Week 1 UFL Fantasy Football Rankings - QB, RB WR, TE (2024) (2024)

It's finally here: the UFL season is set to kick off with two games on Saturday, March 30 and two games on Sunday, March 31. Saturday's games will be broadcast on Fox Sports while Sunday's matchups will be on ESPN.

The most anticipated Week 1 matchup pits the 2023 USFL champion Birmingham Stallions against the 2023 XFL champion Arlington Renegades, kicking the season off at 1:00 p.m. EDT on Saturday.

RotoBaller's UFL experts have all the information you need for fantasy purposes heading into the opening weekend of the league.

• Quarterbacks - Brant Henson
• Running Backs - Andrew Lennox
• Wide Receivers - Brant Henson
• Tight Ends - Andrew Lennox

Quarterback UFL Fantasy Football Rankings

Rankings and analysis by Brant Henson

Starting quarterbacks are still not confirmed by all teams, with locked-in starters having their perceived Week 1 job security baked into the rankings. Here's how the quarterback landscape shapes up for Week 1:

A.J. McCarron is the easy QB1 until proven otherwise. With even more weapons at his disposal than a season ago, McCarron will have many options to target against Birmingham in Week 1.

After losing star running back Abram Smith to a season-ending injury, the versatile Jordan Ta'amu may be tasked to use his legs early and often. The DC quarterback is a good bet in Week 1 as they take on the San Antonio Brahmas.

There are rumblings that Adrian Martinez could be under center on Saturday for Birmingham, which would be a slight shock given the NFL pedigree of Matt Corral and the fact that J'Mar Smith is the incumbent starter from last year's championship squad. Birmingham is the only team that has not named a starting quarterback, but is also projected to be one of the highest-powered offenses in the UFL. Whichever quarterback draws the start should be pushed up the rankings, but be careful rolling with a Stallions quarterback in Week 1 due to the likely short leash given how long this battle has gone on.

After being named the Week 1 starter for San Antonio, Chase Garbers could be the type of quarterback to tear the league up. With a plethora of weapons at his disposal, the former Las Vegas Raider should come out firing against DC on Sunday and is an under-the-radar start.

Be wary with Houston quarterback Jarrett Guarantano. Once a big-time recruit for Tennessee and an NFL preseason darling, Guarantano will be missing star running back Mark Thompson in Week 1. On paper, the Roughnecks' weapons appear underwhelming. Memphis's defense may capitalize on Guarantano's first start since 2021 at Washington State.

Running Back UFL Fantasy Football Rankings

Rankings and analysis by Andrew Lennox

As Week 1 draws near, we're seeing the finalization of rosters across the league. It's always a challenge in fantasy football to predict which running backs will dominate in carries and rushing yardage, especially with limited information early on. However, now that rosters are essentially locked in, we officially know the contenders who will be vying for playing time on a weekly basis. As the season kicks off, the initial two weeks will be pivotal in establishing who could be the top backs in the league.

Houston Roughnecks RB Mark Thompson is at the top of the running back rankings for Week 1. Thompson is in his third season with Houston and will be critical to the team's offensive attack. One season ago in the USFL, he was second in rushing with 653 yards and led the league with 14 rushing touchdowns.

Anthony McFarland is easily a rusher that could move up the rankings after Week 1. McFarland spent four seasons in the NFL with Pittsburgh but he only had 42 carries for 146 yards. If McFarland has a strong first week, he could easily see more carries over Brycen Alleyne and John Lovett, San Antonio's other two running backs.

De'Veon Smith, the Arlington Renegades' feature back going into Week 1, is expected to play a crucial role in quarterback Luis Perez's offense. The XFL was a pass-heavy league, and Smith showcased his reliability by rushing for 365 yards on 117 attempts last season. However, he faces competition for carries from Leddie Brown and Dae Dae Hunter in the Renegades backfield.

Wide Receiver UFL Fantasy Football Rankings

Rankings and analysis by Brant Henson

Week 1 will tell us a lot about how quarterback-receiver relationships look early on. Prior to seeing these rapports in action, here's how the wide receiver landscape stacks up heading into the opening weekend of the UFL season:

The first ever game of the XFL-USFL merger will feature three of our top-10 wide receivers for Week 1. In what should be an exciting matchup, Isaiah Winstead will look to emerge as the No. 1 receiver for Luis Perez on a team that lacked a go-to guy during last season's championship run. Winstead reportedly looks good and has the size-speed combo that would make him an ideal WR1. For Birmingham, the speedy Deon Cain and the shifty Amari Rodgers should be able to move the ball for chunks of yards at times.

In the St. Louis-Michigan matchup, one team looks way more established than the other entering Week 1. With star receiver Jahcour Pearson on the shelf due to an injury, it's wheels up for Hakeem Butler. He's the WR1 in our rankings this week, where he often found himself in last season's XFL rankings. Blake Jackson, a former Seattle teammate of Pearson's, should fill in nicely during his absence. Trey Quinn could be a target hog for Michigan out of the slot, which lands him in the top 10 for this week.

Sunday's DC-San Antonio matchup features our WR2 and WR5 going head-to-head. Jontre Kirklin should soak up a majority of the targets from quarterback Chase Garbers while mainly competing with tight end Cody Latimer. Now healthy after missing most of last year's XFL season with Houston, Kirklin should return to being an effective receiver. In DC, former NFL receiver Keke Coutee looks like a strong candidate to reap slot targets.

The final Week 1 game pits Memphis against Houston, with just one receiver on either team cracking our Week 1 top 10. Jonathan Adams finished eighth in the USFL with 477 receiving yards for New Orleans last season and now looks to be the WR1 for a Memphis team that lacked playmakers a season ago. Kirk Merritt will look to lead the way in Houston. After floating around NFL practice squads since 2020, Merritt is a sleeper to have a productive season. He will face target competition from Steven Dunbar Jr. and Isiah Hennie.

Tight End UFL Fantasy Football Rankings

Rankings and analysis by Andrew Lennox

Like in NFL fantasy football, there will likely be a select few tight ends that will excel during the season. Identifying those guys early in the season could give fantasy managers and DFSers a real edge over the competition. It's worth noting some UFL teams could have major shakeups early on at that position as they try and find what works for their offense.

Sal Cannella was one of the few XFL tight ends who was a big contributor to their team's offense. Arlington's Cannella is presumably going to be heavily involved in its passing attack as he registered 42 catches for 415 yards in last year's XFL campaign.

The 6-foot-3, 216-pound hybrid TE/WR Cody Latimer will be a valuable fantasy asset. The former Denver Bronco excelled in the XFL, tallying four touchdowns while catching 50 passes for 593 yards for the Orlando Guardians. Expect him to be one of the top-producing tight ends in the UFL.

Jace Sternberger's upside depends on Birmingham Stallions quarterback Matt Corral's effectiveness. He could provide a huge boost to the Stallions' offense, as he had a fantastic season in the USFL one year ago, logging 517 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.

Sage Surratt could certainly be a top-rated TE after Week 1. He had an impressive season in the USFL, catching 50 passes for 552 yards while ranking third in yardage among tight ends. If Memphis has a pass-heavy offense, it would be wise to involve Surratt as much as possible.

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