Week 4 of the XFL has come and gone and boy was it an interesting week that has the potential to shift the way we think about the XFL. The DC Defenders look shockingly mortal after being shut out by the Tampa Bay Vipers, who had been a laughingstock through the first three weeks. Brandon Silvers, who had been QB4 through the first three weeks was benched at halftime. With all that being said, it should be an active XFL waiver wire week! Take a look at past columns, as many of those players are still available and here are some new names to target as the XFL waiver wire opens up.
BJ Daniels – QB Seattle Dragons
It’s a vibe. (@BJDANIELS10)#ForTheLoveOfFootball | #BreathingFire 🔥🐲 pic.twitter.com/JXmzgetWTI
— Seattle Dragons (@XFLDragons) March 1, 2020
Well, it looks like Brandon Silvers’ time may have run out in Seattle. Daniels came out as the starter in the second half and showed the explosive, playmaking availability that brought the Dragons back into the game. Daniels threw for 100 yards and a touchdown in the second half, while also running for 84 yards. Combine his playmaking ability with a bevy of weapons at running back and receiver, Daniels is a must-add heading into Week 5 and should be a solid start at quarterback. Also, look for him to help unlock the running backs in Seattle as well.
Luis Perez – QB New York Guardians
Let @1_McKay_2 just go up and GET IT 👀
Touchdown Guardians 🚨#OnDuty | #ForTheLoveOfFootball pic.twitter.com/RLWMQHLD2o
— New York Guardians (@XFLGuardians) February 29, 2020
Perez was exactly as advertised. He was accurate, took what the defense gave him and was proficient enough throwing the ball to open up Darius Victor and the Guardians’ run game. He was also one slightly under-thrown scramble drill throw to Mekale McKay from adding another long touchdown pass to his day. As Perez and McKay continue to develop a rapport and chemistry, look for Perez to have weeks where he is knocking on the door of Top 4 QB status. On a week-to-week basis, Perez should be a solid start who may not break things wide open, but will not kill your team either.
Keith Ford – RB St. Louis BattleHawks
That concentration tho. 😱
📺 @XFLonFOX #ForTheLoveOfFootball x #ClearedToEngage pic.twitter.com/nJx08Q9UAu
— St. Louis BattleHawks (@XFLBattleHawks) February 29, 2020
Keith Ford is back from injury and boy is he putting up a case to see more touches for the run-heavy BattleHawks offense. Ford made the most of three carries, averaging 7.7 yards per carry and adding another touchdown. Watching his runs, you have to wonder why St. Louis is not giving him the ball more. He has a nose for the endzone and it seems like after every run, there is a trail of broken defenders behind him. Both Christine Michael and Matt Jones were less efficient in the running game so it remains to be seen if Ford has earned more of a workload as St. Louis heads into a soft matchup against a Defenders defense that was just gashed on the ground for 266 yards. Ford is a solid Flex play heading into Week 5 and if he continues to have a nose for the endzone, he will climb into RB2 contention.
Saeed Blacknall – WR Los Angeles Wildcats
Josh Johnson has a cannon 💥
📽️: @XFLWildcatspic.twitter.com/cmb2GwX72q
— FanDuel (@FanDuel) February 29, 2020
Blacknall hauled in his first catch this week and it went 42 yards for a touchdown. Each week, Blacknall has been looked at on deep routes and this week he finally hauled one in. Los Angeles threw the ball 40 times in Week 4, and that number could stay high heading into next week’s Sunday Night matchup against an offensively potent Vipers team. As someone who was started in less than 1% of leagues, Blacknall is definitely available. If next week’s game is a shootout, Blacknall should be good for one or two long catches. Anyone who will be targeted 2-4 times per game on long downfield shots deserves to be rostered and potentially used as a Flex play.
Keith Mumphrey – WR St. Louis BattleHawks
Mumphrey is a big-play threat anytime he is on the field. In Week 4, he was targeted twice and went for 51 yards. He may be sixth on the BattleHawks in targets, but he has much more big-play potential than Brandon Reilly and Alonzo Russell. Mumphrey has NFL talent and has been out of football for several years due to off-field concerns, but he leads the BattleHawks in yards per target and yards per catch. As he continues to get back into football shape, look for Mumphrey to carve out a larger target share in St. Louis. With an expanding role, Mumphrey will move from a big-play-dependent Flex option into a WR2.
DeAndre Goolsby – TE Tampa Bay Vipers
The @XFLVipers are looking gooooood early
📺 ESPN2
🖥 https://t.co/Y524SAtGEI pic.twitter.com/nA2SaJB4Yw— XFL (@xfl2020) March 2, 2020
Goolsby has filled in capably for the injured Nick Truesdell, including a three catch, 41-yard and one touchdown performance in Week 4. It remains to be seen if he can continue to have a role if/when Truesdell returns, but until then Goolsby should be started in way more than the 2.6% of leagues he was started in this week. Tampa has an offense that puts up yards and Goolsby has a decent share of those passing targets so far, whether that can continue after a Truesdell return remains to be seen. If Truesdell remains sidelined, Goolsby is a top 4 tight end play.
Cornelius may be the answer, Handcuff your Running Backs
It’s beautiful.
22-0 Vipers | 4:02 Q3 pic.twitter.com/1dM1bbu9xh
— Tampa Bay Vipers (@XFLVipers) March 2, 2020
Taylor Cornelius (QB Tampa) has put up back-to-back 20+ point weeks and led Tampa to their first win in Week 4. It remains to be seen what will happen once Aaron Murray is healthy, but Cornelius looks better than Murray has yet so he may have seized the Tampa starting job… We see again the importance of owning multiple backs on the same team as backs like Martez Carter (LA) and Matt Jones (STL) were hampered or out due to various injuries. With injury reporting difficult to come by, go grab your RB’s backups off the XFL waiver wire to ensure you are not left hurting on gameday.
