This article is part of our DraftKings CFL DFS Picks series.
CFL DFS Picks and Cheat Sheet for Week 3 on DraftKings
We're set for another four-game CFL slate in Week 3, one that will see injury open up some opportunities and which features plenty of appealing individual matchups for skill-position players.
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 3
Vernon Adams Jr., CGY vs. OTT ($10,100): With the Argos' Chad Kelly (leg) set to miss another game and Nathan Rourke (oblique) looking iffy, Adams because the safest option this week if paying up at QB. The veteran signal-caller has gotten his Stampeders career off to a solid start, averaging 19.6 DK points in his first two contests while compiling 672 total yards and a rushing TD.
The Redblacks have been largely incapable of slowing down any team through the first two games, giving up a league-high 35.0 points, seven touchdowns and 8.1 yards per play, along with 402 yards of net offense per contest. Ottawa has also conceded 310.5 passing yards per game and a 72.4 percent completion rate, along with a co-league-high five completions of 30+ yards. Given Adams' ability to pile up production through multiple means, he's very appealing in this matchup.
Trevor Harris, SSK at TOR ($9,800): Harris already looks to be in mid-season form, throwing for 277 and 295 yards and tossing three TDs while generating 18.5 and 16.8 DK points in those contests. The veteran signal-caller has also thrown a pair of picks and doesn't contribute anything as a runner, but Harris' rich arsenal of targets and his veteran savvy always keep him in play from a fantasy perspective.
The opposing Argonauts have allowed a 69.2 percent completion rate and a co-league-high five completions of 30+ yards through the first two games. Toronto didn't have to be tested much through the air in Week 1, either, as the Alouettes were able to gash the Argos on the ground virtually at will. The Roughriders typically carry out an aggressive approach through the air, however, so Harris should have his fair share of opportunity to pile up a solid DK-point total.
Davis Alexander, MTL at EDM ($9,300): Through the season's first two games, Alexander is validating the Alouettes' coaching staff's decision to entrust him with the starting quarterback job this season. The fourth-year quarterback opened the season with a solid 205-yard, one-touchdown showing against the Argonauts in a game where he wasn't asked to do too much, but he then proved capable of stepping up as a passer in Week 2 by posting 20.1 DK points on the strength of a 344-yard, one-touchdown tally against the Redblacks.
Alexander now faces an Elks team that allowed 324 passing yards, a league-high 75.0 percent completion rate and a league-high 129.9 passer efficiency rating in Week 1 against the Lions. That included 54 rushing yards at 10.8 yards per carry surrendered to BC QB Nathan Rourke, and Alexander is a very mobile quarterback in his own right as evidenced by his average of 10.6 yards per rush attempt on his five carries. Given the matchup lines up well in every aspect for him, Alexander is a very viable value consideration this week.
ALSO CONSIDER: Nathan Rourke, BC at WPG ($10,200)
Running Back Plays for CFL Week 3
Dedrick Mills, CGY vs. OTT ($8,300): Mills was surprisingly held in check in Week 2 against an Argonauts defense that had been trampled on the ground in Week 1, but he offered a reminder of his upside in the opener with 33.4 DK points on the strength of 124 total yards and three rushing TDs. The explosive dual-threat back is back in play in Week 3, however, as the Redblacks have been the league's most vulnerable defense through the first two games.
The Redblacks have been more generous through the air, but Ottawa has still given up 4.8 yards per carry through the first two games. Mills is capable of a 100-yard game any time he takes the field, and his pass-catching skills could also certainly come into play here against the Redblacks' porous pass defense.
Sean Thomas-Erlington, MTL at EDM ($5,800): Thomas-Erlington got his season off to an encouraging start in Week 1 with 86 rushing yards on 17 carries against the Argonauts, but he took a back seat to Travis Theis in Week 2. However, Theis is out for Thursday night due to a neck injury, which leaves Thomas-Erlington and Stevie Scott III in charge of Montreal's backfield versus the Elks.
The division of labor between the two remains to be seen – Scott is also listed below in our "Also Consider" section at minimum salary and has enjoyed success at the pro level before in the USFL – but Thomas-Erlington should certainly have his fair share of touches as both a runner and receiver. The Elks gave up 124 rushing yards at 6.9 yards per carry in their one game this season, so the matchup for Montreal's backfield as a whole is an enticing one.
ALSO CONSIDER: A.J. Ouellette, SSK at TOR ($7,500); Stevie Scott III, MTL at EDM ($2,500)
Wide Receiver/Slotback Plays for CFL Week 3
KeeSean Johnson, SSK at TOR ($9,700): Johnson has been Harris' most reliable target through the first two games of the season, posting a 12-192-1 receiving line and average of 19.9 DK points per contest in that span. The one-time Cardinals draft pick is coming off an eight-catch, 124-yard, one-touchdown effort against Tiger-Cats, and he should remain at the forefront of the air attack in Week 3 against a Toronto defense that's yet to be fully tested through the air in its first two games.
Keric Wheatfall, WPG at BC ($7,100): Wheatfall delivered handsomely in the Blue Bombers' first game of the season in Week 2, producing five receptions for 127 yards and a touchdown on seven targets on his way to 26.7 DK points. Wheatfall also had an impressive preseason, and he also totaled 111 receiving yards in his Week 2 CFL debut last season.
The Fresno State product displayed very strong chemistry with fill-in starter Chris Streveler in Week 2 this year, and he could well be operating with the veteran backup again in this Saturday night matchup. The Lions have been fairly solid against the pass through the first two games, but BC has surrendered a 64.7 percent completion rate and a co-league-high five completions of 30+ yards that portend the possibility of a chunk play or two for Wheatfall.
Bralon Addison, OTT at CGY ($6,500): Addison's usage through the first two games has been encouraging and reminiscent of earlier in his career, when he appeared to be the CFL's next two-way superstar while with the Tiger-Cats. Injuries have largely capped Addison's production since, but he boasts a 14-164-1 receiving line on 20 targets, as well as an average of 19.8 DK points, through two games.
Addison will be playing without Dru Brown (hip) for a second straight game, but he worked well in tandem with fill-in starter Matthew Shiltz in Week 2 and will now be operating with another quarterback he's had experience with previously in Dustin Crum. The Stampeders have given up 306.5 passing yards and a league-high 62 completions through the first two games, so Addison could certainly be on the receiving end of enough high-percentage targets to justify his very reasonable mid-level salary.
Austin Mack, MTL at EDM ($5,700): Mack's salary is especially eye-catching for a player coming off a 103-yard effort in Week 2, a performance that resulted in 18.3 DK points. That had been preceded by a 5-51 line on five targets in Week 1 against the Argos, a game where Montreal didn't have to be particularly aggressive through the air.
The Elks' offense does have enough high-upside offensive players to keep the Alouettes aggressive offensively, so Mack could be in a favorable position to deliver a favorable return on the very reasonable investment required to roster him. The Elks' aforementioned vulnerabilities against the pass already described in Alexander's entry certainly serve to brighten Mack's outlook as well, in addition to the fact they also gave up a co-league-high three touchdown passes in that one prior game.
ALSO CONSIDER: David Ungerer, TOR vs. SSK ($6,100)
Team Defense Plays for CFL Week 3
Montreal Alouettes ($4,500) at Edmonton Elks: The Alouettes' defense is the highest-priced unit in Week 3, but deservedly so. Montreal is averaging a league-high 15 DK points through two weeks, the byproduct of three interceptions, two fumble recoveries, a defensive touchdown and just 28 total points allowed.
As already mentioned, Edmonton's offense isn't without talent by any stretch, as the likes of QB Tre Ford, RB Justin Rankin, and WRs Steven Dunbar and Zach Mathis can all stretch the field and hit pay dirt on any given play. Nevertheless, Ford is still a work in progress as a passer, and Montreal has tallied five sacks and forced a league-high seven turnovers through two games. Given their disruptive ability, the Als' defense could certainly deliver despite the fact Montreal will be on the road and at a rest disadvantage.
CFL DFS Cheat Sheet for Week 3
Vernon Adams Jr., QB
Dedrick Mills, RB
Austin Mack, WR
Total salary expenditure: $24.1K
Just as was the case last week, I'm recommending a QB-RB duo from the same team in Adams and Mills, despite the fact the latter didn't exactly hold up his end of the bargain in Week 2. It's certainly possible for both players to hit for productive performances in the same game, however, especially since Mills is a capable pass catcher in addition to an explosive runner. We round out this trio with a capable veteran in Mack, who's already recorded 10 catches through two games and clearly has quickly established chemistry with Davis Alexander.
