Can you believe it? We are a mere 11 days away from the beginning of the USFL season. If you are reading this than you are probably as excited as we all are over here at SGPN. The 2022 USFL season is due to kick off on April 16th when the New Jersey Generals take on the Birmingham Stallions at 7:30 PM EST. The game will be available on FOX, NBC and Peacock. The rest of the games on opening weekend will be available to watch or stream on NBC, Peacock, USA and FS1. The following USFL Fantasy Football Draft Guide is designed to help you build a winning franchise.
Interest in Playing Fantasy USFL? Check out Altfantasy.com
With football, comes fantasy football and if you are like me, you cannot wait to get drafting and tinker with those lineups until April 16th. If you are still looking for a place to play USFL fantasy football make sure to check out altfantasysports.com. Altfantasy has previous been a leader in fantasy spring football and hosted fantasy AAF and XFL in the past. Altfantasy has recently partnered with SGPN and really taken their product to another level. Make sure to check it out and get drafting! Keep an eye out as Altfantasy will also be offering daily fantasy and bestball contests if traditional season long fantasy isn’t your thing!
Looking for Some USFL Draft Guidance? Look No Further.
Speaking of drafting, the USFL draft pool may be a bit unfamiliar to you and you may be wondering where to find the best info to guide you in your drafting process. If that is the case, then look no further! Here, I will provide a guide for drafting a USFL fantasy team that will surely compete week in and week out. For the purposes of these rankings, I’m operating under the assumption of a 1 point PPR, six-team League with 1 QB, 2 RB, 2WR, 1 TE, 1 Flex, 1 DST, 1 K, 3 Bench Slots. There is a lot of flexibility to be had but the sweet spot for spring football leagues with only 8 professional teams (like the USFL) is likely in the 4 to 6 team range.
What Types of Players Should You Be Drafting? Our Experts Will Tell you.
Using the consensus rankings developed by SGPN’s panel of 4 experts, I will go through the types of players you should be targeting in each round of your fantasy USFL draft in the coming weeks and why. There are a lot of unknowns as we head into the season but there are a few good strategies that should help you set yourself apart from your league mates. Make sure to keep this USFL Fantasy Football Draft Guide handy has you head into your draft!
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USFL Fantasy Football Draft Guide: SGPN Consensus Rankings and Draft Strategy
Rounds 1 and 2: Get a QB and a Get a Stud (Probably a RB)
| Overall Consensus Rank | Player | Position |
| OVR 1 | Jordan Ta’amu | QB |
| OVR 2 | Bryan Scott | QB |
| OVR 3 | Kyle Sloter | QB |
| OVR 4 | Clayton Thorson | QB |
| OVR 5 | Stevie Scott III | RB |
| OVR 6 | BJ Emmons | RB |
| OVR 7 | Kyle Lauletta | QB |
| OVR 8 | Garrett Groshek | RB |
| OVR 9 | Shea Patterson | QB |
| OVR 10 | Luis Perez | QB |
| OVR 11 | CJ Marable | RB |
| OVR 12 | Dalyn Dawkins | RB |
The first round is likely going to be a run on quarterbacks, and rightfully so. Having an elite quarterback is bound to be a huge advantage in spring fantasy football as it has been in the past. Using standard scoring and referencing the shortened 2020 XFL season as an example, PJ Walker was far and away the best player in that league. He finished the 5 game season with 134+ points, over 40 points more than the second leading scorer and quarterback (Josh Johnson had 96.68 points). Coming in third was a name that likely will sound familiar to USFL fans, Jordan Ta’amu with 87.7 (more on him later).
What did we learn from the XFL?
I know this is a USFL article but I reference the XFL to make a point. Quarterbacks are not only going to be the one the field leaders for each USFL Franchise but also the leaders of your fantasy team. Of the 8 starting quarterbacks in that short XFL season, four of them exceeded 60 fantasy points. Of all the flex positional players in that league (RB/WR/TE) only three exceeded the 60 point mark for the season. The three top scoring flex players were Cam Phillips (WR, Houston, 115 points), Donald Parnham (TE, Dallas, 68.7 points), and James Butler (RB, Houston, 63.8 points).
Get the Best Quarterback and Get His Weapons
If the XFL is any indication as to how we can expect the USFL season to unfold, then expect there to be a few quarterbacks that truly set themselves apart, quarterbacks will lead fantasy leagues in scoring, and there will be a strong correlation between the quarterbacks producing at a high level and the position players they share the field with. In the case of PJ Walker and the XFL, his number one target (Cam Phillips) led all flex players in scoring by a wide margin. Expect similar results in the USFL.
Get Ta’amu, Scott or Sloter
In every draft I am targeting Jordan Ta’amu, Bryan Scott and Kyle Sloter in the first round and you should too. The reasoning is simple. I think those three have the highest chance of being not only the most dominant quarterback in the league but potentially the most dominant player in the league. There is a reason our rankers have them as the consensus ranked top 3 players in our USFL Fantasy Football Draft Guide
Jordan Ta’amu comes in as our number one ranked player. In two seasons as the starter for Ole Miss (2017-2018) he racked up 5,600 yards, 30 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Ta’amu went on to be the starting QB for the St. Louis Battlehawks of the XFL. If passing touchdowns weren’t enough for you, there is a good chance Ta’amu puts up 450 rushing yards and 5 rushing touchdowns this USFL season. Those are the kind of numbers that win you a fantasy season even if you have a few hiccups along the way. The Todd Haley-led Bandits are likely to run an explosive vertical passing offense with Ta’amu at the helm. In my eyes, he could be the USFL version of PJ Walker.
Spring Football Legend: Bryan Scott
If you like Spring Football, you have heard of Bryan Scott. He is our overall number 2 ranked player for a reason. Scott has loads of professional spring football experience and has a history of dominating spring football leagues. He won the starting quarterback job for the Generals of the Spring League (TSL) in 2020, and went on to lead the generals to an undefeated season and a championship. Scott would go on to be named the TSL MVP and the MVP of the Spring League Championship game in 2020. Bryan Scott has star potential written all over him and a lot of folks are excited about this Philadelphia Stars Offense.
Kyler Sloter: High Risk, High Reward
Our rankings put Kyle Sloter as the 3rd overall player. Sloter split his time in college between Southern Miss and Northern Colorado where his senior year as the full time starting quarterback threw for 2,656 yards, 29 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He never quite stuck with an NFL team but flashed potential in the 2017 NFL preseason when he threw for 413 yards, 3 touchdowns and no interceptions for the Denver Broncos. Sloter led the league that preseason with a passer rating of 125.4. He is a dual threat and landed with a coach that knows how to utilize his skills. He might be the biggest risk of the top three quarterbacks but could also return the highest rewards.
Didn’t Land One of The Top Three QBs? Don’t panic.
There is still a lot of value to be had in rounds one and two even if you do not land one of the top three quarterbacks. Making some mistakes at the top of the draft in USFL fantasy will not destine you to be a cellar dweller like it might be playing NFL fantasy. The best strategy is likely to take your QB1 and your favorite workhorse running back.
Clayton Thorson came in as our fourth ranked overall player and is not a bad consolation prize. He is a traditional pocket passer and started 53 consecutive games as the quarterback at Northwestern which is the most ever for a Big Ten quarterback. Though he may not be flashy, there is a good chance he throws for a ton of yards.
Hammer Those Running Backs
The USFL season has not officially started and already it’s be wild. If you asked me a week ago I would have told you the top two positional players off the board very well could have been Eli Rogers and De’Veon Smith. Both are now out of the league (or did not report) and may not play at all. The best strategy at this point is to hit the workhorse running backs hard early. The best best bets at this time are to target Stevie Scott II, BJ Emmons, Garret Groshek and Dlayn Dawkins early.
Stevie Scott III was selected by Jeff Fisher and the Michigan Panthers to be the lead back of this pro style offense. He is one of only three Indiana Hoosiers to ever score ten or more rushing touchdowns in three consecutive seasons. BJ Emmons is known as an exceptional pass blocker which makes his selection by a Todd Haley-led pass-first offense make perfect sense and will likely see a lot of work on an electric offense.
Look for Dalyn Dawkins to lead the backfield for the Houston Gamblers and see a lot of opportunities to touch the ball. Likely a traditional pro-style offense with Clayton Thorson at the helm, there will likely be a concerted effort made to establish the run early and often. Groshek was drafted by the Kirby Wilson-led Maulers. Kirby Wilson is a former long time running backs coach that has been a part of several successful run-heavy offenses. There is a good chance he sees the majority of the running back work for the Maulers.
Rounds 3 and 4: Load Up on WRs and RBs
| OVR 13 | WR | |
| OVR 14 | Darnell Holland | RB |
| OVR 15 | Mike Weber | RB |
| OVR 16 | Shawn Poindexter | WR |
| OVR 17 | Matt Colburn II | RB |
| OVR 18 | Mark Thompson | RB |
| OVR 19 | Alex McGough | QB |
| OVR 20 | Nick Truesdell | TE |
| OVR 21 | Jeff Badet | WR |
| OVR 22 | Juwan Washington | RB |
| OVR 23 | Isaiah Zuber | WR |
| OVR 24 | Bug Howard | TE |
If you are still looking for a QB at this point, you do not have many options left. Though you may not get the same value you may have gotten from the top guys early, you might have grabbed a top notch flex player, and that is cool too! If this sounds like you, this is where you can likely grab a guy like Alex McGough. Our rankings are not super high on him but he does have some upside. He is a dual threat quarterback and Skip Holtz must be excited to get the chance to utilize his skillset this season. McGough has a strong arm and has no problem maneuvering out of the pocket to make throws on the run. Holtz has a history of using more than one QB in college so be careful if you wait this long to grab your QB. It could be risky.
Rounds 3 and 4 are the sweet spot to load up on running backs and wide receivers in our USFL Fantasy Football Draft Guide.
Time to Get a Top Flight Receiver
Shawn Poindexter, Jeff Badet, and Isiah Zuber should be some of the first wide receivers off the board. Poindexter is a huge receiver and just looks the part of a WR1. He will likely be on the winning side of contested catches as he stands at 6-5 and 213 pounds. It is well known that there is a strong correlation between quarterback and wide receiver performance in fantasy football and and Kyle Sloter is projected to have an excellent year. Expect a lot of red zone touchdowns from Poindexter.
You Should Have the Need for Speed: Draft It Early and Often
In any football league speed kills and our rankers think Jeff Badet of the Panthers and Isiah Zuber of the Gamblers are going to be torching DBs all year. Both guys are not only likely to see a lot of work in the receiving game but also special teams work. Who knows? Maybe on top of some long receiving touchdowns these two find the endzone in the return game. Gadget guys are also going to be at a premium in the USFL (double pass rule anyone?) and both of these guys fit that mold. They both have huge upside according to our USFL Fantasy Football Draft Guide.
Rounds 5 and 6: Double up on RB/WR
| OVR 25 | Jordan Ellis | RB |
| OVR 26 | Kavontae Turpin | WR |
| OVR 27 | Victor Bolden Jr | WR |
| OVR 28 | Larry Rose III | RB |
| OVR 29 | Trey Williams | RB |
| OVR 30 | Tony Brooks James | RB |
| OVR 31 | Osirus Mitchell | WR |
| OVR 32 | Brandon Barnes | TE |
| OVR 33 | Reggie Corbin | RB |
| OVR 34 | Devin Gray | WR |
| OVR 35 | Bailey Gaither | WR |
| OVR 36 | Jonathan Abrams | WR |
If Kavontae Turpin falls to this point in the draft, you have to grab him. I think there is a good chance he off the board when the run of receivers. Even with some question marks swirling around the QB situation for the NJ Generals, I think Turpin will be productive no matter what. In this league speed is going to kill and he has that in spades. He had some character issues and was not able to play at TCU after producing 1338 yards. Turpin may also see production in the return game and likely will have some screens and jet sweeps designed specifically for him in the game plan. He is another great candidate for a gadget player that could see bonus production.
Need PPR Points? Go Get Reggie Corbin.
You can start thinking about a tight end at this point but my advice is to wait. For a spring league the tight end class is deep and teaming with potential. My strategy at this point would be to continue loading up on WRs and RBs. The more dart throws the better. If someone like Reggie Corbin is still available at this point in the draft, he is a no brainer. On a team that is likely to use the running backs early and often, Reggie Corbin may be excellent value at this point. He also brings a lot of excellent PPR value to your team as a good pass catching back.
Rounds 7 and 8: Receiver Dart Throws, Look for Upside
| OVR 37 | Anthony Ratliff-Mitchell | WR |
| OVR 38 | Brennan Eagles | WR |
| OVR 39 | Darrius Shepherd | WR |
| OVR 40 | Tre Walker | WR |
| OVR 41 | Chad Williams | WR |
| OVR 42 | Joseph Emmanuel Hall | WR |
| OVR 43 | Paxton Lynch | QB |
| OVR 44 | Jordan Suell | WR |
| OVR 45 | JoJo Ward | WR |
| OVR 46 | Jeffrey Thomas | WR |
| OVR 47 | Lance Lenoir | WR |
| OVR 48 | J’Mon Moore | WR |
I may sounds like a broken record at this point but in a league full of uncertainty, you cannot have enough running backs and wide receivers. I think the best strategy may to grab those running backs with workhorse potential early. The backs will be a bit thinner than the receivers and you have a greater chance of finding a receiver that goes off and becomes a stud later in the draft. Rounds 7 and 8 are a great opportunity to do this according to our USFL Fantasy Football Draft Guide.
Keep Looking for Speed and Big Play Ability
If a guy like JoJo Ward is still on the board at this point, I think he could be a steal. The Gamblers have an intriguing wide receiver core on paper that is loaded with speed. There is a chance that Isaiah Zuber and JoJo Ward open up the field for each other and Clayton Thorson finds them each a few times a game on a deep ball for six. Those are the kind of plays from your flex position that will win you some matchup’s you might have otherwise narrowly lost. Ward is going to get an opportunity to burn defensive backs for big plays.
If you want to hedge your Quarterback bet (depending on the rules of your league), Paxton Lynch could make for an excellent stash here. Rumors are swirling that both Patterson and Lynch could see playing time for the Panthers. In addition, Lynch has NFL experience so if Patterson struggles early, looked for him to take over.
Rounds 9 and 10: Get Your Stud Tight End, Maybe Two
| OVR 49 | Matt Seybert | TE |
| OVR 50 | Marlon Williams | WR |
| OVR 51 | De’Quan Hampton | TE |
| OVR 52 | Teo Redding | WR |
| OVR 53 | Diondre Overton | WR |
| OVR 54 | Peyton Ramzy | WR |
| OVR 55 | Derrick Willies | WR |
| OVR 56 | Johnnie DIxon | WR |
| OVR 57 | Alonzo Moore | WR |
| OVR 58 | Branden Mack | WR |
| OVR 59 | Cheyenne O’Grady | TE |
| OVR 60 | Kenji Bahar | QB |
Have I mentioned this tight end class is deep? There is a chance to land a stud or two at this point in the draft. A few names our rankers loved and would be crazy value at this point are Matt Seybert and De’Quan Hampton.
Matt Seybert: A Sleeper Candidate for TE1
Matt Seybert’s was a walk on tight end at Michigan state and did not even start until his senior season but he is oozing with potential. The Maulers are going to be led by Kirby Wilson who believes in a run first approach and often employs formations that included more than one tight end. This bodes well for Seybert who is like to see a lot of playing time and run a lot of routes.
Hampton is a versatile player who was actually listed as a receiver for the Wildcats of the XFL and produced 6 catches for 26 yards and a touchdown during his tie in the HFL. In two years at USC he produced 22 catches for 238 yards and 2 touchdowns while playing in 25 games. Hampton is a freak athlete that can play in line as a tight end but projects well as a slot receiver as well. He found himself on what looks to be a high power vertical passing Bandits’ offense.
Rounds 11 and 12/The Rest of the Way: Get Your D/ST & K Last
It is a boring but good strategy. Do not reach for your defense or kicker. There is already so much uncertainty swirling around spring football that it is not worth sacrificing good positional player value in favor of your favorite teams defense. They are all likely to be replacement levels players and should be treated as such.
If for some reason you jumped on those positions early, this is the time of the draft to try and hit on some sleeper candidates. Guys like John Franklin III of the Tampa Bay Bandits are great guys to jump on at this point. They may not be household names but have gadget play potential. This is extra intriguing with the USFL’s adoption of the double pass rule. Look for a few plays for be scripted to get Franklin (a former QB and gadget player in college) in space and chuck the ball down the field for a second time.
Don’t forget the most important part, have fun with it! Happy drafting with the help of our USFL Fantasy Football Draft Guide.
SGPN’s USFL Fantasy Football Draft Guide Rankings
| Overall Consensus Rank | Player | Position |
| OVR 1 | Jordan Ta’amu | QB |
| OVR 2 | Bryan Scott | QB |
| OVR 3 | Kyle Sloter | QB |
| OVR 4 | Clayton Thorson | QB |
| OVR 5 | Stevie Scott III | RB |
| OVR 6 | BJ Emmons | RB |
| OVR 7 | Kyle Lauletta | QB |
| OVR 8 | Garrett Groshek | RB |
| OVR 9 | Shea Patterson | QB |
| OVR 10 | Luis Perez | QB |
| OVR 11 | CJ Marable | RB |
| OVR 12 | Dalyn Dawkins | RB |
| OVR 13 | Quincy Adeboyejo | WR |
| OVR 14 | Darnell Holland | RB |
| OVR 15 | Mike Weber | RB |
| OVR 16 | Shawn Poindexter | WR |
| OVR 17 | Matt Colburn II | RB |
| OVR 18 | Mark Thompson | RB |
| OVR 19 | Alex McGough | QB |
| OVR 20 | Nick Truesdell | TE |
| OVR 21 | Jeff Badet | WR |
| OVR 22 | Juwan Washington | RB |
| OVR 23 | Isaiah Zuber | WR |
| OVR 24 | Bug Howard | TE |
| OVR 25 | Jordan Ellis | RB |
| OVR 26 | Kavontae Turpin | WR |
| OVR 27 | Victor Bolden Jr | WR |
| OVR 28 | Larry Rose III | RB |
| OVR 29 | Trey Williams | RB |
| OVR 30 | Tony Brooks James | RB |
| OVR 31 | Osirus Mitchell | WR |
| OVR 32 | Brandon Barnes | TE |
| OVR 33 | Reggie Corbin | RB |
| OVR 34 | Devin Gray | WR |
| OVR 35 | Bailey Gaither | WR |
| OVR 36 | Jonathan Abrams | WR |
| OVR 37 | Anthony Ratliff-Mitchell | WR |
| OVR 38 | Brennan Eagles | WR |
| OVR 39 | Darrius Shepherd | WR |
| OVR 40 | Tre Walker | WR |
| OVR 41 | Chad Williams | WR |
| OVR 42 | Joseph Emmanuel Hall | WR |
| OVR 43 | Paxton Lynch | QB |
| OVR 44 | Jordan Suell | WR |
| OVR 45 | JoJo Ward | WR |
| OVR 46 | Jeffrey Thomas | WR |
| OVR 47 | Lance Lenoir | WR |
| OVR 48 | J’Mon Moore | WR |
| OVR 49 | Matt Seybert | TE |
| OVR 50 | Marlon Williams | WR |
| OVR 51 | De’Quan Hampton | TE |
| OVR 52 | Teo Redding | WR |
| OVR 53 | Diondre Overton | WR |
| OVR 54 | Peyton Ramzy | WR |
| OVR 55 | Derrick Willies | WR |
| OVR 56 | Johnnie DIxon | WR |
| OVR 57 | Alonzo Moore | WR |
| OVR 58 | Branden Mack | WR |
| OVR 59 | Cheyenne O’Grady | TE |
| OVR 60 | Kenji Bahar | QB |
| OVR 61 | Paul Terry | RB |
| OVR 62 | Darius Victor | RB |
| OVR 63 | Vinny Papale | WR |
| OVR 64 | La’Michael Pettway | TE |
| OVR 65 | Sal Cannella | TE |
| OVR 66 | Madre London | RB |
| OVR 67 | Maurice Alexander | WR |
| OVR 68 | Delvon Hardaway | WR |
| OVR 69 | Taywan Taylor | WR |
| OVR 70 | Ray Bolden | WR |
| OVR 71 | De’Andre Johnson | QB |
| OVR 72 | Derrick DIllon | WR |
| OVR 73 | Joseph Magnifico | TE |
| OVR 74 | Devwah Whaley | RB |
| OVR 75 | T.J. Logan Jr. | RB |
| OVR 76 | Jordan Lasley | WR |
| OVR 77 | Josh Love | QB |
| OVR 78 | Devin Ross | WR |
| OVR 79 | Randy Sutterfield | WR |
| OVR 80 | J’Mar Davis-Smith | QB |
| OVR 81 | Case Cookus | QB |
| OVR 82 | Tyler Simmons | WR |
| OVR 83 | Sage Surratt | TE |
| OVR 84 | Braden Bowman | TE |
| OVR 85 | Cameron Scarlett | RB |
| OVR 86 | Cary Angeline | TE |
| OVR 87 | Chris Roland | WR |
| OVR 88 | Keith Mumphery | WR |
| OVR 89 | John Franklin III | WR |
| OVR 90 | Brady White | QB |
| OVR 91 | Manasseh Bailey | WR |
| OVR 92 | Jordan Chunn | RB |
| OVR 93 | Julian Allen | TE |
| OVR 94 | Bobby Holly | RB |
| OVR 95 | Connor Davis | TE |
| OVR 96 | EJ Bibbs | TE |
| OVR 97 | Rashard Davis | WR |
| OVR 98 | Zach Smith | QB |
| OVR 99 | Tyler Palka | WR |
| OVR 100 | Marcus Baugh | TE |
| OVR 101 | Cameron Echols-Luper | WR |
| OVR 102 | Hunter Thedford | TE |
| OVR 103 | Justin Johnson | TE |
| OVR 104 | Artayvvious Lynn | TE |
| OVR 105 | Jacob Williams | TE |
| OVR 106 | Pro Wells | TE |
| OVR 107 | Woody Brandom | TE |
Look Ahead
Make sure you check SGPN regularly for updates to our 2022 USFL positional rankings and for all things USFL.
