May 15, 2025
By Daniel Cohen
Week 4 is gonna be awesome—if you’ve been on the fence about a WatchUFA.tv subscription this year, this is the week to pull the trigger. With multiple rivalries taking center stage over the next few days, this week’s watchlist features a combination of established stars plus up-and-coming playmakers set to lead their teams into battle.
Jeff Babbitt, Boston Glory (Pictured)
I don’t care that I’ve had him in every previous Boston vs. New York "Players to Watch" column, you are again watching Jeff Babbitt against his former team. After the way Babbitt ended New York’s 2024 season on a last second buzzer beater in the first round of the playoffs, I know both teams have had this game circled on their calendars since the schedule dropped. The two-time UFA MVP has had back-to-back strong performances against Montreal to start the year, as he leads Boston in goals (8), blocks (5), and plus/minus (+13) through Week 3. His touches have been down since last year, but his impact is as high as ever, and we know he hits a different gear for these New York games; in three meetings with the Empire last year, he averaged four goals, one block, zero turnovers, and over 300 yards of offense per game. It’s the Revenge Game of all revenge games. Get your popcorn ready.
Justin Burnett, Minnesota Wind Chill
Justin Burnett’s Wind Chill debut last week was as impactful as the team could’ve hoped; he finished with four blocks, four scores, and over 300 yards of offense despite playing 22-of-24 points on the D-line. He’s an absolute weapon on the counterattack, and his ability to generate turnovers makes this already great defense even more imposing. Depending on how Chicago comes out of the gate, he could continue making waves at home this Saturday against a team playing their first game of the season, or he could have his work cut out for him against an offense loaded with talent. Regardless, a big game against a strong team could jumpstart a legit Defensive Player of the Year campaign for the fourth-year veteran.
Daan De Marrée, Chicago Union
The two-time European Player of the Year is set to make his UFA debut this Saturday in the Game of the Week against Minnesota. Daan De Marrée will be suiting up for a retooled Chicago Union team and is expected to make an immediate impact; in 2024, De Marrée helped lead his club team Mooncatchers to a European Cup championship, and his all-around skillset paired with elite athleticism should give a significant boost to Chicago’s ceiling this year. While it may take some time to find his exact fit in the Union system and develop chemistry with his line, Chicago could end up handing him the keys early and making him the focal point of their attack. As the influx of international talent continues to be a primary storyline this season, look for the Belgian star to formally announce himself to the league this Saturday.
Ben Jagt, New York Empire
Ben Jagt has quietly gotten off to as hot a start as any downfield cutter this year. He has 16 goals in three games thus far (third in the league), and notably only has one throwaway, currently completing a career-high 97.8 percent of his throws. The addition of Calvin Brown should give his production a significant boost going forward—Brown completed 3-of-5 hucks last week in his Empire debut, with all three completions going to Jagt—so there’s definitely a path for Jagt to get back to his 40-plus goal seasons he had from 2018 to 2022. However, things get tougher this week against Boston’s defense, and Jagt could draw the Tannor Johnson-Go matchup in a battle of the bigs this Friday night. If he can continue winning his matchups downfield, this Empire offense could finally regain the explosiveness it’s been lacking over the last year-plus.
Cole Jurek, DC
Coming off a season-high seven scores against Carolina, Cole Jurek and the DC Breeze will face off against Boston this Sunday to cap Week 4. Jurek is currently on pace to set career highs in every major offensive statistic, as his role has evolved into strictly O-line usage to begin 2025. He’s been the team’s most consistent downfield target through their first three games, and has been overwhelming defenses in tandem with Christian Boxley and Tyler Monroe; this is one of the most dynamic cutting cores in the league, and each cutter brings a distinct tenacity to the field. While his production was mostly held in check against Boston last year (he averaged just 174 receiving yards per game), he never played more than 11 O-points in any of their three meetings. Now with three straight 300-plus receiving yard games to start the season, look for Jurek to keep things rolling in a burgeoning new rivalry against Glory.
Keenan Laurence, Colorado Summit
Keenan Laurence is expected to make his return to the UFA field this weekend in his Colorado Summit debut. The 25-year-old enters his fifth UFA season after last playing in 2023, when he set career highs in assists, goals, plus/minus, and total yards. Laurence’s size, athleticism, and overall skillset loans itself well to both offense and defense, where he can dominate downfield matchups and take advantage of continuation cuts with long throws. He was one of the more under-the-radar free agent additions this offseason, but Laurence narrowly missed his first All-UFA team selection in 2023 and if he can pick up where he left off in Oakland, he could be a game-changer this weekend on the Summit’s Texas road trip.
Austin Taylor, Atlanta Hustle
Atlanta’s QB1 is off to a sizzling start to the 2025 season. Through three weeks, Austin Taylor ranks top five in the league in assists (17), throwing yards (1,193), and huck completions (7) and he’s completing over 98 percent of his throws. This offense has been built to thrive off the long ball without developing an over-dependance on it, and Taylor epitomizes this approach. He may be in for a bigger workload this week against Carolina without Christian Olsen in the lineup—Olsen is the only player on the Hustle with more completions than Taylor this year—but with maybe the best supporting cast of his career, Taylor is more than up to the task of continuing to lead the league’s hottest offense.
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