After nearly a 40-year hiatus, the USFL is back in business. The league features talent from across the football spectrum, ranging from former NFL contributors to players coming straight from the college ranks. I’ve put together a breakdown of every team’s offense from a coaching and skill position perspective, with a slant toward the DFS and betting implications for each squad. The league’s inaugural game featuring the New Jersey Generals and Birmingham Stallions kicks off at 7:30 ET on Saturday (watch it and the first game of Sunday’s action on NBC). Because there’s so much to talk about with brand new teams, I’ve broken this article down into two pieces. Teams are arranged in order of title odds. First up are the teams from the North Division. The South Division overview can be found here.
Michigan Panthers
Head Coach: Jeff Fisher
Title Odds: +500
Overview
Fisher was the big get for the USFL as far as coaches go. An NFL head coach for 22 years (minus a few games at the end), Fisher last coached in the majors in 2016, his final season with the Rams. A defensive mind to his core, Fisher will give up offensive control to offensive coordinator Eric Marty. This will be the one spot where OC matters as the bulk of the other squads are helmed by a coach with a background in offense. The young coach turned around JUCO school Reedley College with a ground-heavy scheme that saw him dialing up running plays on roughly 45 percent of their plays. That strategy didn’t work as well at his next stop, Grambling State, where went 3-5 as an offensive coordinator. Expect lots of running and multi-TE sets as the Panthers are currently rolling with four tight ends on the roster.
Quarterback
Shea Patterson was the first name to be called in the inaugural USFL Draft. The Michigan grad averaged eight yards per attempt while completing 60 percent of his passes in college before going undrafted and spending two months during the summer on Kansas City’s roster. With a middling arm and lackluster short-throw accuracy, Patterson’s only saving grace could be his legs. He ran for 660 yards and seven scores in two years with the Wolverines. Paxton Lynch is his backup, but Fisher has talked about using him in running packages, saying, “We’re gonna use Paxton’s legs.” This quarterback room looks like an easy fade in Week 1.
Wide Receivers
Quincy Adeboyejo was the team’s first receiver selection but he has since been released. That leaves Lance Lenoir standing as the apparent WR1 on this team. Lenoir has eight games of NFL experience under his belt, among the most in the USFL, but did not catch a pass during his two-year stint with Dallas. Jeff Badet carries a similar story, though he also has a quiet stint in the XFL to his name. Joe Walker and Devin Ross round out the receiving group for Michigan. Walker played with Shea Patterson in The Spring League and Ross peaked at a 69/787/5 receiving line during his college days at Colorado. With how run-heavy the Panthers project to play, moving beyond Lenoir and Badet on the depth chart is risky.
Running Backs
The Panthers made Stevie Scott, a three-year starter at Indiana, the fourth running back off the board. Scott finished top-five in rush attempts in the Big 10 three times and totaled 55 receptions in college. From our writeup of him signing with the Saints as a UDFA, “Even by power back standards, Scott has below-average agility and speed (4.64-forty), leaving him with an early-down projection only at the next level.” At 6’0/225, Scott is an early-down banger with capable hands. In the USFL, he could be a workhorse. Cameron Scarlett will serve as his backup. Scarlett has earned a few stays on NFL practice squads and appeared in one CFL last year.
Tight End
Except for Donald Parham, who had no business playing football in the spring, tight end has largely been a wasteland in non-NFL leagues. I will keep this section short moving forward but Marty has coined his offense as “A Tight End Driven System.” He may not export the scheme to the USFL verbatim, but the excess of tight ends on the roster does point to him keeping the tenants of his offense in place. With a name like Joey Magnifico, Michigan’s first tight end off the board is on my radar. He peaked at 363 yards at Memphis but was efficient when targeted.
Joey Magnifico was one of the more reliable tight ends around last season. pic.twitter.com/52ULGaSCoS
— PFF College (@PFF_College) May 17, 2019
As opposed to the 6’4/240 Magnifico, La’Michael Pettway, the team’s second tight end, looks more like a bulky receiver at 6’2/223. In fact, he was listed as a receiver in college and likely didn’t hit that weight until his final season. Don’t be surprised to see him earn most of his snaps out wide or in the slot, with Magnifico playing primarily inline.
Philadelphia Stars
Head Coach: Bart Andrus
Title Odds: +600
The Stars are probably the most volatile team in the league. Andrus and quarterback Bryan Scott won “The Spring League” title in 2020 and were the best team in 2018, though they didn’t have a champion then. They averaged 6.5 more points than the No. 2 team in 2020. Andrus has an NAIA Coach of the Year Award, two NFL Europe championships, and CFL experience to his name among many other obscure football ventures. He has generally led successful offenses and they typically tilt toward the pass. His teams passed at a rate north of 50 percent while at Feather River College and when he was the QBs coach of the “Ottawa Gee-Gees.”
The Stars undoubtedly fall behind other squads in NFL experience but, depending on how the team’s short training camp has gone, most of the starting offense could have played under Andrus in the past two years. That level of continuity is unheard of in spring football and makes this team extremely difficult to pin down.
Quarterback
Scott has never made even an NFL practice squad and had a few brief stays in the CFL that did not result in any playing time. He is also the only starting quarterback to play D3 football. On the other hand, he has more experience winning at lower levels of football than anyone. He has two Spring League MVPs to his name and he earned them by burying the rest of the league with ease. Scott completed 68.4 percent of his passes for 1,125 yards and 13 touchdowns during his 2020 season. He was only intercepted once and even added a bit of value with his legs. At $9,200, Scott will be the preferred pay-down option for most DFS players.
Wide Receiver
The Stars drafted Jordan Suell and Devin Gray with their top receiver picks. Both have played for Andrus, and Suell was a favorite of Scott’s during TSL’s 2020 season. Scott connected with him for 325 yards and four touchdowns in just four games. Gray has made a few stays on NFL practice squads and even got called up to the Falcons’ active roster once. At 5’11/183, Gray will likely play the slot with Suell on the outside. Both Suell and Gray run in the 4.4s and their experience should make them the favorites to lead Philly in targets. Clemson’s Diondre Overton was spotted getting starting reps in practice. Overton didn’t see the field much at Clemson but his production did increase in every subsequent season. Overton may go overlooked in tournaments and is a solid stacking option with Scott.
Running Backs
Much like their receiving room, the Stars’ running backs are primarily former TSL players. Darnell Holland was the team’s first running back selection. Holland topped out at 80 carries for 949 yards while playing four years of college ball at Kennesaw State. He would go on to play under Andrus alongside Paul Terry, who the team added in the supplemental draft. Terry out-carried him both in volume and efficiency but was moved to the team’s practice squad ahead of Week 1. Matt Colburn, a committee back from Wake Forest, is the only other back on the roster. Now that the backfield is down to two players and one of them has experience with Andrus plus USFL draft pedigree, I’m interested in targeting this team’s running game. Holland is the obvious pick but Colburn will make some of my tournament lineups.
Tight End
Bug Howard is the name to know here. Howard put up 827 yards in his senior season at North Carolina after sitting above 400 during the previous two years. He signed with eight different NFL teams but never made a final roster. Essentially an oversized receiver, Howard has a history of production at lower levels. He made some splash plays in the AAF before showing well in The Spring League. TSL stats have been scrubbed from the internet to hide their ancient wisdom but I did find this line from a single game.
Alphas statistical leaders from #TSL2020 Week 2 vs Conquerors
— The Spring League 🏈 (@TheSpringLeague) November 7, 2020
QB JT Barrett: 18/24, 284 pass yds, 2TD/2INT, 4 rush/26 yds
RB Madre London: 16 rush/61 yds
RB Brian Burt: 6 rush/15 yds, TD
TE Bug Howard: 6 rec/149 yds, TD
WR Deontez Alexader: 2 rec/62 yds, TD pic.twitter.com/6p7fplPUXo
Pittsburgh Maulers
Head Coach: Kirby Wilson
Title Odds: +600
This staff is a strange one. Wilson has been a running backs coach in the NFL for the last 20 years. He doesn’t appear to have any play-calling or even offensive coordinator experience to his name. John Tomlinson, his offensive coordinator, achieved his highest level of experience either as the passing game coordinator for D3’s Juniata College or a quality control coach for the Browns. This league is perfect for coaches like these to earn their stripes, but it also means we get to have a fair amount of skepticism when viewing their teams. Though this may be oversimplifying things a bit, as a running backs coach for more years than I have been alive, I expect Wilson to lean on his ground game. Wilson has coached six different backs who reached 300 touches in a single season over the past 20 years. He had so many 250-touch backs that I lost count. He wasn’t the head coach or offensive coordinator for these backs, but his proximity to bell-cow runners warrants a mention. Given that this is also the only team with a dedicated fullback, they project to be a ground-based, power football team.
Quarterback
Kyle Lauletta, the seventh quarterback off the board, has been a mainstay of preseason football for a few years. Across three preseason campaigns, he has completed 58 percent of his passes at 6.9 yards per attempt. Lauletta appeared in two games for the Giants, who drafted him in the fourth round, and eventually made it to the Browns’ active roster as an emergency option while the team was dealing with COVID issues. He did not take the field for Cleveland. Lauletta was a solid athlete with a middling arm coming out of Richmond. His modest success in the preseason bodes well for his odds in the USFL. Think of him as this league’s Alex Smith. Priced as the QB4 on DraftKings, there are more intriguing options for less salary.
Wide Receiver
Jeff Thomas is a 5’9 speedy receiver who plays on the outside. He topped out at 563 yards in Miami (the college…the one in Florida) and did not play football last year. Bailey Gaither was far more productive at San Jose State, posting a 93/1,537/10 receiving line in his final two seasons. He profiles as a starting outside receiver for the Maulers and could lead them in targets. Branden Mack, the team’s third receiver, was moved to the practice squad ahead of Week 1, leaving Delvon Hardaway as the third and final receiver on this roster. Hardaway could not earn playing time during four college seasons at Fresno State. Reading the ink dripping off the tea leaves, the Maulers do not plan on passing often at all. The condensed receiver room gives Thomas and Gaither some appeal but they could be earning large pieces of the worst pie in the league.
Running Backs
The Maulers only have two backs on their roster. Madre London was signed after the draft to replace De’Veon Smith, who the team cut. London was unable to make an impact at Michigan State or Tennessee. He then casually rushed for over 2,000 yards in the European League of Football. He more than doubled the output of the No. 2 back. With London joining the team late, I expect him to take a backseat to Garrett Groshek, the team’s only drafted back, to start the year. At 5’11/220, Groshek could pass for a fullback. He produced like a fullback in college as well, only taking Jonathan Taylor off the field to handle 20 catches in consecutive seasons. After Taylor left, Groshek led the team in carries and averaged 3.7 catches per game. Unfortunately, that came in 2020, when COVID reduced the Badgers to six games. Groshek is a bruiser with impressive pass-catching chops. There’s a strong chance he leads all backs in touches early in the year. For $6,200, he’s cash game material.
Tight Ends
Matt Seybert, another Michigan State alum, was not particularly productive in college. He popped with 284 yards as a super senior after doing nothing for four years. Running a 4.65-forty at 6’4/252 gives him some athleticism-based upside. Michigan State even tried to play him at defensive end before his senior season.
New Jersey Generals
Head Coach: Mike Riley
Title Odds: +750
Riley is a veteran of spring football, though he doesn’t have stellar results in the minors. As the OC of the Seattle Dragons, his team leaned on the run heavily and finished fourth out of eight teams in points. He also missed a few games with the Dragons. Riley served as the head coach of the AAF’s San Antonio Commanders. They ran a balanced offense and finished sixth of eight in scoring. With Riley’s run-first chops being backed up by his failed stint in Nebraska, we can safely project the General’s to lean on their ground attack more the most, if not all USFL squads.
Quarterback
De’Andre Johnson or Luis Perez will start for the Generals because Ben Holmes, their original QB1, was released after breaking his foot. Perez looked uninspiring during his time in the AFF and the XFL, though he does have plenty of spring football experience to his name. Riley has also seemingly taken a liking to him. Perez doesn’t show much upside as a thrower and lacks any rushing output. Johnson, on the other hand, has a big arm and supposedly ran a 4.3-forty at Florida Atlantic’s Pro Day. He also rushed for 834 yards in one season at East Mississippi Community College. Though there hasn’t been an official announcement, all signs point to Perez drawing the start, downgrading the offense slightly.
This is the ability that De’Andre Johnson flashes from time to time. Hits KaVontae Turpin in stride deep down the field.
— John Vogel (@DraftVogel) June 13, 2021
Beautiful placement, touch, and great deep ball ability. pic.twitter.com/IxSlUBcmq0
Wide Receiver
The Generals added KaVontae Turpin of TCU to their roster with their first receiver pick. At 5’9/159, Turpin’s role is ambiguous. He averaged 42 yards per game in college but also got work as a returner and runner. J’Mon Moore and Darius Shepherd are the more intriguing names at receiver. Moore was selected by the Packers in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He briefly appeared for them as a rookie after joining the NFL on the back of consecutive 1,000-yard seasons in the SEC. Shepherd followed a similar path out of North Dakota State. He joined the Packers as a UDFA in 2019 and made appearances in 14 games over two seasons. Moore has the best shot at leading the team in targets, though Shepherd should give him a run for his money. The duo would be far more interesting if Riley was interested in running a modern offense.
Running Back
Mike Weber rushed for over 1,000 yards and caught 20 passes in just his sophomore season at Ohio State. I would go on about his career but he was moved to the team’s practice squad, so it doesn’t appear like we will see him in Week 1. That leaves Trey Williams, who is a veteran of the CFL and multiple spring football leagues, and Darius Victor, an XFL alum, on the roster. Williams has played under Riley in the AAF and XFL. He held an RB3 role for the Seattle Dragons and can catch passes. Victor, the General’s third back, finished top-five in the XFL in rush attempts and yards. With Weber out of the picture, this is a backfield to take some dart throws at.
Tight End
Braedon Bowman and Nick Truesdell were both selected by the Generals in the inaugural USFL draft. Neither has an extensive history of receiving production, though Truesdell did go for 91 yards with the XFL’s Tampa Bay Vipers. Both players figure to earn their paychecks via blocking snaps.
