The UFL follows up an exciting season-opening slate with a Week 2 four-game ledger that starts Friday night with the Stallions-Panthers showdown and also includes what should be raucous home games for the Battlehawks and Defenders.
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
Luis Perez, ARL vs. SAN ($10,000):
Perez was our top QB recommendation last week and came through nicely, posting a solid 13.4 DK points in Arlington's big win over the Brahmas. As was noted in last week's article, one of Perez's inherent advantages is his familiarity with an extensive group of incumbent pass catchers that are able to press defenses consistently.
This week, the spring league veteran is in even better position to produce, for a number of reasons. Not only does he have his first game and another week of practice under his belt, but he also has what should be a much easier defensive matchup against a Roughnecks squad that allowed 31 points and 460 total yards to the Battlehawks in Week 1.
Jordan Ta'amu, DC vs. MEM ($9,300):
Ta'amu unsurprisingly had his share of struggles with efficiency against a talented Stallions defense in Week 1, but he still helped lead the Defenders to a big upset win and posted 11.3 DK points with the help of 211 passing yards and a touchdown. Last season, Ta'amu delivered several much bigger fantasy performances, so we know the upside is there for a nice return on his current salary.
Like Perez, Ta'amu also should benefit from a much softer Week 2 matchup than what he encountered to open the season. The visiting Showboats struggled defensively in Week 1 against the Panthers, allowing 26 points and a highly efficient 186 passing yards. Michigan QBs Bryce Perkins and Danny Etling combined to complete 20 of 25 passes with a touchdown and no interceptions, and Ta'amu arguably has an even more explosive group of weapons at his disposal than they did.
ALSO CONSIDER: Manny Wilkins, STL vs. SAN ($9,600)
RUNNING BACKS
Jacob Saylors, STL at HOU ($9,300):
Saylors delivered handsomely as the top Week 1 RB suggestion, scoring 24.5 DK points on the strength of a 16-98-1 rushing line and 4-47 tally as a receiver on five targets. The versatile weapon also posted several impressive performances in 2024, and he looked fully comfortable in head coach Anthony Becht's offense to open his second season in St. Louis.
The Battlehawks will now be in front of their notoriously loyal and loud home crowd for this Week 2 matchup, and Saylors should have a chance to break off some gains against a Brahmas defense that tends to blitz plenty and therefore can leave itself exposed to a big run or two. Saylors put together a combined 19-112-1 rushing line in two meetings against San Antonio in 2024 and the Brahmas gave up a whopping 183 rushing yards to Arlington in Week 1, including a 77-yard run to Kalen Ballage.
Deon Jackson, DC vs. MEM ($5,400):
Jackson has plenty of NFL experience from his days with the Colts earlier this decade, and he comes into Week 2 having put together a solid UFL debut in the aforementioned upset win against the Stallions. Despite the tough matchup, Jackson tallied 42 rushing yards on 10 carries, and although he is part of a crowded backfield, his very modest salary accounts for that in large part.
Memphis yielded Saylors' highly productive outing in Week 1 as described above, and Jackson is a player with a very similar skill set that can do his fair share of damage as a receiver as well. While he has more uncertainty attached than some of the other backs with more secure roles, he's an interesting cost-savings tournament play.
ALSO CONSIDER: Kalen Ballage, ARL vs. HOU ($8,000)
WIDE RECEIVERS
Ty Scott, DC vs. MEM ($8,400):
Scott is one of Ta'amu's aforementioned high-upside weapons, and he already started to reignite his chemistry with the veteran quarterback in Week 1. The speedster generated 11.1 DK points via a 5-61 line on 10 targets, and he could be even more productive in his favorable matchup in Week 2.
As noted earlier, Memphis was lackluster on defense in Week 1. Scott put together a solid 3-52 receiving tally versus the Showboats back in Week 9 last season, and he enjoys an even more secure role at this point as he heads into the second game of what could be a resurgent season for the Defenders.
Jahcour Pearson, STL vs. SAN ($8,300):
Pearson got his season off to a solid start as one of our Week 1 suggestions, generating 14.3 DK points via six receptions for 83 yards against Houston. The Mississippi product has already put together an impressive body of work over the last two seasons in the XFL and UFL, and unlike last season, he's entered the 2025 campaign healthy and fully immersed in the Battlehawks' offense.
The particularly encouraging aspect of Pearson's season-opening performance was the fact it came in new QB Manny Wilkins' first game. With one regular-season game, as well as another week of practices together with the new signal-caller, Pearson could be an even better play in Week 2.
Jonathan Adams, MEM at DC ($6,600):
As already mentioned, the Showboats had a forgettable Week 1, but Adams was the one silver lining. The spring league veteran wideout posted six receptions for 93 yards and a touchdown on seven targets, leading to 21.3 DK points. Adams is a big-bodied target with experience working with different quarterbacks, so his quick success isn't entirely surprising.
The Week 2 matchup against the Defenders doesn't look good on paper primarily because the Stallions' Alex McGough was very rusty in his return to playing quarterback after a full season of attempting to convert to receiver with the NFL's Packers. While some of the credit for his struggles does go to Gregg Williams' aggressive defense, Adams and his quarterbacks Troy Williams and E.J. Perry, who went a combined 18-for-28 for 197 yards with a touchdown and two INTs in Week 1, should have a better chance of breaking through for some solid production.
ALSO CONSIDER: Chris Rowland, DC vs. MEM ($5,700)
FLEX
Sal Cannella (TE), ARL vs. HOU ($8,400)
Cannella delivered a solid performance as expected in Week 1, connecting with Perez to the tune of 11.5 DK points thanks to a 5-45 line on eight targets. The robust amount of attention paid to the talented tight end by his quarterback isn't surprising in the least, considering he saw between seven and 10 targets from Week 5 on last season.
As mentioned in Perez's entry, the Roughnecks make for an appealing defensive target, and Cannella is perhaps the best security blanket in the league. While his salary is higher than plenty of receivers, Cannella's upside is arguably also better than many of those players.
ALSO CONSIDER: Frank Darby (WR), STL vs. SAN ($5,300)
TEAM DEFENSE
DC Defenders vs. Memphis Showboats ($4,400): The suggestion of Adams as a good value receiver to consider notwithstanding, the Defenders make for a viable defense to deploy against the Showboats. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams appears to be dialed in to his personnel already, and that helped lead to the Defenders' defense recording the second-most DK points (16.0) in Week 1. While another eight-sack effort is going to be hard to replicate, we can count on Williams being aggressive with his approach. The fact this is a prime-time game in front of an always engaged home crowd can only help the Defenders' cause in terms of another rewarding performance for DFS players.
