Now, let's take a look at the skill players who might make a difference for each team. The final 45-man rosters (38 active, 7 taxi squad) were announced Monday. Here's who's left on the rosters and their possibilities for success.

XFL Fantasy Primer
Birmingham Bolts
QB: Former Florida State star Casey Weldon is the starter after spending most of the decade as a No. 3 quarterback. Backing him up is another blast from the past -- Alabama star Jay Barker.
RB: James Bostic, a standout at Auburn, gets the starting nod over Alabama star Curtis Alexander. They survived after former two-time 2,000-yard rusher Troy Davis got cut.
WR/TE: Stepfret Williams, the former Dallas Cowboy, will be the go-to receiver along with former Alabama wideout Quincy "Action" Jackson. Journeyman Ed Smith, who went to the Super Bowl with the Falcons, appears to be the starting tight end. Nicky Savoie, who played under head coach Gerry DiNardo while at LSU will also see some time.
K: The kicking duties will be handled by Brad Palazzo, who was the kicker on Tulane's undefeated 1998 team and also played in the Arena League.
Chicago Enforcers
QB: Tim Lester, a Chicago-area high school star who passed for 34 touchdowns in 1999 during his senior year at Western Michigan, emerged as the starter. His backup is their first-round pick Paul Failla, who played at Notre Dame before transferring to Division II Indiana (Pa.) for his senior year, throwing 15 touchdown passes. Kevin McDougal, who led Notre Dame to an 11-1 record in '93 could also be in the mix.
RB: The starter here is John Avery, the former Ole Miss star and first-round NFL draft pick in '98. He could be a top back because of his versatility running and catching the ball. Behind Avery is Leshon Johnson, a five-year NFL veteran who recently overcame lymphoma. Johnson led the nation in rushing in 1993 while at Northern Illinois.
WR/TE: Both starters have some NFL experience. Ryan Yarborough never lived up to his promise as the Jets' second-round pick in 1994. Roell Preston was a return specialist for the Packers and a number of other NFL teams. He could take on a similar role here. Another former NFL return specialist, Aaron Bailey, will also see some time. The starting tight end, Lovett Purnell was a star at West Virginia but played sparingly for New England. NFL journeyman Tyji Armstrong is also in the mix.
K: Andy Crosland just finished a decent career at Miami. However, Soldier Field is much different from the Orange Bowl in terms of wind and weather.
Las Vegas Outlaws
QB: The starter here is Ryan Clement, a three-year starter at Miami in the mid-'90s who spent some time in NFL Europe. His backup is Mike Cawley, a journeyman pro who has played for a number of different leagues since being drafted in 1996. Former Jets draft pick Chuck Clements was the starter before hurting his shoulder.
RB: Rod Smart gets the nod over Arkansas standout Chrys Chukwuma. Ben Snell is also in the mix. Former Ohio State star Pepe Pearson was on the team before getting the ax in the final cuts.
WR/TE: Brett Bech was primarily a bench player for the Saints in '97 and '98, although he had a 113-yard, two-TD game in the final game of the '98 season. Mike Furrey is a small, speedy receiver very much in the mold of fellow Northern Iowa alum Dedric Ward of the Jets. Also watch for Nakia Jenkins and Todd Floyd as they will run a version of the West Coast offense. Tight end Rickey Brady put up some respectable numbers at Oklahoma before bouncing around the NFL for about seven years.
K: CFL veteran Paul McCallum will handle kicking duties. He hit 74 percent of his field goals while north of the border.
Los Angeles Xtreme
QB: Former first-round draft bust Tommy Maddox has risen to the top of the depth chart here. He was recently seen in the Arena League after fizzling out wherever Dan Reeves went (Broncos, Giants, Falcons). He passed for 5,000 yards in his two years at UCLA but has done little since. Maddox has supplanted Scott Milanovich, the first overall pick in the XFL draft.
RB: The starter is Rashaan Shehee, a speed back who got lost in the running back shuffle with the Chiefs. He averaged 5.6 yards per rush in two years at Washington, and could be a quality back if given the chance here. His backup is Ken Oxendine, who saw some extended playing time in Atlanta in '99 when Jamal Anderson got hurt but averaged just 3.2 yards per rush. Also worth watching is Saladin McCullough, who led the Pac-10 in rushing in 1997 while at Oregon.
WR/TE: Damon Gibson, had a decent rookie campaign with the Bengals in 1998 before becoming a solid contributor in 2000 in NFL Europe. He'll be joined by Jeremaine Copeland, a star on Tennessee's 1998 national championship team who set an NFL Europe record for most catches in a season (74) in 2000 and once had 19 receptions in a game. Another wideout worth looking at is Darnell McDonald, a big target who starred at Kansas State and was even a K-Swiss pitchman. Frank Leatherwood, who played for head coach Al Luginbill with Amsterdam in NFL Europe is the current starter at tight end.
K: Jose Cortez was a decent long-distance kicker both in NFL Europe and at Oregon State.
Memphis Maniax
QB: Marcus Crandell, a star at East Carolina and veteran of NFL Europe and the CFL is the current starter. He's smaller than most prototypical pro QBs, standing just 5-feet-10, seven inches shorter than backup Craig Whelihan, whose performance as a starter for the Chargers in '97 and '98 led them to draft Ryan Leaf. 49ers draft bust Jim Druckenmiller is also on the depth chart. Plus, former Air Force star Beau Morgan could be a "Slash" utility player.
RB: Rashaan Salaam won the Heisman Trophy in 1994 after breaking the hallowed 2,000-yard barrier. After a 1,000-yard rookie season with the Bears in '95, he went down with an ankle injury and has never been the same. He's looking for a chance to resurrect his career starting here. Another back in camp is Brent Moss, star of the '94 Wisconsin team that went to the Rose Bowl.
WR/TE: The top wide receivers all have some NFL experience. The No. 1 receiver is Charles Jordan, who logged in time primarily with the Packers and Dolphins. The biggest name in this group is Alvin Harper, who won two Super Bowls with the Cowboys as Troy Aikman's deep threat. Also look out for Kevin Prentiss, a small, quick wideout who can return punts. The tight end starter is John Jennings, who saw time with the Bills.
K: Jeff Hall, played three games for the Rams in 2000 when Jeff Wilkins was injured and hit four of five field goals, including a 50-yarder.
New York/New Jersey Hitmen
QB: First-round pick Charles Puleri is a native of the Bronx, who put up big numbers at New Mexico State and was Kurt Warner's backup on the Iowa Barnstormers. His backup is Wally Richardson, a former Penn State quarterback.
RB: Former Penn State star Mike Archie, who was a quality special teams player for the Titans, may have the inside track on the starting job. Also in the mix is Keith Elias, the former Princeton standout who's logged time with the Giants and Colts.
WR/TE: Former Rutgers star Chris Brantley, a favorite target of Jets QB Ray Lucas, survived the cuts and may be a starter. Ex-Syracuse star and NFL veteran Kirby Dar Dar will see plenty of time as will Zola Davis, a star wideout at South Carolina.
K: Former Raiders punter Leo Araguz will also handle kicking duties.
Orlando Rage
QB: Jeff Brohm has some NFL experience as Steve Young's backup in San Francisco. He also ended up on the Browns roster at the end of last season when injuries ravaged the quarterback corps. His backup is former Wake Forest signal caller Brian Kuklick.
RB: The starter here is Derrick Clark, who is second in NFL Europe history in rushing yards and total touchdowns as a star for the Rhein Fire. His backup is Brian Shay, who had set the NCAA all-divisions career rushing mark in 1998. Michael Black, who played with Ryan Leaf at Washington State appears to be the change-of-pace, third-down back.
WR/TE: Another NFL Europe legend, Mario Bailey, is the starter here. A star of Washington's 1991 national championship team, he holds the NFL Europe records in receptions, yards and receiving TDs. He'll be joined by another NFL Europe standout in Diallelo Brooks as well as Tony Gaiter, an occasional NFL returner.
K: Former West Virginia kicker Jay Taylor hit 73.6 percent of his field goals during his college days.
San Francisco Demons
QB: Mike Pawlawski, a Cal product and Arena League veteran who threw for 303 TD passes the last five years for the Albany Firebirds, won the starting job in the days leading up to the opener. He still faces a stiff challenge from fellow Cal QB and former Chiefs draft pick Pat Barnes, who owns the NFL Europe record for career TD passes with 30 in two seasons for Frankfurt.
RB: Former Saints back Vaughn Dunbar anchors the running game. After a decent NFL rookie season in New Orleans in 1992 (565 yards rushing, 3 TDs), he was hampered by injuries and was last seen with the Jaguars in their inaugural season in 1995. Backup Derek Brown also saw some flashes of brilliance with the Saints in the early '90s before being cut down by injuries. Brown was also adept at catching the ball out of the backfield. The running game will be emphasized here, so backs like Jamie Reader, Juan Johnson and Terry Battle will see time down the line.
WR/TE: Ex-Bengal James Hundon leads the way here after scoring four TDs in an injury-riddled NFL career. He is a very fast receiver who could open things up. He will be joined by Tydus Winans, who saw some time with the Redskins before going up to Canada. At tight end, the starter is Brian Roche, who played with the Chiefs.
K: Frank Bianacamano has the leg up in the kicking race. He was a solid punter for Amsterdam in NFL Europe but was also a place-kicker in college.

Check back during the season as there will be regular updates on news and player forecasts.

James Quintong is Fantasy Sports Producer at CNNSI.com.

 

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