XFL Week 4 Fantasy Risers and Fallers from A&A Fantasy Football

XFL Week 4 was largely defensively dominated, leading there to be a lot more fallers than risers. However, a few important pieces rose to the occasion after injuries or bad play led to their promotion to a larger role. It’s beginning to be do-or-die for the teams in the bottom of the division, thus, expect a lot of depth chart changes as coaches make last-ditch efforts to get a playoff push.

Remember to check back on Wednesday for A&A Fantasy Football’s Week 5 Rankings and DFS Cheat Sheets. Also, make sure to follow @aafantasyball on Twitter for all fantasy news and updates during the week. But without further ado, here are the XFL Week 4 Risers and Fallers.

Risers:

Jordan Smallwood

With the Wildcats Star WR Nelson Spruce sidelined with a knee injury on Saturday, Jordan Smallwood got an increase role within the offense, and certainly took advantage of it. He had 5 catches for 75 yards, and was a top option for QB Josh Johnson. The time table on Spruce’s injury was reported to be a couple weeks, so expect this increased volume to continue for Smallwood, as he should see plenty of single coverage opposite Tre McBride. Smallwood is the top waiver add in the league for season-long leagues, and should be a good option in DFS in a good matchup against the Vipers.

BJ Daniels

After multiple weeks of incompetency, Head Coach Jim Zorn had finally seen enough from Quarterback Brandon Silvers, and let former Seattle Seahawks backup BJ Daniels take the reins of a struggling Dragon offense. Daniels was the spark the team needed, as he mounted a comeback on the vaunted BattleHawks defense, coming up just short. Although the Dragons are traveling to Houston this week in a tough matchup, Daniels is still a great fantasy option as long as he is named the starter. Daniels offers tremendous value with his rushing ability, and can throw well enough to keep defenses honest. Going forward, Daniels should be on the fantasy QB radar.

Darius Victor

Victor found himself on this list after Week 1, but an early game concussion in Week 2 vs the Defenders dropped him off the map for a few weeks. However, he came back in a big way on Saturday, getting 18 touches and making the most of them by racking up 82 yards. With Luis Perez now starting at Quarterback, it seems as if Offensive Coordinator G.A. Mangus wants to be run-heavy team. This bodes well for Victor going forward, who should be a solid FLEX option in the coming weeks.

Fallers:

Landry Jones

In the first ever Texas Throwdown, the former Pittsburgh Steeler was a mixed bag, throwing three interceptions early, but rebounding for a few drives to pull his team within one. However, he was strip-sacked for a touchdown on the potential go-ahead drive, and later was injured on a QB Sneak play. The early reports don’t sound good for Jones’ injury, and even if he is somehow ready to play this week, he is somebody to avoid in lineups. He has been far too inconsistent to be able to trust, and there are much better fantasy options out there. Until Jones can prove otherwise, he should not be thought of as an elite fantasy option.

DeAndre Thompkins

After exploding in Week 2, Thompkins was getting a ton of fantasy buzz from most in the industry. Unfortunately for his fantasy owners, this performance has proven to be a fluke. He has really struggled in the last few weeks, as the entire Defenders team has. But during the Week 4 blowout against Tampa Bay, Quarterback Cardale Jones was recorded on the Live Mic being very critical of Thompkins saying he “wasn’t ready to play.” This team is clearly falling apart at the seams, and their 3^rd wideout probably is not a hot fantasy commodity to be had. He can be dropped in season-long leagues, and you should look elsewhere for cheap DFS options going forward.