This article is part of our DraftKings USFL series.
The USFL continued to offer up an exciting menu of games in Week 4, with all four contests coming down one possession, and one being decided by a single point on a last-second missed field goal. The competitive environment has led to some very impressive individual performances and solid DFS scores, leaving us poised for another potentially fun week of lineup building and sweating games.
USFL DK contests will require players to roster one quarterback, one running back, two wide receivers or tight ends, two FLEX spots with either a running back, receiver or tight end and a team defense.
DraftKings USFL Plays- Week 5
Quarterback
Kyle Sloter, NO at NJ ($10,800): Sloter continued to thrive in Week 4 while leading a thrilling last-minute victory, compiling 19.6 DK points as part of a season-high 397-yard effort. Sloter has now scored 15.6 to 26.7 DK points in his last three games, and he'll be poised for another busy afternoon in a showdown with the fellow 3-1 Generals. New Orleans' head coach Larry Fedora has shown no hesitancy to go pass-heavy when necessary, and the Breakers' attack is arguably the most potent overall that New Jersey has faced to date.
J'Mar Smith, BHAM at PHI ($9,700): Smith should be back under center in Week 5 after sitting out Week 4 with an illness. Alex McGough was serviceable in spot duty, but Smith is the more dynamic and proven of the two thus far in USFL play. The mobile signal-caller has upped his DK-point totals in each game thus far, topping out at 20.5 against the Breakers in Week 3. The Stars have also allowed a co-USFL-high 95 points overall, and they allowed 91 rushing yards and a touchdown on 11 carries to a similarly agile quarterback in the Generals' De'Andre Johnson back in Week 3.
Clayton Thorson, HOU vs. PIT ($7,800): Thorson went interception-free for the first time in Week 4 against a tough Breakers defense, and he's recorded double-digit DK-point tallies in two of the last three games. Thorson now gets a big break in terms of caliber of opponent in Week 5, as the Maulers have allowed 23.0 points per game and feature a defense that's often put in bad spots by the team's inefficient offense. Thorson is still clearly a work in progress, but with a talented group of pass catchers and a reasonable salary, he's certainly in play if you're saving some dollars at quarterback.
ALSO CONSIDER: De'Andre Johnson, NJ vs. NO ($8,700)
Running Back
Jordan Ellis, NO at NJ ($8,000): As good as Sloter and his pass catchers have been, Ellis has been just about as impressive on the ground. The Virginia product showed off both his speed and power in Week 4 while generating a 19-carry, 104-yard, one-touchdown performance that netted 25.1 DK points. Ellis is now the clear-cut lead back with T.J. Logan having been waived, and he's logged no fewer than 18 carries in any game thus far. Additionally encouraging is the fact that Ellis now has a clear role in the passing game, as he's recorded 11 targets over the last two games alone. With his locked-in role on an offense with a passing game that can keep defenses honest, Ellis makes sense if you're investing heavily at the position.
Mark Thompson, HOU vs. PIT ($7,100): Thompson produced his first clunker in Week 4, as he was held to 10 yards on 14 carries just one week after racking up 147 yards against the Bandits. The combination of the poor numbers and a rise in salary could keep him lower-rostered than he otherwise would be in GPPs, but Thompson's upside is as solid as ever. The athletic bruiser could enjoy a favorable game script in Week 5, as the Maulers run defense could well be fatigued by the combination of Thompson's power running and the heavy amount of time they're likely to put in on the field if the Maulers' offense continues as unproductive as usual. It's also worth noting Pittsburgh gave up a whopping 245 rushing yards at 5.8 yards per carry to the Panthers just two weeks ago.
Reggie Corbin, MICH at TB ($5,500): Corbin broke off another spectacular run in Week 4, scampering 88 yards for a touchdown as part of a 154-yard effort that netted 26.2 DK points. Corbin has seen a $2K bump in salary, but that still renders him an excellent value play on a team that is going to run the ball plenty and that faces that same Bandits defense that allowed Thompson's aforementioned season-best game in Week 3. Corbin's streak of 100-yard efforts could therefore extend to three games, and although he hasn't yet been involved much in the passing game, he's not devoid of pass-catching ability after tallying 38 catches during his college years.
ALSO CONSIDER: Darius Victor, NJ vs. NO ($5,000)
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Victor Bolden, BHAM at PHI ($10,200): Bolden has tallied double-digit DK-point tallies in three straight weeks and has now drawn a whopping 43 targets through his first four games. The former NFL wideout has gelled with both Stallions QBs J'Mar Smith and Alex McGough, so there's certainly no reason to move off him in Week 5 against a Stars defense that's been vulnerable through the air. Philadelphia had no trouble containing the inconsistent Shea Patterson-led Panthers passing attack in Week 4, but the stars conceded solid performances to Maulers' receiver Bailey Gaither (7-117) in Week 2, and the Generals' Kevontae Turpin (5-78) in Week 3.
Jonathan Adams, NO at NJ ($5,500): Adams' salary is certainly eye-catching, considering he's averaging 11.3 DK points per game and is coming off having scored 25.1 DK points as a result of a six-catch, 101-yard, one-touchdown effort in Week 4. The talented receiver also produced a 92-yard tally in Week 2, and his chemistry with Sloter is unmistakable. With the Breakers having generated an explosive pass play on a league-high 18.1 percent of their dropbacks per PFF and the game against the Generals projected to be a competitive one, Adams could turn out to be one of the best fantasy-point-per-dollar plays of the week.
Diondre Overton, PHI vs. BHAM ($5,100): Overton offers cost-effective exposure to the Stars' typically productive air attack, and the Clemson product certainly has the upside to overdeliver on his modest salary. Overton's best game yet was the Week 4 clash against the Panthers, when his 4-73-1 line on five targets led to 17.3 DK points. Overton has now scored in three straight games, and he also generated 13.2 DK points in Week 2. The Stallions can certainly create plenty of trouble for opposing offenses with their league-high 48.0 percent pressure rate, but at his salary, Overton could still deliver a solid return with production similar to last week's.
Tre Walker, PIT at HOU ($4,000): Walker's salary is even more noteworthy than Adams', as he just logged a massive 17 targets that he parlayed into a 9-110 line that produced 23.0 DK points. He'd built up to that season-best performance with another solid effort in Week 3, one that saw him bring in five of six targets for 58 yards. The Gamblers' defense is a ball-hawking unit, but a receiver with the type of volume Walker just saw is certainly worth a $4K investment the following week, especially if Pittsburgh is likely to have to go pass-heavy as the game goes on if it falls behind as usual.
ALSO CONSIDER: Kavontae Turpin, NJ vs. NO ($7,100); Jojo Ward, HOU vs. PIT ($6,000)
Team Defense
Houston Gamblers ($3,900) vs. Pittsburgh Maulers: The Gamblers' opportunistic defense picked the Breakers' Kyle Sloter off three times in Week 4, and they've recorded at least one pick in each of the first four games while also recording at least one fumble in each contest. Throw in a pair of defensive scores, and Houston's defense is averaging a league-high 12.3 DK points per game. As already alluded to, the Maulers' offense has been the league's most inept, scoring a USFL-low 39 points; with the Gamblers also having generated an impressive nine sacks over the first four games in addition to the other numbers already cited, there's no doubt they're worthy of the investment required.
ALSO CONSIDER: Michigan Panthers ($3,800) vs. Tampa Bay Bandits
