The UFL has provided some heart-stopping, wire-to-wire action over the second half of the season so far, and Week 8 shapes up as another exciting slate with postseason-related stakes on the rise.
DraftKings is offering a full array of cash games and tournaments based on UFL regular-season and postseason games. DraftKings' UFL DFS rosters largely mirror that of NFL contests, with a notable exception -- there is no TE-specific spot, but rather two WR/TE spots and two additional flex spots that can be filled with a running back, wide receiver, or tight end.
QUARTERBACKS
Bryce Perkins, MICH at HOU ($10,800):
Perkins continues to be an MVP frontrunner, and his performance against a tough Renegades defense in Week 7 served as the latest reminder of why. The talented signal-caller accumulated 27.2 DK points on the strength of 291 total yards and two total touchdowns, adding a three-point conversion pass. Perkins did uncharacteristically commit a pair of fumbles and lost one, but with an average of 22.4 DK points per contest, he's worth every dollar of his salary.
The opposing Roughnecks have gotten better on defense as the season has unfolded and have made life tough on QBs with seven interceptions. However, as he just proved in Week 7, Perkins is capable of overcoming matchup-related challenges and is also clicking on all cylinders with a talented group of pass catchers that even include a pair of capable of tight ends in Gunnar Oakes and Cole Hikutini, as well as a talented receiver out of the backfield in Toa Taua.
Jalan McClendon, HOU vs. MICH ($9,100):
Having just talked up Perkins, we also want to give his opposite number in what should be a dynamic Week 8 battle some accolades. McClendon has provided a spark for the Roughnecks offense since taking the reins on that side of the ball, and he's scored 12.4 and 12.5 DK points in his last two games. He's been efficient in Houston's short-area passing game as well, completing 65.2 to 71.4 percent of his throws in each of his four contests.
The Panthers have been a solid defense overall, but they've started to give up some production through the air. The Renegades' Luis Perez got to them for 314 yards and two touchdowns in Week 7, and Michigan has now surrendered a co-UFL-high nine touchdown passes and the second-highest yards per attempt (7.1), along with the second-most passing yards per game (188.0).
ALSO CONSIDER: Jordan Ta'amu, DC vs. ARL ($11,000)
RUNNING BACKS
Toa Taua, MICH at HOU ($8,800):
Taua will most likely remain a mainstay in this column for what remains of the regular season and into the playoffs, considering the role he's carved out and the consistency with which he's carrying it out. The Nevada product just put Michigan over the top in Week 7 by himself, as he scored a one-yard game-tying touchdown run with one second remaining and ran in a game-winning one-point conversion as time expired to give the Panthers a one-point victory over Arlington.
Taua has now scored 15.4 to 23.2 DK points in the last three games as a true lead back, and he also produced 12.3 in a part-time role back in Week 4. Taua has at least 10 carries in each of those contests, along with a total of five rushing touchdowns in that span. There's also a pair of contests with multiple catches in that sample, and he now faces a Roughnecks squad that's yielded a league-high 124.6 rushing yards per game, 4.5 yards per carry and nine rushing TDs.
Jashaun Corbin, SAN vs. MEM ($7,300):
Anthony McFarland will remain out for the Brahmas in Week 8 due to his shoulder injury, meaning Corbin should once again be set for a lead-back role. The FSU product excelled in that opportunity in Week 7 against the Defenders, rattling off a 57-yard run on his way to a 9-109-1 rushing line and also adding a 32-yard reception. The standout production led to 24.1 DK points, and Corbin could be set for a successful encore in Week 8.
Corbin faces a Showboats defense that's been below average overall against the run, as Memphis has conceded 117.6 rushing yards per game and yielded 4.2 yards per carry along with four rushing touchdowns. Corbin obviously doesn't lack for explosiveness -- as his two Week 7 chunk plays attest -- and his ability to contribute in dual roles could certainly allow him to deliver another strong return on investment.
ALSO CONSIDER: Zaquandre White, HOU vs. MICH ($8,200)
WIDE RECEIVERS
Jonathan Adams, MEM at SAN ($9,500):
Adams has been a key figure in whatever spring league passing attack he's been a part of since 2022, but his role had diminished slightly in a couple of games leading into Week 7. However, with the Showboats trading away fellow wideout Dee Anderson earlier that week, Adams returned to prominence with a 4-69-1 receiving line (eight targets) that generated 17.8 DK points against a tough Battlehawks pass defense.
Adams also opened the season with tallies of 21.3 and 24.8 DK points against capable Panthers and Defenders secondaries, so the upside is there at his salary. The big-bodied wideout has now had a few games to build chemistry with QB Dresser Winn, and he'll be facing a Brahmas team that's given up a league-high 8.2 yards per attempt, 133 completions and 212.6 passing yards per contest.
Malik Turner, MICH at HOU ($8,600):
Turner has been one of Perkins' favorite targets over the last several weeks, with the veteran receiver's NFL experience increasingly helping him to rise to UFL prominence. Turner's most recent success came in Week 7 against the Renegades, when he managed a 4-49-1 line on seven targets that generated 17.9 DK points.
The performance was Turner's third straight with double-digit fantasy points, as he'd also posted totals of 21.1 and 14.4 in the two games prior. The one-time Seahawks, Cowboys and 49ers reserve has seen at least five targets in all but one contest this season, and he's scored a touchdown in three straight weeks. With a solid matchup against the Roughnecks' relatively generous pass defense on tap (as spotlighted in Perkins' entry), Turner is back in play despite a well-earned salary bump.
Cornell Powell, DC vs. ARL ($6,700):
Defenders QB Jordan Ta'amu has been playing the best football of his spring career in the last several weeks, and Powell has been an increasingly big part of that success following the season-ending arm injury to Ty Scott. Powell is now averaging 10.4 DK points per contest after back-to-back strong games where he's posted 18.9 and 18.0 DK points on a combined 9-159-2 line (13 targets).
Powell had already been on Ta'amu's radar before that, however, as he had nine- and eight-target games in Weeks 1 and 3, respectively. The 2021 fifth-round pick of the Chiefs is averaging 15.0 yards per catch and has gotten into the end zone on three occasions overall despite just 17 receptions. The Renegades are a tough defense that's conceded a league-low 103 completions, but they've also given up seven TD passes (third most in the UFL) and Powell is locked into fairly solid volume each week.
ALSO CONSIDER: Tyler Vaughns, ARL at DC ($7,600)
FLEX
Deneric Prince (RB), MEM at SAN ($6,300)
One of the best defenses to target with running backs this UFL season has been the Brahmas, which have surrendered the third-most rushing yards per game (119.7) and a league-high 15 rushing touchdowns. San Antonio has tightened up some in recent weeks against the run, but a ground-and-pound attack the like of which Showboats interim head coach Jim Turner likes to run is one that could well experience success.
Prince is likely to helm that attack this week, as Wes Hills will sit out due to the undisclosed injury that cost him the second half of Week 7. Prince was busy throughout that contest but especially following Hills' exit, finishing with a season-high 17 carries and also drawing six targets. While he only mustered a modest 11.8 DK points thanks to tough sledding on the ground versus a stingy Battlehawks defense, he should find more running lanes against San Antonio and could deliver a very good return on a very reasonable salary.
ALSO CONSIDER: Sal Cannella, ARL at DC (TE) ($7,900)
TEAM DEFENSE
St. Louis Battlehawks vs. Birmingham Stallions ($4,100): Speaking of the Battlehawks, St. Louis is in an interesting spot during what should be one of the marquee matchups in Week 8. The visiting Stallions will be pivoting to J'Mar Smith at quarterback after he was impressive in fill-in duty in Week 7, but it remains to be seen how he'll fare as a full-time starter. In his only previous extended action as a starter at the pro level, Smith completed just 54.8 percent of his passes – albeit with a 10:6 TD:INT and 191 rushing yards with two TDs – with the Stallions back in the 2022 USFL season.
Smith certainly brings a running dimension, but he'll be without top wideout Amari Rodgers (hamstring) this week. The Battlehawks are averaging 9.7 DK points per game on defense, having collected eight interceptions, four fumble recoveries and 15.0 sacks, along with one defensive TD. They've impressively managed four double-digit DK-point tallies in the first seven weeks, and they rank in the top half of the league against both the run and pass. With their ability to cause turnovers and what should be another very disruptive crowd behind them at The Dome, I like St. Louis to continue producing for fantasy purposes this week.
