DC Defenders vs. Seattle Dragons injury report

Who is out or questionable for Week 1 of the new and improved XFL? We break down the DC and Seattle final injury reports.

By Chet Gresham@ChetGresham Feb 7, 2020, 8:17am PST

Head coach Jim Zorn of the XFL Seattle Dragons talks to the media after practice at Memorial Stadium on January 27, 2020 in Seattle, Washington.

The Seattle Dragons head to Washington D.C. to take on the Defenders on Saturday. Below we have the official injury report for their matchup. It has a few interesting tidbits that might help us in our betting and DFSing at DraftKings.

This game has the second-biggest line, as the Defenders are favored by -7.5 points. The Defenders are coached by Pep Hamilton, who is known for his ability to get the most out of quarterbacks and the passing game and the Dragons are coached by Jim Zorn, who hasn’t coached for a while and doesn’t have much innovation in his past or his coaching staff. Based on coaching alone, the spread makes sense.

The biggest skill position names that will miss this game are Dragons wide receiver Kasen Williams and Defenders wide receiver DeAndre Thompkins. Both are listed as starters on the depth chart and Williams is Seattle’s best receiver on paper. His absence will hurt what passing game the Dragons and their quarterback Brandon Silvers can muster.

Thompkins is a blow to the Defenders, but Rashad Ross, Eli Rogers, and Malachi Dupre all have good ability with quarterback Cardale Jones throwing them the ball. Add in a strong running back in Jhurell Pressley and a good receiving back in Donnel Pumphrey, and they will be ok.

The Defenders don’t have any other starters out after Thompkins, but the Dragons will be without their starting left tackle Isaiah Battle as well. The deck is plenty stacked against the Dragons this week, and giving the points doesn’t sound like a bad idea.