CFL DFS Picks and Cheat Sheet for Week 13 on DraftKings
We're set for the traditional three-game Labour Day Weekend slate this week, which has a much later start than all the others, with the initial contest not coming until Sunday night in the form of a Blue Bombers-Roughriders clash. The Tiger-Cats-Argonauts and Elks-Stampeders battles on Monday are particularly eye-catching contests from a DFS perspective, with the majority of selections stemming from those two games.
As customary, we'll break down multiple options for each roster spot and also offer a trio of core plays to consider making the centerpiece of your lineups.
Quarterback Plays for CFL Week 13
Nick Arbuckle, TOR at HAM ($11,000): Arbuckle's 2025 story is a rather unlikely one, as he's gone from "placeholder for Chad Kelly" to arguably a potential MOP candidate thanks to his extended run of stellar play. The veteran, who'd enjoyed some intermittent success as a starter in the past, has taken it to another level this season, putting up a league-best 3,476 yards and a 20:10 TD:INT through his first 11 games while also completing 71.8 percent of his throws.
Arbuckle posted 24.6 DK points against the Tiger-Cats back in Week 5, and he's exceeded 22 DK points in five consecutive contests overall. Hamilton does have some impressive numbers in certain metrics against the pass, but the Ti-Cats have surrendered 288.1 passing yards per contest while surrendering a 68.3 percent completion rate, and Arbuckle is averaging 316.0 passing yards per game while often having to put up plenty of pass attempts because of the deficiencies of his team's defense.
Bo Levi Mitchell, HAM vs. TOR ($10,500): Mitchell is another experienced field general that's producing outstanding results this season, as the two-time Grey Cup winner is averaging 305.7 passing yards per game and has tossed a league-high 21 touchdowns. Mitchell is averaging 23.1 DK points per game as well, even when factoring in his clunker against the Roughriders in Week 11 before Hamilton's Week 12 bye.
The veteran signal-caller racked up 36.3 DK points against Toronto back in Week 5, throwing for 332 yards and five touchdown passes. The Argos have allowed the league's second-highest completion percentage (71.7) and the fourth-most touchdown passes (18), brightening Mitchell's outlook considerably in this rematch.
Vernon Adams Jr., CGY vs. EDM ($10,300): Adams rounds out our trio (or quartet, when counting Fajardo below) of seasoned signal-caller recommendations this week, as he too has been regularly delivering strong returns as he plays out his first year in Mitchell's old spot as the Stampeders' starting quarterback. Adams is averaging 270.6 passing yards per contest and has added 150 rushing yards and a score on the ground, allowing him to contribute five 21+ DK-point tallies over his nine games.
The Elks could well elicit one of Adams' best performances, considering they're yielding a league-high 312.4 passing yards per game on a league-high 268 completions and 76.4 percent completion rate. Additionally, Edmonton has conceded a league-high 120.4 passer efficiency rating, offering Adams every possible avenue to a rewarding fantasy performance in a game where Calgary is projected for 30 points.
ALSO CONSIDER: Cody Fajardo, EDM at CGY ($9,000)
Running Back Plays for CFL Week 13
Dedrick Mills, CGY vs. EDM ($8,100): Mills has been one of the safest plays at the running back position all season, while simultaneously offering plenty of ceiling. The explosive Nebraska product is well on his way to a career year, already amassing 738 rushing yards and a co-league-high eight scores on the ground through 10 games. Mills has made good use of his relative sparse pass-catching opportunities as well, furnishing a 16-113 receiving line on 19 targets.
The Elks have also been beatable on the ground at times, surrendering 4.7 yards per carry. Mills has logged at least 13 carries in all but one game this season and has multiple receptoins in four contests as well, giving him a safe floor that he complements with home-run speed that help him pay off his salary in just a couple of plays.
Greg Bell, HAM vs. TOR ($7,700): Bell will be well-rested after a Week 12 bye, and the dual-threat back will walk back into what is perhaps the most inviting matchup in the league for running backs. Bell has yet to produce that first true elite performance on the ground, but he's still be very steady on his way to 339 rushing yards at 4.8 yards per carry while also generating a 30-228 receiving line on 38 targets. The San Diego State product has hit double-digit DK points in every game thus far, including 15.7 against these same Argonauts back in Week 5.
The Argos have surrendered a league-high 115.8 rushing yards per game, while facing a league-high 242 rush attempts. Toronto is also giving up the second-highest average yards per carry (5.3), meaning Bell could be in store for what could be his best day on the ground yet. Then, the fact Toronto has allowed a league-high 1,370 yards after the catch could certainly benefit Bell as well, considering he's averaging 4.3 receptions per contest.
ALSO CONSIDER: Brady Oliveira, WPG at SSK ($10,900); Justin Rankin, EDM at CGY ($9,700)
Wide Receiver/Slotback Plays for CFL Week 13
Kenny Lawler, HAM vs. TOR ($10,200): Lawler has been a bit hit or miss this season, which makes him a classic tournament play. His salary doesn't truly reflect how volatile his production can sometimes be, but this is one of the weeks where Lawler is particularly worthy of consideration due to the vulnerabilities of the Argonauts' defense against downfield plays. Lawler is still averaging 18.5 DK points per game despite some of his valleys, and that number is partly constituted of his season-best 47.7 DK-point haul against the Argos back in Week 5.
Lawler has logged a solid 7.5 targets per game, and he's exceeded 20 DK points on four occasions overall. His downfield role -- he's brought in a league-high 16 of the league-high 29 targets of 20+ yards he's seen -- and impressive speed should dovetail well with some of the Argonauts' weaknesses against the pass already highlighted in Mitchell's and Bell's entries, as well as by the fact Toronto is also tied for the second-most completions of 30+ yards allowed (18) while Lawler is leading the CFL with 10 receptions of that distance.
KeeSean Johnson, SSK vs. WPG ($9,800): I've kicked myself on multiple occasions this season for not rostering Johnson, who can lull us fantasy players to sleep a bit with a few ordinary games before breaking out for one of his higher-percentile performances. It's not prudent to ignore him for too long, considering he's developed excellent chemistry with Trevor Harris and checks in with back-to-back 100-yard efforts that have netted 22.7 and 18.8 DK points.
Johnson is averaging 16.2 DK points per game for the season, and he's scored no fewer than 13.7 DK points in any of the last five contests. The opposing Blue Bombers have some crooked numbers against the pass as well, as they've given up 287.2 passing yards per game, along with 16 touchdown passes and the second-most completions of 30+ yards (21). Johnson has an above-average 73.3 percent catch rate, so he should once again sport a very safe floor.
Jalen Philpot, CGY vs. EDM ($7,200): Philpot is one of the most intriguing mid-salary plays at receiver this week, as the versatile pass catcher comes in off his two most productive games of the season. Philpot has recorded 13.8 and 17.2 DK points in those contests, and the latter total was notably helped along by 31 rushing yards. Philpot also has 15- and 21-DK-point efforts this season, giving him more than enough ceiling for this offense-friendly matchup.
The Elks' many weaknesses against the pass were already highlighted through various metrics in Adams' entry, and in addition to those numbers, it's also worth mentioning Edmonton has given up the second-most touchdown passes (21) and 17 completions of 30+ yards, while Philpot has brought in five of the 12 targets of 20+ yards in depth he's seen and his QB Adams is a solid 12-for-19 with a 7:1 TD:INT in the red zone.
Dejon Brissett, TOR at HAM ($6,300): Brissett makes his first appearance in this space this season, and he's an interesting pivot off the likely more popular Jake Herslow (listed below in our "Also Consider" section), who'll require an investment of $800 more dollars. While Herslow has captured more DFS headlines the last two games due to his knack for the end zone, Brissett has been on an upward trajectory for three games and has posted 16.6 to 20.9 DK points in those contests.
As highlighted in Arbuckle's entry, the Tiger-Cats have given up plenty through the air in terms of yardage on a per-game basis, and Brissett comes in with a head of steam after recording a 17-303-1 receiving line on 20 targets in the last three contests. Given his chemistry with his quarterback and the fact Arbuckle has fed him at least five targets in five of the last six games, Brissett could pay dividends at his very reasonable salary.
ALSO CONSIDER: Tim White, HAM vs. TOR ($9,000); Jake Herslow, TOR at HAM ($7,100)
Team Defense Plays for Week 13
Hamilton Tiger-Cats ($4,300) vs. Toronto Argonauts:
While the Roughriders defense was also a consideration for me in their matchup against the Bombers, Winnipeg does have what might be the best all-around running back in the league in Brady Oliveira, and their pace of play gives them plenty of opportunities to pile up production. Meanwhile, the Tiger-Cats are a rested bunch after a Week 12 bye and are at home, where they're averaging an impressive 11.0 DK points per contest.
Hamilton has a well-balanced defensive resume that includes 14 sacks, a league-leading 14 interceptions, five defensive fumble recoveries and a league-leading 67 points off turnovers, including five defensive TDs. The Argonauts have been a formidable passing offense under Arbuckle as noted previously, but they've also allowed him to be sacked 28 times, the league's second-highest figure.
Hamilton has also conceded a league-low 11 passing touchdowns and 88.4 passer efficiency rating, and they've yielded the third-lowest opponent first downs (210). Finally, consider that Arbuckle has been prone to the occasional turnover (10 INTs), making this a viable scenario where the Ti-Cats can still deliver a solid fantasy score even if they do give up their fair share of yards and points.
CFL DFS Cheat Sheet for Week 13
Vernon Adams Jr., QB
Greg Bell, RB
Dejon Brissett, WR
Total salary expenditure: $24.3K
It's difficult to put together a trio of players this week that won't exceed the halfway point of our cap, but this group checks in a few hundred under that threshold and still offers some solid ceiling. Adams has a very good matchup on paper and can generate plenty of fantasy points on the ground in addition to his exploits through the air, while Bell isn't the most dynamic runner but also has a very safe floor while drawing an excellent matchup. Finally, Brissett is an ascending figure in the Argos' high-powered passing game, and he makes for an interesting pairing in the same lineup with one of his opponents (Bell), as the success of the latter and the Ti-Cats' offense as a whole would presumably lead to more passing volume for Toronto.
