Welcome to the Conference Championships for the inaugural UFL season, RotoBallers! We've made it to the playoffs, where we'll have the winners of each conference host the wild-card teams for a chance to advance to the 2024 UFL Championship Game. Michigan will travel to Birmingham in the USFL Conference Championship, with the Stallions currently five-point favorites in their home stadium. On the other side, St. Louis will host San Antonio for the XFL Conference title, with the Battlehawks currently favored by three points. There are a lot of different ways we can go on this slate, so let's get to analyzing and taking down some contests this weekend.
Below are my thoughts on DraftKings' Conference Championships DFS slate of UFL contests, which goes live on 6/8 at 3 pm ET. I encourage you to read all our other weekly UFL fantasy football articles and stay on top of injury news and roster moves to remain well-informed and ahead of the competition. Let's get to it. Good luck, RotoBallers!
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DraftKings Quarterbacks - Conference Championships UFL DFS Picks
Adrian Martinez - Birmingham Stallions vs. Michigan Panthers - $10,500
The four teams playing this weekend all have great defenses, which makes evaluating this slate more complex than the past ten weeks. The Michigan Panthers arguably have the worst defense of the remaining teams, though, so we'll stack up Birmingham and hope they perform at the level we've seen for most of this season. Martinez was slightly underwhelming over the final two weeks, but he averaged a league-high 21.8 DK points per game this season while eclipsing 28 DK points in 5-of-9 starts. He has plenty of rushing upside and weapons to utilize, so I'll pay up for the likely league MVP and get different elsewhere.
Danny Etling - Michigan Panthers vs. Birmingham Stallions - $9,300
I'll mix Etling as a cheaper QB option in my non-Martinez lineups. Etling averaged 13.1 DK points per game in the five games he started, but he has enough rushing upside and passing talent to blow by that number this weekend. Birmingham boasts an elite defense, but there are some weak spots, as they allowed the highest completion rate (61.5%) and the second-most passing yards (1,867) among the four remaining playoff teams. No one will be playing him, so he should make for a great contrarian dice throw on this slate.
DraftKings Running Backs - Conference Championships UFL DFS Picks
Morgan Ellison - San Antonio Brahmas vs. St. Louis Battlehawks - $7,200
Ellison is underpriced, plain and simple. He's currently the only Brahmas running back who is projected to be active on Sunday, and he has been productive over the last few weeks with starter John Lovell out of the lineup. Ellison racked up 9.3 and 15 DK points against great defenses in St. Louis and Birmingham, respectively. The Battlehawks allowed the most rushing yards and rushing touchdowns among the remaining teams, so he's primed for a chance to shine again in the starting role this weekend.
Jacob Saylors - St. Louis Battlehawks vs. San Antonio Brahmas - $8,600
You have to play Saylors as long as you can afford him. He only had two weeks with single-digit DK points this season, and they came in the first and final games. He gets a ton of work as the lead back in a productive offense, translating to an appealing floor and ceiling in all types of DFS contests. The Brahmas somehow only allowed three rushing touchdowns all season, but to me, they're overdue for regression to the mean. Saylors and the Battlehawks are three-point favorites at home, and I'm riding this wave until I can't anymore.
DraftKings Wide Receivers and Tight Ends - Conference Championships UFL DFS Picks
Jace Sternberger - Birmingham Stallions vs. Michigan Panthers - $6,500
We're paying up everywhere else, so let's go with the All-UFL tight end selection to stack up with Martinez. Sternberger had an up-and-down season, but he finished strong as he hauled in 9-of-12 targets for 163 yards and two touchdowns over the final two weeks. He has a strong connection with Martinez, and I don't think he'll be very popular with most of the field gravitating toward the flashier stack options in Marlon Williams and Deon Cain.
Siaosi Mariner - Michigan Panthers vs. Birmingham Stallions - $6,900
Mariner works great as a one-off or stacking option to pair up with Etling on this slate. He played the last two years for the Ottawa Redblacks in the CFL and has now worked his way to being a top target for Michigan in the UFL this season. WR1 Marcus Simms will be active on Saturday, which could dent Mariner's target share, but he's averaging 14 DK points per game over his last five contests, and I don't think Etling will shy away from getting him the ball.
Jontre Kirklin - San Antonio Brahmas vs. St. Louis Battlehawks - $9,500
You'll probably have to get away from Martinez and Saylors to make it work, but getting Kirklin in your UFL DFS lineups has been profitable all season long. He put up 28.7 DK points in Week 10's loss to this same St. Louis team, and his 13.8 DK points against them in Week 3 wasn't too shabby, either. He's the type of player who can make or break your lineup instantly with his game-breaking ability, and I think Chase Garbers will be targeting him heavily in the most critical game of the year.
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