only had seven touches, but took one of his four catches for a touchdown, watch for him to keep playing a role in the rushing and passing game.

Matt Jones got 21 carries in Week 1 and should continue to dominate the BattleHawks running game. Keith Ford got lucky in vulturing a touchdown last week but do not let that scare you off of Jones unless injuries hold him out… James Butler should be in for another productive week against St. Louis as the true strength of that defense is the secondary leaving Butler lots of opportunities underneath… The Guardians have a pretty even split in their backfield with the hard-running Darius Victor getting nine carries for 32 yards and Tim Cook gaining 10 on four carries while also adding in two one-point conversion runs, both are startable options.

Wide Receiver

Rashad Ross remains on top of the fantasy rankings again this week. You have to believe in his dynamic and game-breaking talent. Despite being short on reps with Cardale Jones, Ross still went long and hauled in a deep touchdown pass on his way to a two catch 52-yard day. Every time Rocket moves across the formation you see defenses tighten up. Also helping his case is a deep and talented receiving corps in DC, but make no mistake, Ross is the dynamic playmakers on the Defenders. As Ross and Cardale develop more and more chemistry week in and week out, look for the production to climb.

Jordan Smallwood was consistently looked to in the red-zone for the Wildcats, if that trend continues he could be a sneaky touchdown-dependent Flex play… Keenan Reynolds and Joe Horn Jr. were both targeted a massive amount, but only managed to haul in two catches, if their hands can improve they could be sneaky Flex starts… Jazz Ferguson should be primed for a bounce-back week against an LA defense that could be in utter turmoil this week, look for the big and fast Ferguson to capitalize on Landry Jones’ return by shooting up to low-end WR1 territory… Buy in on the Dallas offense this week if Jones returns as the Wildcats will be lacking offensively and the reeling defense will most likely be gassed.

Tight End

Despite being listed as the starter, Marcus Lucas was not as heavily owned or invested in and was a standout performer in Week 1 for the BattleHawks. Ta’amu targeted his tight ends 31% of the time and specifically Lucas 23% of the time, Lucas should repeat that performance this week… Nick Truesdell is a must-start every week and should continue to top the fantasy rankings for tight ends, regardless of who starts for Tampa… Brandon Barnes and Jake Powell look like they might emerge as solid tight end options, may not be top-end talent, but they could steal a touchdown reception in addition to consistent yardage.

READ ALSO
XFL Fantasy Football Week 2 Waiver Wire Pickups
XFL Daily Fantasy Football Week Two Picks | DraftKings Core Plays