1. (last week: 1) QB Austin Reed, Renegades
Last Week: 22-36, 240 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
Season: 48-76, 616 yards, 7 TD, 1 INT
It's early, but Reed is putting together a spring football season for the record books. Lest anyone think he feasted on a bad Houston secondary in week one, he came out and repeated the performance in week two against a formidable St. Louis defense. After setting the UFL single-game passing yardage record last week, Reed tied the record for most TD passes in a game this past week. He's not doing it by dinking and dunking either; he's taking shots down the field in this Noel Mazzone offense. With a running game that's been stuck in neutral, Reed has had to carry the load so far. I'm sure Head Coach Rick Neuheisel would love to get his running game going to ease some of that pressure on Reed as the season progresses.
2. (2) WR Tyler Vaughns, Renegades
Last Week: 11 receptions, 146 yards, 3 TDs
Season: 18 receptions, 290 yards (16.1 avg.), 4 TDs
Speaking of records, Vaughns made the UFL single-game record book with his 11 receptions, 146 receiving yards, and three TDs. His combination of size and speed have made him a special target for Reed. Sometimes you just have to feed your best players, and Vaughns is far and away the best receiver Dallas has. He's been overlooked by NFL teams despite playing three seasons of solid spring football; that streak of being overlooked may come to an end after this season.
3. (UR) RB Deon Jackson, Defenders
Last Week: 11 att., 97 yards, 3 TD; 1 reception, 29 yards
Season: 28 att., 155 yards (5.5 avg.), 4 TD; 2 receptions, 29 yards (14.5 avg.)
The leading rusher by yardage, yards per carry, and touchdowns, Jackson won the lead back job during the season last year in D.C., overtaking Abram Smith. This year, Jackson is clearly the top dog in the Defender backfield. His three touchdowns on Friday night helped his team pull away from Columbus. Smith and Xazavian Valladay see snaps on offense as well, but this is a run-first scheme so Jackson will get his share of carries even though he'll cede time to others. If he can become more of a receiving threat, that multi-dimensional ability could keep him in the MVP conversation through the duration of the season.
4. (3) QB Jack Plummer, Storm
Last Week: 18-23, 182 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Season: 35-45 (77.8%), 422 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
Plummer and Birmingham's Matt Corral are neck-and-neck in a lot of statistical categories, but I give Plummer the edge here because he leads the UFL in completion percentage and has one fewer interception than Corral. Plummer's Orlando team is also 2-0 while the Stallions are 1-1 under Corral's leadership. Plummer toughed one out this week in a dogfight with Louisville, still putting up decent numbers despite the overall lack of offense and scoring in the game. This week, he has a rematch with the Kings, so we'll see what Orlando saw on film watching the game back and how they'll choose to attack this week.
5. (UR) QB Matt Corral, Stallions
Last week: 21-27, 226 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Season: 42-57 (73.7%), 434 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
When Corral left the field for the final time against Houston on Sunday, his Birmingham Stallions were in the lead, on the way to 2-0. Had the defense held up, Birmingham would be just that. The defense isn't solely to blame, though; Corral contributed to the loss as his two interceptions against Houston were costly, resulting in 10 Gamblers points, more than enough to be the difference in the game. Instead of 2-0, they're 1-1 and getting ready to face another team coming off a tough loss in the St. Louis Battlehawks. It's early in the season but there will be a big difference between going into week four 2-1 versus 1-2.
Dropped out: 4. Pita Taumoepenu, Battlehawks; 5. WR Jalen Moreno-Cropper, Gamblers