The halfway point of the USFL regular season is in the books. In Week 6, the slate features the three most lopsided matchups and a pair of mid-tier teams battling. As a result, only a few players from the massive underdogs are included in this week’s suggested picks.
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Quarterbacks
Kyle Sloter has been the most productive passer in the USFL, leading the league in pass attempts (192), passing yards per game (245.2), and tying for the lead in passing touchdowns (seven). Further, he's seemingly closer to recovering from his groin injury every week. So, he might add fantasy points on the ground soon.
However, two quarterbacks with substantial point-scoring upside on the ground are Jordan Ta'amu and De'Andre Johnson. The latter is a legitimate weapon on the ground, ranking sixth in rushing yards (269), adding four scoring scampers. Further, as Cody Main from Establish the Run pointed out on Twitter, Johnson and Ta'amu have had rushing shares north of 20%.
Additionally, Johnson passed for a season-high 213 yards last week and played all of New Jersey's snaps. Still, there's a chance if the Generals fall behind multiple scores that Luis Perez could be inserted for obvious passing situations. Nevertheless, that shouldn't be a concern this week. Caesars Sportsbook lists the Generals as 7.0-point favorites against the Gamblers. Houston is on a four-game losing streak, including a loss to the then winless Maulers last week.
Running Backs
Every running back on the table is on a favored team. Jordan Ellis and the Breakers are 7.5-point favorites, C.J. Marable and the Stallions are 7.0-point favorites, Darius Victor and the Generals are 7.0-point favorites, and Juwan Washington and the Bandits are 3.0-point favorites.
This year, Ellis, Victor, and Marable are in the top five in rushing yards with 389, 308, and 303, respectively. Marable was lights out last week, rushing for a season-high 114 yards and a touchdown while adding a pair of receptions for 17 yards. However, Bo Scarbrough made his season debut last week, and he's a threat to Marable's playing time. The color commentator for the game speculated the big-bodied Scarbrough could be the team's four-minute back. So, with the Stallions heavily favored, Scarbrough might have lots of clock-chewing time to soak up work.
Victor has been the goal-line back and part of a one-two punch with Trey Williams. Meanwhile, Ellis and Washington (as long as B.J. Emmons remains out) face the least competition for touches. In fact, according to Ian Hartitz of Pro Football Focus, Washington played 100% of Tampa Bay's snaps last week.
Washington parlayed his workload into 48 scrimmage yards and two scores. This week, he has a dreamy matchup against Philadelphia's leaky run defense. According to FOX Sports, the Stars have allowed 193.0 rushing yards per game, almost 60 more than the second-highest total in the USFL. As a result, Washington is the single best value on this week's slate.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
First, look at the graphic for target share and average depth of target (aDoT) leaders through the first five weeks of the year put together by Anthony Reinhard.
All of the players in this section are standouts in the graphic. However, Baily Gaither deserves special recognition after returning from a two-week absence to torch the Gamblers for 108 yards and two touchdowns on eight receptions. He's eclipsed 100 receiving yards in his last two games, netting at least seven targets in all three games played. Moreover, Hartitz mentioned in his Week 5 recap that Gaither has been Pro Football Focus's (PFF) highest-graded receiver in the USFL this season.
DraftKings remains asleep at the wheel with their salaries, evidenced by Jonathan Adams and Tre Walker continuing to be grossly underpriced. This year, Walker and Adams have been first and second in receiving yards, amassing 287 and 273. Victor Bolden Jr. has also stood out on the leaderboard, ranking first in targets (51) and receptions (29).
KaVontae Turpin has been a do-it-all weapon, rushing at least twice every game, netting five or more targets in four games, and hauling in five or more receptions in three straight. Finally, Jordan Suell hasn't blown up yet, but his underlying metrics in Philadelphia's pass-first offense make him a blow-up candidate. According to PFF's data, Suell has had an 85% route participation rate, a deep 14.4-yard aDoT, and his 24% target per route run rate has been the sixth-highest mark. Therefore, the big-bodied wideout is an excellent GPP pick.
Defense and Special Teams
As was noted above, all three teams on the table are 7.0-point favorites or larger. They also collectively comprise the USFL Week 6 bet of the week, a three-team moneyline parlay. The pricing is inefficient at DraftKings. So, there isn't a need to root around the bargain bin on defense.
USFL Week 6 Betting Odds, Previews, Picks
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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.