XFL Risers and Fallers Week 9: Players With Expanding Roles Including Luis Perez, Phillip Lindsay, Landen Akers, More

April 14, 2023

Juan's look at Risers and Fallers for Week 9 of the 2023 XFL season. These players are seeing their stock either expand or narrow heading into the next XFL slate.

Welcome to the Week 9 edition of RotoBaller's XFL Risers and Fallers, where we'll aim to identify multiple players at each skill position each week that appear to be either be trending toward an expanding or shrinking role.  After you're done here, be sure to also read all our other weekly XFL fantasy football articles.

Naturally, the participation and success level of many players can vary from week to week. However, the goal will be to spotlight players that have clear-cut reasons to support a continued ascension or decline while factoring in conditions such as the offensive system they're in, injuries around them, and the roles of other teammates at their position.

One note about the general protocol I'll try to follow with the selection of players for this article – once a player has been designated as either Riser or Faller in a particular week, I'll usually refrain from assigning them the same designation the very following week. The rare exception will be when an additional factor that makes them even more of a Riser or Faller surfaces during that specific time frame.

For a look at who was featured in the Week 8 edition of Risers and Fallers, click here.

XFL Quarterback Risers         

Luis Perez, Renegades | Week 9 matchup: at Defenders (Sun.)

Perez appears reasonably comfortable in his first game leading the Renegades offense, throwing for 190 yards in a close win over the Guardians. Perez should be much more comfortable in his second start after another week of practice, and he should continue to benefit from an underrated group of pass catchers that could include a returning Victor Bolden Jr. (hamstring) this week.

Additionally, Perez didn't even make use of pass-catching tight end Sal Cannella in the Week 8 win, which should change this week. The matchup also lines up very well on paper as long as the Renegades can keep Perez upright versus DC's ferocious pass rush -- the Defenders are allowing an XFL-high 254.9 passing yards per contest.

XFL Quarterback Fallers

Jack Coan, Brahmas | Week 9 matchup: vs. Guardians (Sat.)

Coan is set to draw another start Saturday, but his performances for the last several times he's suited up don't exactly inspire too much confidence fantasy-wise. The Notre Dame product posted a second straight zero-touchdown, two-interception game in Week 8, and he's completed 56.1 percent or fewer of his passes in each of his last four games.

XFL Running Back Risers  

Phillip Lindsay, Sea Dragons | Week 9 matchup: @ Battlehawks (Sun.)

Lindsay's Sea Dragons debut went reasonably well, with the veteran back finding the end zone on eight carries against the Defenders' league-best run defense. The one-time Pro Bowler added a pair of receptions as well, and he now has both an extra week of practice under his belt and a much more palatable matchup.

The Battlehawks have allowed a league-high 132 rushing yards per game, and Lindsay notably ceded just one carry to backfield mate T.J. Hammonds in Week 8, while Darius Bradwell didn't see any action. If that pattern holds and Lindsay sees a boost in workload over the last two games, he should finish the regular season with a flourish.

Leddie Brown, Renegades | Week 9 matchup: @ Defenders (Sun.)

Like Lindsay, Brown was listed in our "On The Radar" section for running backs last week, and he makes the leap to official Riser status this week thanks to another solid complementary performance. The West Virginia product carried a season-high nine times for 47 yards against the Guardians, adding a pair of receptions.

Brown has now logged 28 carries and five targets over three games while sharing snaps with De'Veon Smith. While the latter appears set to continue in his lead-back role to finish off the season, it appears clear head coach Bob Stoops likes what he has in his No. 2 back, who also offers enough speed to be utilized in a kickoff return role.

XFL Running Back Fallers

T.J. Hammonds, Sea Dragons | Week 9 matchup: @ Battlehawks (Sun.)

As alluded to in Lindsay's entry, Hammonds was relegated to just one carry in Week 8, his first game playing with the NFL veteran. It could be a sign of things to come as the Sea Dragons play a couple of must-win games to finish off the season, dimming Hammonds' prospects for the time being.

XFL Wide Receiver Risers

Landen Akers, Brahmas | Week 9 matchup: vs. Guardians (Sat.)

While we didn't exactly give the Brahmas' passing game a ringing endorsement in Coan's entry, that's not to say there isn't a member of the air attack that isn't seeming trending in the right direction of late. That in fact would be Akers, who's been especially busy the last two games with an 11-137 line on 13 targets against the Vipers and Roughnecks.

Akers also recorded seen catches, albeit for just 35 yards, back in Week 1, and he's only played in four games overall. With three of those contests featuring some full stat lines, the Iowa State alum seems to have a relatively safe floor as a trusted target, particularly in full PPR formats.

Geronimo Allison, Vipers | Week 9 matchup: @ Roughnecks (Sat.)

Allison has certainly had his ups and downs this season, but he may have finally hit his stride with new quarterback Jalan McClendon. The veteran wideout has put together his two most productive games yardage-wise in the last pair of contests, netting a 5-93-1 line on six targets in Weeks 7 and 8 against the tough secondaries of the Brahmas and Battlehawks, respectively.

McClendon has proven to be effective overall as a passer in his first two starts and clearly has some chemistry with Allison, who has the experience to maximize the opportunity. Although Vegas is eliminated from postseason contention, the Vipers continue to play hard for head coach Rod Woodson and are likely to continue putting the ball up at a solid clip over the final two games of the season.

ON THE RADAR: Eli Rogers, Guardians | Week 9 matchup: @ Brahmas (Sat.) // Mathew Sexton, Vipers | Week 9 matchup: @ Roughnecks (Sat.)

XFL Wide Receiver Fallers

Steven Mitchell, Battlehawks | Week 9 matchup: vs. Sea Dragons (Sun.)

Mitchell flashed with a 50-yard touchdown reception back in Week 5, but he's been quiet over the next three games. The former NFL wideout has just four receptions for 23 yards on five targets in the next three contests, and other than the aforementioned 50-yard breakout, he hasn't topped 19 receiving yards all season. With St. Louis' receiver group a deep bunch, Mitchell's stock simply isn't very high at the moment.

XFL Tight End Risers / Fallers  

There aren't any tight ends that particularly fit the bill for Riser or Faller this week, as the position has been a very top-heavy and mostly unproductive one from a fantasy perspective all season.

We won't even put the Renegades' Sal Cannella, who, as alluded to in Perez's entry, went without a target for the first time all season in Week 8, in the Faller category just yet, as his body of work suggests he'll likely be in for a resurgence in Week 9.

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