UFL DFS Value Plays: Conference Championships Bargain Bin for DraftKings Including Danny Etling, C.J. Marable, Siaosi Mariner, More

Welcome to the Conference Championships edition of RotoBaller's UFL DFS Bargain Bin, where the goal is to touch on some potentially mispriced players in DraftKings' Conference Championships UFL contests. Each week during the UFL 2024 season and postseason, I’ll give you my thoughts on where there may be some value spots to exploit for DraftKings' wide array of tournaments and cash games. After you're done here, be sure also to read all our other weekly UFL fantasy football articles.

The XFL and USFL had both defied the odds over the last pair of springs to complete full seasons -- one in the case of the former and two in the case of the latter. They've now joined forces in the hopes of forming a stable and long-lasting pro football alternative for fans that also serves as a launchpad to the NFL for as many players as possible. There's a solid degree of carryover in terms of personnel from both leagues for the 2024 season, even though several teams from each league didn't make the cut for the UFL.

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.

UFL DFS Bargain Bin Intro

Before we go UFL DFS Bargain Bin hunting, a few particulars about format and content.

The nature of the beast with value plays is at least a modest amount (and sometimes substantially more) of risk. Therefore, the Bargain Bin may prove to be a bit more of a roller coaster ride on some slates than your typical “tout” article! Naturally, that doesn’t mean there is no upside to be had. All of these selections are, therefore, suitable for GPPs and can also often serve as solid cash game plays while often helping you accommodate multiple higher-priced studs into your lineup.

This article is by no means intended to serve as an exhaustive list of all value options for the week. Rather, it is meant to take a deeper dive into those I feel offer some of the best combinations of savings and upside.

The goal is to recommend truly affordable players, as opposed to, say, a player priced just $300-$400 away from the highest-priced option at his position. I don’t have set-in-stone price limits in mind for each site, but I do consider legitimate affordability a very important criterion.

UFL Quarterback DFS Value Plays              

Danny Etling, MICH at BHAM | $9.3K  

Etling returned to a full-time role under center in Week 10 against the Stallions, producing 21.4 DK points on the strength of 231 total yards and two total TDs. The mobile veteran also had tallies of 15 and 17.6 DK points back in Weeks 5 and 6, so the upside at this salary is definitely there.

The Stallions were naturally one of the league's toughest defenses all season, but Etling was able to enjoy some success against them last week and also finished the season having allowed the second-most completions (198) and more than a passing TD per game (12). Factoring in Etling's rushing ability -- he ran for 143 yards and two touchdowns at 5.9 yards per attempt -- he's the most viable discounted option in this playoff round.

Don’t blink.

Danny Etling is on the run 💨💥 pic.twitter.com/i8EIq15irY

— Michigan Panthers (@USFLPanthers) June 3, 2024

UFL Running Back DFS Value Plays   

C.J. Marable, BHAM vs. MICH | $7.6K  

Marable also faced his playoff opponent in Week 10, with the versatile back compiling 23.5 DK points in a performance that saw him net a pair of rushing touchdowns that he complemented with a 3-29 line through the air. Marable finished the regular season with five double-digit DK-point tallies overall despite playing in only eight games.

The Panthers allowed 4.0 yards per carry and eight rushing TDs overall this season, with Marable having contributed the last pair of those scores, as alluded to earlier. Additionally, Marable also produced 11.3 DK points against Michigan back in Week 2, and he appears to be in position to lead the backfield Saturday over Ricky Person.

Spring football continues to benefit from stories like C.J. Marable.

Birmingham pulling away in the battle of the Champs. #UFLpic.twitter.com/32SubWJjmh

— James Larsen (@JamesLarsenPFN) March 30, 2024

ALSO CONSIDER: Morgan Ellison, SAN at STL ($7,200)

UFL Wide Receiver DFS Value Plays      

Siaosi Mariner, MICH at BHAM | $6.9K

Mariner makes for an excellent pairing option with Etling for tournaments, given the surging receiver's performance down the stretch and his clear chemistry with the quarterback. Mariner tallied 17.5 and 27 DK points in Weeks 9 and 10, respectively, while bringing in 15 of 20 targets for 205 receiving yards and a touchdown in that span.

A bulk of that production came in conjunction with Etling, and Mariner also totaled 14.5 DK points versus the Renegades back in Week 7. The Stallions' aforementioned propensity for allowing plenty of completions and Mariner's 7-110-1 line against Birmingham in Week 10 make his case all the more formidable at a salary that remains very reasonable.

"The #UFL has been extremely important...it's lit a fire in me."@USFLPanthers WR Siaosi Mariner has been a revelation for Michigan's offense. @SdotGatsby wasn't with the team during Training Camp - signing prior to week two.

Since then, he's picked up the playbook impressively… pic.twitter.com/QFUX0l0YUC

— James Larsen (@JamesLarsenPFN) May 28, 2024

Steven Mitchell, STL vs. SAN | $3.8K

Mitchell is strictly a tournament play, but one that could pay handsome dividends at a minuscule salary. The one-time Houston Texan has posted just one double-digit DK-point tally thus far (13.5 DK points against the Roughnecks in Week 6), but he only played in six games and also posted tallies of 8.6 and 9.2 in Weeks 9 and 10 despite a crowded Battlehawks pass-catching corps offering plenty of competition for targets.

Mitchell logged at least five targets in four of his last five games, and he posted a 22-yard touchdown grab on his one catch against these same Brahmas in Week 10. San Antonio arguably fielded the UFL's pass defense this season, but the Brahmas will have plenty to worry about beyond Mitchell with the likes of Hakeem Butler, Darrius Shepherd and Jahcour Pearson among those that will be flooding their secondary.

UFL Flex DFS Value Plays  

Jace Sternberger, TE - BHAM vs. MICH | $6.5K

Make it three consecutive appearances in this space for Sternberger, who finished the regular season with tallies of 27 and 13.3 DK points via a combined 9-163-2 line on 12 targets in that span. The latter figure came against these same Panthers and came in a performance that marked Sternberger's ninth of the regular season with a double-digit YPC figure.

In fact, the only game Sternberger didn't accomplish that feat was his catch-less Week 2 versus Michigan, further corroborating his field-stretching ability. Given his big-play prowess and chemistry with quarterback Adrian Martinez, Sternberger is an excellent value tournament play at his salary.

WOW

Adrian Martinez with a DIME to Jace Sternberger for the @USFLStallions TD 🎯🎯🎯🎯 pic.twitter.com/7mC0a2DFUy

— United Football League (@TheUFL) May 25, 2024

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