July 3, 2025
By Daniel Cohen
It’s Fourth of July weekend and it’s very much crunch time, as playoff seeds continue to get sorted out in all four divisions while several teams have yet to clinch playoff berths. This week’s watchlist features seven players capable of putting their teams on their backs with the postseason right around the corner.
Will Brandt, Minnesota Wind Chill
Can the reigning champs solve the Chicago Union defense? It’s going to be on Will Brandt and co to break through a Chicago defense allowing the lowest opposing O-line conversion rate in the league (29.7 percent). In their first meeting in Week 3, Minnesota converted just 6-of-30 (20 percent) possessions and Brandt was held scoreless for just the second time in his 42-game career. The 2024 Championship Weekend MVP continues to be the clear focal point of the Wind Chill offense—he leads the team in both throwing yards and receiving yards this year—and limiting his production will likely be at the top of Chicago’s defensive gameplan once again. Brandt had a solid outing in last year’s road trip to Chicago, tossing four assists and completing all 43 of his throws, and the Wind Chill will hope for another strong performance from their primary distributor as they look to hand the Union their first loss of the season.
Tobias Brooks, Colorado Summit
Tobias Brooks is back in the Colorado Summit lineup for his second game of the season after one of the more memorable new-team debuts in recent history. A bit over a month ago following his championship game appearance for Colorado Mamabird in the college division, Brooks lit up the then-undefeated Oakland Spiders to the tune of eight scores, 74-of-76 completions, and 946 total yards in Colorado’s three-goal win. Recognized by multiple analysts as the best new addition in the UFA’s midseason awards (despite only playing one game), the 20-year-old hybrid immediately assumed QB1 responsibilities and was a commanding presence for the Summit O-line; his throwing skill and confidence have grown significantly in the last year, and he remains as dynamic as ever when he releases downfield. Brooks is an MVP-caliber player that could push the Summit all the way to Championship Weekend, and he’ll have the opportunity for another statement game against the first place Shred tomorrow night.
Khalif El-Salaam, San Diego Growlers
Back in the lineup after a two-game absence, Khalif El-Salaam will look to keep San Diego on track for the playoffs in what is virtually a must-win game against LA. His usage has been interesting to follow this year—he’s had games where he’s played almost entirely O-line, entirely D-line, or more recently a steady mix of both—and there’ll be an added level of intrigue given the stakes of San Diego’s upcoming games. Clearly one of the most versatile players on the team, if not the league, El-Salaam has felt like an ideal fit for the Growlers in whatever role he’s played this year, equally capable of leading a D-line counterattack as he is slotting in as an O-line cog. Despite averaging less than 10 O-points played per game, he’s averaging 4.8 scores per game this year, good for second most on the team, and he’s yet to finish a game with a plus/minus below +3 in 2025. He’s had three productive games against LA thus far, and he’ll look to make it a fourth as San Diego goes for the season sweep of their SoCal rivals.
Pawel Janas, Chicago Union (Pictured)
Whether he wants to or not, the league’s all-time assist leader may be forced into a bigger role this week without Xavier Payne in the lineup. Pawel Janas has been playing on the team’s second D-line, he ranks outside the top 20 on his own team in points played per game (13.8), and he’s played just 16 O-points this year after averaging over 270 O-points per regular season from 2017 to 2024. And yet, he’s still as effective as ever when he’s leading possessions. Looking at per-possession numbers this season, Pawel ranks 2nd in the league in assists, he’s tied for sixth in scores, and he ranks eighth in completions. Basically, when he’s on the field and the Union have the disc, he’s very much his usual self, facilitating drives with quick handler movement, hitting opportune hucks, and tormenting opponents in the red zone. While Payne has been the team’s primary puller and counterattack leader this season, Janas could take his place this week on Chicago’s starting D-line and play 20-plus points for the first time this season.
Tannor Johnson-Go, Boston Glory
A unanimous selection for the UFA’s midseason All-Defense team, Tannor Johnson-Go will look to build on one of his best games of the season in another matchup with DC. Johnson-Go dominated the Breeze in their first meeting, tallying two assists, two goals, and three blocks, including multiple hand blocks in Boston’s 14-11 victory. He’s proven to be one of the top counterattack weapons in the league as both a thrower and receiver, and he’s now reached 250-plus total yards in three straight games, including last week against Toronto when he recorded a season-high six scores. Johnson-Go’s shift to the D-line this year has made an already great Glory defense one of the scariest units in the league (even before they switched reigning MVP Jeff Babbitt over a month ago), and if they can continue limiting opponents to 15 goals per game, they’ll have all the tools and momentum to make a deep playoff run.
Jordan Kerr, Salt Lake Shred
While Chad Yorgason and Will Selfridge deserve tons of credit for reinvigorating the Shred O-line this year, Jordan Kerr has been quietly thriving in a more complementary role in 2025, particularly in recent weeks. He’s now recorded 500-plus total yards in back-to-back games, something he hadn’t done since 2022, and he leads the team in plus/minus this year. He’s taking care of the disc while continuing to score consistently, connecting on hucks, and giving the other O-line playmakers space to do their thing. Still an elite continuation thrower, Kerr may have an increased workload against Colorado with Selfridge out of the lineup for this week. Kerr can really turn it on for these rivalry games—he’s recorded at least six scores in all four of his career games at Colorado—so be ready for some potential fireworks in the Game of the Week.
Rowan McDonnell, DC Breeze
For the first time since 2022, Rowan McDonnell has recorded at least five scores in three straight games and has surpassed 40-plus scores in a season. The former league MVP has had a bit of a resurgence this year, as he’s taken on a more aggressive role in the red zone and leads the team in scores with 41. While the entire offense looked out of sorts in their first meeting with Boston, Rowan led the team with over 12 yards per touch and has generally looked like one of DC’s more explosive O-line guys at times this season, taking advantage of downfield continuation looks to keep defenses on their heels. The DC offense as a whole has been rolling lately, converting nearly 70 percent of their possessions over the last three weeks, and if they can find a rhythm early against the Glory defense, they’ll have a great shot at handing Boston their first loss of the season.
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