After an exciting regular season, we're set for the USFL and XFL conference championships that will decide the two teams that will meet for the inaugural UFL title next week. Even with the slate being cut in half from the usual four games, we still have plenty of appealing options to break down across all positions.
As was the case for both the XFL and USFL, DraftKings is offering a full array of cash games and tournaments based on UFL regular-season and postseason games. DraftKings' UFL 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.
QUARTERBACKS
Adrian Martinez, BHAM vs. MICH ($10,500):
Martinez finished the season on a rare two-week downturn, at least by his lofty standards. The mobile signal-caller actually did produce 17 and 16.6 DK points in that pair of contests, with the latter figure coming in Week 10 against these same Panthers he'll face Saturday.
Michigan boasts a quality defense that was one of the stingier units against the pass this season, but the Panthers did allow 14 touchdown passes overall. Martinez's rushing ability gives him no shortage of upside and helps make up for the tough matchup through the air, keeping him in play at a salary that's $1K less than it was to finish the regular season.
ALSO CONSIDER: AJ McCarron, STL vs. SAN ($10,000)
RUNNING BACKS
Jacob Saylors, STL vs. SAN ($8,600):
Saylors had a quiet showing against the Brahmas in Week 10, logging a total of 14 touches but turning them into only 57 yards. That netted a modest 7.7 DK points, but Saylors still finished the season averaging 16 DK points per contest thanks to multiple standout performances.
That included a tally of 16.3 DK points against the Brahmas back in Week 2, and San Antonio finished the regular season allowing 4.2 yards per carry overall. With Saylors also a viable part of the Battlehawks passing game (23-151-3 line through the air), he should have plenty of opportunities to make good on his salary Sunday.
Morgan Ellison, SAN at STL ($7,200):
It remains to be seen if Ellison will helm the Brahmas ground attack again Sunday, as Anthony McFarland's status remains unknown as of this writing. However, Ellison figures to have a solid role under any circumstance, and he turned in a solid effort in Week 10 against St. Louis with 11 carries for 43 yards and a touchdown. A lost fumble prevented him from getting to double-digit DK points for the second straight week, but Ellison has now found the end zone on three occasions overall in the last two games.
The touchdown the Battlehawks allowed Ellison was the 11th they gave up on the ground during the regular season, and St. Louis' excellent pass defense should funnel plenty of action to the run game once again. Consequently another double-digit carry day wouldn't be out of the question for Ellison, especially if McFarland sits out yet again.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Jontre Kirklin, SAN at STL ($9,500):
San Antonio's biggest playmaker is Kirklin, who finished the season with a standout 56-614-3 line and average of 14.8 DK points per contest. The speedster tormented the normally stout Battlehawks secondary in Week 10, posting a season-high 28.7 DK points on the strength of a 7-127-1 line on 10 targets.
That was actually Kirklin's eighth double-digit DK-point tally overall this season, and his second in as many games against St. Louis. Kirklin was targeted a total of 24 times overall against the Battlehawks in two regular-season games, so another heavy workload is a virtual guarantee Sunday.
Siaosi Mariner, MICH at BHAM ($6,900):
Mariner morphed into the Panthers' air attack's top target in the last two games of the regular season, logging 20 looks in that span and parlaying them into a 15-205-1 line and average of 22.3 DK points. The one-time CFL wideout did plenty of damage against the Stallions' usually reliable secondary in Week 10, turning in a season-high 27 DK points.
Birmingham finished the regular season allowing the second-most completions (198), along with 12 touchdown passes. Mariner will see Marcus Simms rejoin the receiving corps this week, but the former's chemistry with quarterback Danny Etling should still give him a solid opportunity to thrive.
Justin Smith, SAN at STL ($5,200):
Smith is best suited as a tournament value play due to the fluctuations in his production, but he's an intriguing one at his salary. The Norfolk State product finished the regular season with a 25-264-1 line, and he only had two truly noteworthy fantasy performances. However, both came against formidable defenses, as he collected 20.7 DK points against the Panthers in Week 4 before also posting 15.6 against the Stallions in Week 9.
What catches my eye about Smith besides the upside he demonstrated in those games is the fact he was the subject of seven targets last week against this same Battlehawks defense. Smith logged 13 targets overall in the last two games of the season, and although he only recorded one catch for 14 yards on those seven looks in Week 10, that comes off as an outlier which could easily be reversed this week with some better efficiency from both quarterback and receiver.
FLEX
Nate McCrary (RB), MICH at BHAM ($6,000)
McCrary is listed as the top running back for the Panthers going into Saturday's conference title clash, so he'll apparently have a good chance to outpace Matt Colburn in workload. Whether that transpires remains to be seen, but McCrary did record eight carries for 36 yards in Week 10 against the Stallions with Colburn inactive.
McCrary had also produced 10.3 DK points in Week 9, and it's worth noting he was a 1,000-yard rusher at Division II Saginaw Valley State back in his final college campaign in 2019 before spending time with the Ravens and Packers in the NFL. Birmingham presents a tough matchup up front, but McCrary's salary is excellent for a player who could handle a lead-back role.
ALSO CONSIDER: CJ Marable, BHAM vs. MICH ($7,600)
TEAM DEFENSE
St. Louis Battlehawks vs. San Antonio Brahmas ($4,200): The Battlehawks defense came through handsomely as a suggestion in this same matchup in Week 10, posting 12 DK points via two sacks, an interception and a fumble recovery. That was the Battlehawks' defense's third double-digit DK-point tally of the season at home, and they finished with 13 takeaways and 19 sacks overall across 10 games. Meanwhile, the Brahmas finished the season with the second-most giveaways (16) and have averaged 13 points over their last three road games.
