We have major spring professional football for a third consecutive season beginning Saturday, the first time that feat has been pulled off since the original iteration of the USFL pulled it off in 1983-85.
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
Case Cookus, MEM at HOU ($10,000):
Cookus has gotten plenty of spring experience under his belt over the last two USFL seasons for the now defunct Philadelphia Stars, putting up 555 pass attempts over that span while also tossing 27 touchdowns to 14 interceptions. Cookus has added plenty on the ground – he compiled 494 rushing yards and a touchdown – and he may have well been on the way to leading the Stars to a USFL title in 2022 before suffering a broken leg in the Championship Game.
Cookus has now relocated to Memphis, where he'll helm a Showboats offense that should have a formidable ground attack led by former New Jersey Generals duo Darius Victor and Trey Williams, and that will be outfitted with talented pass catchers such as Jonathan Adams, Cookus' old Stars teammate Diondre Overton and athletic tight end Sage Surratt. Given the solid floor he offers – he averaged just under 17 DK points per contest last season – Cookus is a viable pivot off more costly options AJ McCarron and Jordan Ta'amu if you're looking to save some dollars at QB.
E.J. Perry, MICH vs. STL ($8,800):
Perry served as quite the late-season boost for the Panthers in the 2023 USFL season, taking over in the Week 10 game against the Stars and recording 17.6 DK points in a key victory before throwing for 370 yards and scoring three total touchdowns in a playoff loss to the Maulers the following week. The latter performance netted 33 DK points, offering a glimpse at the ceiling Perry could be capable of.
The small sample was essentially a microcosm of some of the play Perry put on tape over his final two college seasons at Brown, where he threw for 5,981 yards and 45 touchdowns while adding 1,132 rushing yards and another 15 scores on the ground across 20 games. With a matchup against a McCarron-helmed Battlehawks offense that was one of the XFL's best a year ago and returns several key pieces, Perry could be very busy and therefore offer a strong return on investment.
ALSO CONSIDER: AJ McCarron, STL at MICH ($11,000)
RUNNING BACKS
Wayne Gallman, STL at MICH ($8,800):
Gallman comes into the UFL with a solid NFL resume that gives him a leg up on many of his opponents. A 2017 fourth-round pick of the Giants, Gallman amassed 1,548 rushing yards and nine touchdowns during 61 NFL games (14 starts), complementing those formidable numbers with an 81-519-2 line through the air.
The Clemson product therefore profiles as one of the UFL's best backs coming into the 2024 campaign, especially with the Defenders' Abram Smith possibly lost for the season due to a knee injury. Gallman will also be playing on an offense that features a passing game defenses will have no choice but to respect, which should help pave the way for some spacious running lanes on occasion.
Anthony McFarland, SAN vs. DC ($8,000):
McFarland is the second NFL alumnus in as many suggestions at this position, with the one-time Steelers fourth-round pick (2020) finally getting an opportunity to lead a pro backfield after being stuck behind the likes of James Conner as a rookie and Najee Harris over the subsequent two-plus seasons of the remainder of his tenure in Pittsburgh.
McFarland was an explosive runner at Maryland during his relatively brief 23-game college career, averaging 6.7 yards per carry and scoring 12 touchdowns despite garnering just 12 starts. He also displayed some decent pass-catching chops with 24 receptions for 199 yards and a touchdown during his college tenure, and he should have ample opportunity to flash his full skill set on the fast track of the Alamodome as the Brahmas host a Defenders team that should force San Antonio to remain aggressive.
ALSO CONSIDER: Cam'Ron Harris, DC at SAN ($7,500)
WIDE RECEIVERS
Hakeem Butler, STL at MICH ($8,600):
Butler is the first of two receiver recommendations that I feel particularly comfortable with, given the body of work that exists at the spring league level. In Butler's case, he was one of the most effective receivers in the XFL during 2023 while working with McCarron, posting a 51-599-8 line across 10 regular-season games (seven starts) and earning All-XFL honors in the process.
McCarron and Butler will be reforming their potent connection beginning with Saturday afternoon's battle against the Panthers, and the wideout's impressive 6-foot-5, 227-pound frame should make him one of the new league's best red-zone targets for a second straight year. Additionally, the value of the continuity between quarterback and receiver can't be overstated, especially after McCarron saw fit to afford Butler double-digit targets on three occasions last season.
Jonathan Adams, MEM at HOU ($8,100):
Adams doesn't have the benefit of working with 2023 New Orleans Breakers quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson again, but he will be paired with another capable passer in Cookus who he could get up to speed quickly with. Adams was a key part of the Breakers' attack over the previous two seasons, posting a 72-917-5 line in regular-season play over that span and adding six more receptions over two postseason contests.
Adams produced four tallies of 12 DK points or more in 2023, a 22.7 DK-point effort on the strength of a 8-117 effort against the Panthers. With the Arkansas State product set to again helm his team's receiver corps and a capable dual-threat signal-caller like Cookus under center, I like Adams' fantasy floor in this matchup.
Gary Jennings, BHAM at ARL ($3,900):
There will undoubtedly be a fair share of receivers that surprise in Week 1, but I like the combination of savings and upside Jennings brings to the table. A fourth-round pick of the Seahawks back in 2019, Jennings never got the opportunity to showcase the skills that led to him recording a 97-catch season that saw him fall just short of 1,100 yards during his junior year at West Virginia, and that also helped him record an outstanding 13 receiving touchdowns on 54 catches as a senior.
Jennings was able to log his first professional regular-season stats last season for the XFL's Battlehawks, posting 11 receptions for 149 yards and three touchdowns in eight games as a complementary receiver. Jennings has now escaped the shadow of Butler that was present in St. Loui, and although he projects to open the season as the No. 3 wideout in Birmingham, he only needs a big play or two to pay off his salary.
ALSO CONSIDER: Keke Coutee, DC at SAN ($8,500)
FLEX
Cody Latimer (TE), SAN vs. DC ($7,000)
Latimer is the first of two tight ends I'll be recommending in the Flex spot. Latimer, a receiver during his time in the NFL, still carries the upside of a wideout, and he was one of the few bright spots for the XFL's Orlando Guardians last season with a 50-593-4 line across nine games.
Latimer also recorded 70 receptions for 935 yards and six touchdowns during his days with the Broncos and Giants, and his athleticism should allow him to win more than his fair share of battles with DC's linebackers and safeties in what could be a bit of an offensive showcase due to the dome environment.
Sage Surratt (TE), MEM at HOU ($6,000)
We'll stay on the same theme with Surratt, who posted a 50-552-1 line while starting all 10 regular-season games for the Breakers in the USFL a season ago. He averaged 12.2 DK points per contest overall, and like his former teammate in New Orleans, Adams, he should benefit from working with the versatile Cookus as his quarterback.
Surratt was a receiver at Wake Forest and finished off his college career by turning 66 receptions for 1,001 yards and 11 touchdowns across nine games in 2019. He repeatedly demonstrated an ability to stretch the seam last season for the Breakers and had performances that netted 18 and 32.1 DK points among other notable efforts, making him well worth this salary.
ALSO CONSIDER: CJ Marable (RB), BHAM at ARL ($7,900)
TEAM DEFENSE
Memphis Showboats ($4,000) at Houston Roughnecks: It's naturally different to know how much defensive performance will carry over from last season into this one for UFL teams, but the Showboats have a very reasonable salary, averaged an impressive 10.3 DK points last season and finished the campaign with a very well-rounded statistical profile consisting of 24 sacks, 12 interceptions, seven fumble recoveries and three defensive touchdowns. The Roughnecks will be relying on the inexperienced Jarrett Guarantano at quarterback, have a makeshift receiving corps, and could well be missing reigning USFL Offensive Player of the Year Mark Thompson, who's questionable with a knee sprain. As such, the Showboats should have a good opportunity to impose their will and potentially focus the majority of their resources on Guarantano, potentially leading to some turnovers.
