St. Louis BattleHawks Odds, Picks, Predictions & Depth Chart
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Below you'll find odds, depth charts and more analysis for the St. Louis BattleHawks.
St. Louis BattleHawks XFL Championship Odds
- Championship Odds: +1000
Odds as of Thursday and via FanDuel, where Action Network users get a risk-free bet up to $500.
St. Louis BattleHawks Offensive Depth Chart & Analysis
- QB: Jordan Ta’amu, Taylor Heinicke, Nick Fitzgerald
- RB: Christine Michael, Matt Jones, Keith Ford
- WR: L’Damian Washington, De’Mornay Pierson-El, Alonzo Russell, Keith Mumphrey, Carlton Agudosi, Brandon Reilly
- TE: Marcus Lucas, Wes Saxton, Cole Hunt
- OT: Jake Campos, Matt McCants, Andrew McDonald, Brian Wallace
- OG: Bruno Reagan, Kent Perkins, Dejon Allen
- C: Brian Folkerts, Michael Miller
Led by Ta’amu, this St. Louis offense has many question marks going into the season. While Ta’amu was a collegiate star for Mississippi in 2018, throwing for over 3,900 yards and rushing for over 300, he figures to struggle in his first professional campaign. His rushing prowess gives him upside and the ability to extend plays, but his biggest issue will be a lack of reliable receivers to help him stretch the field.
The Battlehawks are led at wide receiver by Washington and Pierson-El, both of whom underwhelm when compared to the other Nos. 1-2 receiver around the league. Outside of one big game, Washington failed to impress last season in the AAF, and Pierson-El is best as a supplementary option. At least he'll spend most of his time this year in the slot, where he had some AAF success as a chain-moving possession receiver.
The running back unit houses most of the talent in this offense, as Michael and Jones have both had moderate NFL success. Michael was the No. 6 overall pick in the XFL draft just a few months ago, so he figures to be heavily involved. If St. Louis can get consistent play from the offensive line, Michael could be in line for a big season. But I also expect Jones to rotate in, and he might get most of the goal-line work as the bigger back.
Both have proven themselves to be capable receivers over the course of their careers, so I expect each to be involved in the passing game.
St. Louis BattleHawks Defensive Depth Chart & Analysis
- DL: Will Clarke, Casey Sayles, Channing Ward, Andrew Ankrah, Dewayne Hendrix, Davonte Lambert, Jake Payne, Gimel President
- LB: Terence Garvin, Dexter McCoil, Ro’Derrick Hoskins, Steve Beauharnais, Shaq Jones
- CB: Darius Hillary, David Rivers, D’Montre Wade, Robert Nelson, Trey Caldwell
- FS: Kenny Robinson, Harold Jones-Quartey, Ryan White
- SS: Will Hill, Joe Powell
The strength of this defense is in the secondary, anchored by Robinson and Hill at safety. During his time with the Mountaineers, Robinson was first-team All-Big 12 and near the top of the conference in interceptions and tackles in 2018. Hill also has a strong pedigree, coming out of high school as the top safety recruit in the nation in 2007. He went on to play at a high level at Florida, and from there he spent time with the Giants and Ravens and actually made it to his second contract. In the AAF last year, he garnered an 82.0 overall defensive rating (per Pro Football Focus), good for a top-15 mark.
The Battlehawks will also be strong up the middle with a linebacker group led by Garvin, who was a playmaker in college at West Virginia. After several brief NFL stints, he shined last year in the AAF, ranking top-10 in overall defense at the position, top-five in coverage and also top-five in pass rush. He can impact the game all over the field.
St. Louis BattleHawks Pick
Pick: Stay Away
If this team is to have any chance at making the playoffs this year, it will be because of the defense, but this is an offense-leaning, pass-friendly league, and the BattleHawks almost certainly won't have the ability to keep up with opponents, especially since their best offensive players are running backs.
The BattleHawks have the longest odds to win the championship of any team, and it's hard to say they don't deserve the market's pessimism.
