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The Houston Roughnecks and St. Louis BattleHawks are set to face off in a Week 2 XFL matchup on Sunday at 6:00 p.m. ET. Both teams are looking to remain undefeated and improve to 2-0, and we have an idea about who the top weapons are on each side now. We broke down some ideal Showdown lineup strategies for the game here:
Captain Obvious
P.J. Walker, QB, Roughnecks ($18,000)
Houston might have the most dynamic passing attack in the XFL, so it’s hard not to go with Walker here. He ended Week 1 leading the league in passing yards, as he threw for 272 yards and four scores with one interception in the Roughnecks’ season opener. He tallied 32.48 DKFP in that outing, and the volume of his throwing makes him dangerous. He completed 23 of his 38 attempts last weekend.
Captain Courageous
Jordan Ta’amu, QB, BattleHawks ($13,800)
Ta’amu threw for 209 yards and racked up 77 more on the ground as he lifted St. Louis to a 15-9 win over the Dallas Renegades in Week 1. Those numbers helped him amass 20.06 DKFP, but his has potential to do much more. He’s showcased plenty of efficiency as a passer and will face a Houston team with a top-notch pass rush. That could force him to get out of the pocket and use his legs. The XFL’s premier dual-threat quarterback has a lot of upside.
Flex Men
Matt Jones, RB, BattleHawks ($6,600)
Christine Michael ($5,200) was expected to be St. Louis’ RB1 to kick off the year, but Jones took over come game time. Jones finished out his XFL debut as the league’s leading rusher. He tallied a league high 85 rushing yards on 21 carries against the Renegades. While this wasn’t necessarily an eye popping performance, it’s clear that St. Louis might run the ball more than most other teams. Jones is questionable to play because of a knee injury but was a full participant in practice Friday. He should get plenty of opportunities to get in the end zone moving forward if his role stays the same.
Cam Phillips, WR, Roughnecks ($8,600)
Phillips is just one of Houston’s talented receivers, and the speedster has a good shot at following up his strong Week 1 performance with another solid outing on Sunday. He has 16.7 DKFP on the year and hauled in four of the nine balls thrown his way against the Los Angeles Wildcats. He tallied 67 receiving yards and notched one touchdown pass. His number of targets shows that Walker has trust in him, and he’s not as pricey as Sammie Coates ($10,400), who was a dud in Week 1 and only managed to put up 4.6 DKFP.