Which of Nelson Spruce vs. Austin Proehl to consider in XFL Week 2

We entered the XFL Week 1 slate basically taking shots in the dark when it came to fantasy plays on DraftKings. While everything is still relatively new, at least we’ve now seen how each team plans to operate heading into Week 2.

Two of the highest-scoring WR plays from Week 1 find themselves priced up as elite plays for the Week 2 slate. So which one has the better chance of a repeat performance, and are either actually worth playing?

Nelson Spruce ($10,400), Los Angeles Wildcats

Spruce was fantastic in his XFL debut, turning his role as a focal point in the Wildcats’ offense into a huge fantasy outing. Spruce was targeted 15 times, posting an 11-103-0 line, good for 24.3 DKFP. That said, there are plenty of glaring issues heading into Week 2, and that goes well beyond his $1,900 salary boost. The big game through the air from Spruce came in a 37-17 loss to Houston, which is believed to be the best offense in the league. The Wildcats had to air it out just to try and stay in the game. This week, L.A. will face Dallas, which will get Landry Jones ($9,500) under center, but scored just nine points last week. On top of that, Charles Kanoff ($7,900) was the QB force-feeding Spruce the ball last week. Not only is he questionable this week with head and shoulder injuries, but Josh Johnson ($10,400) is the starting QB if healthy. Johnson is also in question, and missed last week with a thigh injury. There are a lot of moving parts here.

Austin Proehl ($9,200), Seattle Dragons

Proehl brought in five of his 10 targets for 88 yards, but got to his 26.1 DKFP thanks to a pair of touchdowns. So will he continue to be as large of a red zone threat moving forward? We’ll find out this week, but you’ll have to pay $3,500 more than you did last week for roster Proehl. The matchup this week could also hurt Proehl, like Spruce. Seattle was trying to keep up with DC, throwing the ball to try and stay in a game it eventually lost 31-19. This week, Seattle will host a Tampa Bay team that managed just three points on the road in Week 1. That could lead to less chances through the air for Proehl in this one.

The play: Spruce (only if Kanoff is the starting QB and healthy). The reality is both of these plays are in worse fantasy situations this week versus last week, but have significant salary boosts. Both are likely fades.

I am an avid fan and user (my username is jedlow) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.