5. Brennan O’Neill, Attack, Denver Outlaws

The No. 1 overall draft pick had one of the quieter Opening Weekends out of the 2024 rookie class. O’Neill finished with 20 fantasy points in the Outlaws’ 16-11 loss to the Carolina Chaos, tallying one goal and one assist.

What makes O’Neill stand out more this weekend is the attention that his linemate, Sam Handley, will draw after his breakout performance against Carolina last week. Handley finished 43 fantasy points in Week 1, third-most among midfielders. 

The Outlaws will play the Utah Archers on Friday night. Depending on the Archers’ defensive scheme, expect O’Neill to be the second priority coming out of the box with the potential for O’Neill to get some quality matchups against short-stick defensive midfielders.

Update: With Logan Wisnauskas ruled out for Friday's game with a hamstring injury, O'Neill most likely will start at attack against the Archers.

4. TD Ierlan, Faceoff, California Redwoods

The fourth-year veteran is set for his 2024 debut in Charlotte. Ierlan finished the 2023 season with the third-highest faceoff win percentage in the PLL at 67.8%. The Redwoods’ Week 2 opponent, Carolina, struggled at the stripe last week, going 35.7% in its loss to Denver. 

Last season, Ierlan’s faceoff percentage against the Chaos in their three matchups was 63%. Expect Ierlan to pick up right where he left off.

3. Matt Rambo, Attack, Maryland Whipsnakes

The Whipsnakes had a rough start to the 2024 campaign, losing 17-13 to the New York Atlas in Albany. Rambo finished with 14 fantasy points on the day.

The good news for Rambo and the Whipsnakes offense is that they will be going against the Boston Cannons defense, which allowed the Atlas attack to put up a combined 256 fantasy points last week.

In 2023, Rambo averaged 27 touches per game. When he played the Cannons, his touches went down to 18. 

With Cannons starting defender Jack Kielty now out for the season with a torn ACL, this could be a great bounce-back opportunity for Rambo to help put the Whipsnakes back in the win column.

2. Xander Dickson, Attack, New York Atlas

The Slim Reaper had two of the most remarkable performances of his professional career to help the Atlas finish 2-0 on their Homecoming Weekend. Dickson averaged 49 fantasy points across the two games and currently ranks second among all fantasy scorers for the 2024 season. 

What makes Dickson such a prolific scorer is his ability to become an off-ball threat. With teammates like Connor Shellenberger, Jeff Teat and Bryan Costabile who create offense through dodging, Dickson finds scoring opportunities off of opponents’ initial and second slides. 

The Atlas will be facing Carolina in the Chaos’ second of two games this weekend. In 2023, Dickson only tallied one assist against the Chaos. With the absence of Eric Law, who recorded three points in last year's matchup, Dickson has filled that void as an off-ball scorer and will continue to grow as one of the best finishers in the league.

1. Grant Ament, Midfield, Utah Archers

To call it a bounce-back is an understatement. After missing the majority of the 2023 regular season with a lower body injury, Ament exploded with 42 fantasy points in Utah’s 2024 opener. 

Ament, a natural attackman, ran through the box and was able to dominate his matchup against the Philadelphia Waterdogs, whether it was a short stick or a long pole guarding him. With the Archers set to play Denver on Friday, the Outlaws will need to prioritize either Ament or 2023 Jim Brown MVP Tom Schreiber at midfield.

If the Outlaws decide not to double-pole the midfield, expect Ament to bring a short stick behind the goal and facilitate from there.