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Week 4 of the XFL had some lopsided affairs, but it was good to see the Tampa Bay Vipers and LA Wildcats break out of their offensive slumps, with the Wildcats doing so in a big way with six touchdowns and a win over the previously undefeated DC Defenders.
There aren’t any good ownership numbers to mine our Week4 waiver wire picks from, so we’ll be playing it by ear. Some of the repeat big names are not going to be available at this point, but, if you are in an XFL league, there’s a good chance some of Week 4’s top performers are on waivers, so you’ve got a chance to find some talent.
Running Backs
Darius Victor, NY Guardians
Victor may already be rostered, but he’s become more valuable after this week, when he saw 35 snaps to Tim Cook’s 22 and out-touched him 18 to 10, totaling 82 yards to Cook’s 43. He was the no-doubt No. 1 and should have won the lead back role moving forward.
Jacques Patrick, Tampa Bay Vipers
Patrick has seen more work than De’Veon Smith inside the 10-yard line this season and it finally paid off in Week 4 with a touchdown. Smith did out-touch Patrick this week, but both topped 20 touches and 100 yards rushing in a game where a lead helped them see more work overall. We likely won’t see usage like that again, but the Vipers showed well on the ground and Patrick looks to be evenly matched with Smith for fantasy purposes.
DuJuan Harris, LA Wildcats
The Wildcats running back situation isn’t great, as they have injured players along with touches getting spread out among the backs, but Harris took a step forward this week and looked like he could be a useful contributor, as he was the only back to look capable against the Guardians.
Kenneth Farrow, Seattle Dragons
Farrow might be rostered already, but we’ve had a three-headed backfield in Seattle with no good reason to like just one of the backs, but it’s looking like Farrow has taken the lead, as he had 22 snaps compared to 11 each for Trey Williams and Ja’Quan Gardner. Farrow still didn’t see a big workload, but he did rush for a touchdown and was the only back to see any targets, while Williams and Gardner combined for seven touches for 15 yards on the ground.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Flynn Nagel, Dallas Renegades
Nagel led the way in receiving yards for the Renegades this week, catching 6-of-6 targets for 76 yards and the previous week he caught a touchdown. The loss of Landry Jones likely hurts this offense, but as a slot receiver I expect Nagel will see targets with dink and dunking Philip Nelson at the helm.
Jordan Smallwood, LA Wildcats
Smallwood was second in targets and routes run to Tre McBride last week and if Nelson Spruce remains out after not practicing at all last week, Smallwood should continue to see good usage. Add in the fact that Josh Johnson is playing extremely well right now, and he makes for a strong add.
Colby Pearson, NY Guardians
Pearson led the wide receivers in routes run last week, tying with Mekale McKay and he also led the team in targets and receptions. He didn’t do a whole lot with those five receptions, gaining just 34 yards, but that also tied for the most on the team.
Defense/Special Teams
NY Guardians
The Guardians haven’t been that good defensively this season, but they will face Philip Nelson, with Landry Jones injured, in Week 5. Nelson hasn’t played well this season, throwing two interceptions to no touchdowns, making the Guardians a good streaming play this weekend.
Quarterbacks
Taylor Cornelius, Tampa Bay Vipers
Cornelius played well enough to overtake Aaron Murray as the No. 1 quarterback in Week 4 and also ran for his second touchdown in as many weeks. We can’t rely on rushing touchdowns from him, but the possibility is there and he should be good for extra rushing yards when called on.
B.J. Daniels, Seattle Dragons
Daniels came in for Brandon Silvers and almost led his team back for a win. His passing wasn’t very good, but he rushed seven times for 84 yards. I don’t know if the old school Jim Zorn will turn it over to a rushing quarterback, but if he does, the rushing yards and whatever he can muster through the air might be enough to help in fantasy.