The XFL is about to kickoff! Us fantasy football addicts now have a fix for the rest of the season (set your league up now!). We already ranked and graded all eight XFL Teams, but if you’re just looking for one specific roster, we’ve got you covered too. Official XFL Depth Charts were released on Thursday, and many had shocking implications. Below, we look at the St Louis’ depth chart, their Week 1 DraftKings Prices, as well as the coaching staff to give you a complete picture of the Battlehawks.
St. Louis BattleHawks Preview
Season win total: 3.5 (-115)
Championship odds: +700
Head Coach: Jonathan Hayes
Offensive Coordinator: Chuck Long
This coaching duo is a bit incestual. The two coaches played together in college at Iowa under legendary coach Hayden Fry. Chuck Long quarterbacked the squad and Jonathan Hayes was the tight end. The two then overlapped again as assistants under Bob Stoops at Oklahoma. Long helped engineer the unstoppable Oklahoma offenses of the early-2000s as both the co-offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach, and passing game coordinator. On the other hand, Hayes coached the Bengals tight ends from 2003 to 2018. This coaching combo is a major question mark but I’m guessing they’ll run some sort of no-huddle spread offense that stems from Stoops’ Air Raid offense.
St. Louis BattleHawks Official Depth Chart & Fantasy names to know:
QB:
1) Jordan Ta’amu (Ole Miss), $8700
Backups: Taylor Heinicke (Old Dominion), Nick Fitzgerald (Miss. St.)
RB:
1) Christine Michael (Texas A&M, 6th Overall, RB1), $8400
2) Matt Jones (Florida, 54th Overall, RB12), $4800
3) Keith Ford (Texas A&M), $3000
WR:
1) L’Damian Washington (Missouri, 27th Overall, WR15), $3700
2) Alonzo Russell (Toledo, 70th Overall, WR34), $3000
3) Slot WR: De’Mornay Pierson-El (Nebraska, 22nd Overall, WR13), $6200
Others: Keith Mumphrey (Michigan State), $6600
TE:
1) Marcus Lucas (Missouri, 43rd Overall, WR23) *Converted to TE
Jordan Ta’amu was named the starter after beating out former Panther Taylor Heinicke and Mississippi State legend, Nick Fitzgerald. Ta’amu was underwhelming in college, even though he had DK Metcalf and AJ Brown to throw the rock to. With serious question marks on the coaching staff, they’ll likely figure in some Air Raid since Long is a Stoops’ protege. At Ole Miss, Ta’amu threw for 3,918 yards and 19 touchdowns to 8 interceptions. Pretty underwhelming for the talent he had around him. Luckily, he once again has some quality players around him that should make his life easier. But will he be an anchor to this overall offense?
Perhaps it’s all the more reason for the Battlehawks to ride our old friend Christine Michael. Michael, who was the NFL’s biggest whore playing for just about every team in the league over a short period of time, will get his chance to put together some positive tape to get back into the league. In 2016, Michael had a career year with the Seahawks, rushing for 583 yards and 7 touchdowns, while adding 22 grabs for 107 yards and a score. He consistently dominated preseason play, and may once again do the same in the XFL against lesser competition.
Meanwhile, Matt Jones is another name that NFL fantasy players will remember, as he was a very solid player in college at Florida before making his mark on the Redskins (950 yards, 6 TDs in two years). He’s a perfect safety valve out of the backfield and will be the perfect compliment to Michael — especially on third down. These two will put up some fantasy points even if the offense goes full Air Raid, although Michael may not be the RB1 lock so many peg him for if in an RBBC. Camp reports labeled the backfield “an especially potent 1-2 punch.”
This receiving corps is filled with relatively unknowns, and isn’t overly appealing in a run-centric attack. Still, De’Mornay Pierson-El is a notable former AAF guy who can fill a high-volume slot role. He has the most Draft Capital attached to his name as the Battlehawks’ 22nd selection and 13th WR off the board. Additionally, Missouri wideout L’Damian Washington was labeled “a standout” in camp, and is well-worth a late round flier after being listed as the top-WR.
Keith Mumphrey is one of the more interesting names in the whole league, but was unfortunately listed with the second team. He was a part of the Michigan State sexual assault investigation, which ultimately led to the Houston Texans cutting him once they found out about the investigation. The charges have since been dropped and he’s now working on rehabbing his tarnished image. At Michigan State, Mumphrey grabbed 88 balls for 1,348 yards (15.3 avg) and 8 total touchdowns. With the Texans, he caught 24 balls for 198 yards over the span of 27 games before being cut amidst the allegations. He’s a big play waiting to happen and will likely be their kick returner, too. Keep him on your Waiver Watch lists.
Check out all our Team Previews in one spot, and don’t miss our XFL Rankings!
