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XFL Week 2: Players the Houston Texans need to watch Saturday

By Stephen Forsha

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - FEBRUARY 09: Mekale McKay #1 of the NY Guardians attempts to make a catch over Anthoula Kelly #23 of the Tampa Bay Vipers during the first half of their XFL game at MetLife Stadium on February 09, 2020 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The NY Guardians won, 23-3. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - FEBRUARY 09: Mekale McKay #1 of the NY Guardians attempts to make a catch over Anthoula Kelly #23 of the Tampa Bay Vipers during the first half of their XFL game at MetLife Stadium on February 09, 2020 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The NY Guardians won, 23-3. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images) /
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WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 08: Eli Rogers #4 of the DC Defenders runs after a catch as Cardale Jones #12 of the DC Defenders is hit to the field during the second half of the XFL game against the Seattle Dragons at Audi Field on February 8, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 08: Eli Rogers #4 of the DC Defenders runs after a catch as Cardale Jones #12 of the DC Defenders is hit to the field during the second half of the XFL game against the Seattle Dragons at Audi Field on February 8, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

New York Guardians at DC Defenders, 2 p.m. ET, ABC (Saturday)

Eli Rogers WR, DC — The wide receiver for the DC Defenders was the fourth-leading wide receiver in the entire eight-team XFL last weekend when he had six receptions for 73 yards and no touchdowns. Rogers played collegiate football at Louisville and five years ago was an underrated free agent signing by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

When not battling injuries, Rogers (who has had a torn ACL) was productive with the Steelers in ’16, a season when he had 48 receptions (65 targets) for 594 yards and three touchdowns. That season, he received a Pro Football Focus grade of 67.0.

Having Cardale Jones as his quarterback in DC, watch Rogers this weekend, as he’s sure to become a better player each week, which will get the attention of NFL scouts and coaches to see if he can revitalize his NFL career one day.

Mekale McKay WR- NY— Another wide receiver to watch in this game is Mekale McKay of the New York Guardians, and he is coming off a week where he was the seventh-leading wide receiver in the XFL in Week 1.

In his season debut with New York, McKay totaled three receptions for 53 yards and no touchdowns, but he was their leading receiver in the first game of the season. McKay played collegiate football at Cincinnati but has not taken a snap in the NFL. Last year, he played in the now-defunct AAF, where he had 22 receptions for 375 yards with four touchdowns.

McKay could be a sleeper in the XFL, and it will be interesting to see if he can add to his stats in Week 2 against a DC team that allowed 19 points last weekend against Seattle.

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