USFL DFS Lineup Picks: DraftKings Daily Fantasy Fantasy Advice for Week 10

June 17, 2023

The top daily fantasy USFL lineup picks for DraftKings for Week 10 (2023). Justin provides USFL DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.

We've arrived at the final week of the USFL regular season. Just one team, the Birmingham Stallions, has a playoff spot clinched, making the other three positions up for grabs. The Breakers just need to win to make it in, while the North Division is where things get wild, as all four teams can make it still, making this essentially another playoff week for them. The winner of Stars/Panthers is in, and the winner of Generals/Maulers is in.

With DraftKings offering USFL contests again this year, I'll be here every week with lineup picks for the league, covering the four-game slates every weekend.

Below, you'll find my thoughts on the Week 10 DFS slate of USFL contests on DraftKings, which goes live on 6/17/2023 at 1:00 p.m. ET. Be sure to also read all our other weekly XFL fantasy football articles. Let's get to it, and good luck RotoBallers!

DraftKings Quarterbacks - Week 10 USFL DFS Picks

McLeod Bethel-Thompson - New Orleans Breakers - vs Houston Gamblers - $11,000

Bethel-Thompson heads into Week 10 as the USFL's leader in passing yards, throwing for 2,206 of them so far this season. And this week, he gets a chance to end the season in a big way as he takes on a Houston Gamblers team that allows 205.1 passing yards per game, making them the only team in the league allowing over 200 passing yards.

When these teams last met, Bethel-Thompson was hard to stop, going 23-for-34 for 251 yards with two touchdowns. He also added eight rushing yards. The Breakers need to win this game to make the playoffs, so I'd expect them to lean heavily on Bethel-Thompson.

Cole Kelley - Memphis Showboats - vs Birmingham Stallions - $9,000

I'm sure the Stallions would like to win this game, but as the only team with a playoff spot clinched, they don't necessarily need to play their best football in this one, and that could play into the Showboats' hands, which is why I'm relatively high on Memphis players on this slate.

Since this game comes before New Orleans/Houston, the Showboats enter this game with a chance to make the playoffs. It isn't a great shot—they need a win, plus a Gamblers win on Sunday, then it would go to a tiebreaker—but it's a chance, so I expect them to go all-out. Cole Kelley hasn't thrown a touchdown over the last two games, but before that he was playing some good football, and the volume is there for him as well, as he's thrown 30 or more passes three times.

DraftKings Running Backs - Week 10 USFL DFS Picks

Mark Thompson - Houston Gamblers - vs New Orleans Breakers - $13,000

Let's end the season at running back in the same place we've spent most of the season: with Mark Thompson in our DFS lineup.

Last week, Thompson had his worst game of the season, failing to find the end zone for the first time. Still, he had 17 carries for 56 yards and three catches for 15 yards against the Stallions, a solid showing even if Thompson wasn't able to add to his league-leading 13 touchdowns.

This week, he faces the Breakers. Thompson hadn't made his season debut the last time these teams met, but T.J. Pledger did his best Mark Thompson impersonation, carrying the ball 18 times for 94 yards and a touchdown. Thompson can do some damage to this defense.

Stevie Scott III - Michigan Panthers - vs Philadelphia Stars - $5,300

Panthers running back Reggie Corbin was out last week with a shoulder injury. This play is assuming he misses another game.

The Stars have struggled to stop teams on the ground this year, allowing 130.6 rushing yards per game, the most in the USFL. When these teams met earlier in the year, Corbin had 131 rushing yards against them.

Now, here comes the "but" that makes Scott still risky. He also played in that game, but his 11 carries only produced 15 yards. And last week, Scott led the backfield with Corbin out and finished with just 25 yards. Still, if Corbin's out, he'll get the vast majority of the work and should produce more than he did in the first meeting.

DraftKings Wide Receivers and Tight Ends - Week 10 USFL DFS Picks

Johnnie Dixon - New Orleans Breakers - vs Houston Gamblers - $8,000

Dixon struggled last week, catching just one of his three targets for seven yards. But that shouldn't erase what he did in the two games before that.

In Week 7, Dixon was targeted 12 times, catching six passes for 97 yards, and then in Week 8 he was targeted 12 times again, catching nine passes for 135 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

In the first matchup of these two teams, Dixon was targeted nine times, catching four passes for 52 yards and a touchdown. Sure, there's been a few times this year where the numbers haven't been there for Dixon, but I expect heavy usage in this one.

Derrick Dillon - Memphis Showboats - vs Birmingham Stallions - $6,100

If you play Cole Kelley, why not go all the way and play one of his receivers too? I like the idea of stacking him with either Vinny Papale or Derrick Dillon, but Dillon being slightly cheaper gives him the edge for me, especially since he played better last week.

In that game against New Orleans, Dillon was targeted seven times, catching five passes for 51 yards. Papale saw more targets with nine, but caught just four of them for 30 yards.

AJ Richardson - Michigan Panthers - vs Philadelphia Stars - $3,800

The Stars allow the third-most passing yards per game and Michigan quarterback Josh Love has thrown for over 200 yards in four consecutive contests. Love himself is a strong play in this game—he'd have been the third QB I wrote about if I wrote about three QBs.

Regardless of if I play Love at QB though, I want some exposure to the Panthers passing game, and I think going with AJ Richardson as a value option is a good way to get that exposure this weekend. After not really doing much all season, Richardson was targeted seven times last week, catching five passes for 99 yards. Could Michigan have found another receiving threat?

More XFL Coverage