CFL DFS Picks and Cheat Sheet for Week 9 on DraftKings
We're set for another four-game slate in Week 9 that kicks off Thursday with a Lions-Blue Bombers battle and closes out Sunday night with a rematch of the wild Week 8 clash between the Elks and Roughriders.
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 9
Vernon Adams Jr., CGY at HAM ($10,700): Adams continued rolling along in his MOP-worthy season in Week 8, throwing for 319 yards and three touchdowns against the Blue Bombers on his way to 26.8 DK points. Adams has tossed at least three touchdown passes in five consecutive games, and he's scored under 22.4 DK points just once over his first seven contests.
The Tiger-Cats are surrendering the league's second-highest completion rate (72.6 percent) and 283.1 passing yards per contest. Hamilton is giving up a fairly robust 8.8 yards per attempt as well, and if Tre Ford struggles to consistently move the ball through the air as he did in Week 8, the defense could eventually wear down against a caliber of QB like Adams.
Cody Fajardo, EDM vs. SSK ($10,400): Fajardo had a performance for the ages in Week 8, throwing for a career-high 510 yards while completing an elite 78.1 percent of his passes and tossing a season-high four touchdowns. Fajardo has now thrown for at least 340 yards in three of the past four games, and he's averaging 27.5 DK points per contest over the entirety of that span.
Following Fajardo's memorable performance last week, the Roughriders are now allowing 307.2 passing yards per game, 9.5 yards per attempt and a 70.3 percent completion rate. Fajardo also has 14 completions of 30+ yards and finished last week's game with a perfect 158.3 rating, which certainly helps make the case for him in the rematch despite the bump in salary.
Davis Alexander, MTL at OTT ($9,600): Alexander had his first clunker of 2026 in Week 8, but he still managed to help lead the Alouettes to victory. The fifth-year veteran threw for just 187 yards without a touchdown and one interception against the Tiger-Cats, but coming into the night, he'd averaged 25.5 DK points per contest with an 11:0 TD:INT over his first six games.
However, he could be primed for a bounce-back effort on Friday night, as he's facing a Redblacks team he hung 25.9 DK points on back in Week 4. Ottawa is now allowing 322.5 passing yards per game at a 69.1 percent completion rate, while giving up a league-high 9.97 yards per attempt. The Redblacks have also conceded the CFL's second-highest passer efficiency rating (112.8), and Alexander leads the league in all of completions, attempts, passing yards and completions of 30+ yards.
ALSO CONSIDER: Trevor Harris, SSK at EDM ($9,900)
Running Back Plays for CFL Week 9
Travis Theis, MTL at OTT ($9,200): Stevie Scott's hamstring injury has been a boon for Theis, who's proven he's capable of handling a true lead-back workload with plenty of efficacy. Theis has posted 31.2 and 25.8 DK points over his last two games, logging 19 carries apiece in those contests and eclipsing the century mark in both games to the tune of 279 combined rushing yards. The versatile second-year pro should be in for more heavy volume this week in a favorable matchup against a vulnerable Redblacks defense.
Ottawa is giving up a CFL-high 123.2 rushing yars per game and doing so at 5.2 yards per carry. The Redblacks have also faced the league's second-most rush attempts (142), and Theis is likely to do some serious damage with enough volume since he's averaging 6.3 yards per carry and has taken 16 of his 85 rush attempts for 10+ yards.
Dedrick Mills, CGY at HAM ($9,100): Mills' production has fluctuated a bit more than ideal this season, but the explosive Nebraska product retains as much upside as ever. Mills has a trio of 100-yard efforts, and he's still averaging 6.1 yards per carry, the second-highest figure of his career. Mills retains a clear No. 1 back role as well, and his Week 9 matchup could lend itself to a hefty workload on the ground considering Calgary should have a chance to dictate the pace of the game against a short-handed Tiger-Cats squad.
Hamilton is surrendering 100.6 rushing yards per game at 5.2 yards per carry. The Ti-Cats have also given up eight rushing touchdowns, and Mills checks into Week 9 leading the CFL in rush attempts (95) and rushing yards (584). He also has already recorded 17 runs of 10+ yards, and he's typically good for multiple receptions as well. With a secure role and potentially positive game script, Mills is very much in play.
ALSO CONSIDER: Justin Rankin, EDM vs. SSK ($10,200)
Wide Receiver/Slotback Plays for CFL Week 9
Tyson Philpot, MTL at OTT ($10,500): Philpot has been the CFL's best receiver through the first half of the season, as he's already set a new career high in receiving yards (839) through only seven games. Philpot also has 55 receptions – already the third-highest tally of his career – and four touchdowns, along with four 100-yard games.
The latter sample includes a season-best 198-yard effort versus these same Redblacks back in Week 4, a game where Philpot totaled 34.8 DK points. Ottawa's many vulnerabilities against the pass were already enumerated in Alexander's entry, and in addition to the metrics cited there, it's also worth noting the Redblacks have facilitated 13 completions of 30+ yards. In turn, Philpot leads the league in catches of 30+ yards (seven), yards after catch (343) and receptions on targets of 20+ yards (eight).
Kian Schaffer-Baker, SSK at EDM ($9,300): Schaffer-Baker has been right up there with Philpot so far this season, as he's quickly amassed a 42-656-4 line and a trio of 100-yard efforts. The veteran is coming off having compiled a season-high 185 receiving yards and a touchdown on eight catches in the Week 8 battle with these same Elks, a performance that netted a whopping 35.5 DK points.
Edmonton is allowing a robust 300.6 passing yards per game, and the Elks have faced a league-high 263 pass attempts while also giving up the second-most completions (177). Additionally, no team has yielded more yards after the catch than the Elks' 1,092, while Schaffer-Baker has a 77.8 percent catch rate, has brought in seven of the 10 targets of 20 yards or more in depth he's seen and is averaging a solid 5.9 yards after the catch per reception.
Nic Demski, WPG vs. BC ($8,800): Demski dealt with an ankle injury this week in practice, but he's listed as a starter for Thursday's favorable matchup. The veteran is in the midst of another productive season, having posted at least four catches and 76 yards in four of the last five games. Demski has at least 14.2 DK points in each of those contests as well, including a season-best 20.6 against the Stampeders in a Week 8 matchup.
The Lions are allowing 323.2 passing yards per game, along with a CFL-high 73.9 percent completion rate. Additionally, BC has conceded a co-CFL-high 17 touchdown passes and 12 completions of 30+ yards, while Demski has a stellar 79.1 percent catch rate on the season and has the ability to deliver a spike performance on occasion due to the trust he's earned as a red-zone weapon.
Cole Spieker, MTL at OTT ($5,500): Spieker is our second Alouettes receiver, but at his salary, he's very much worth considering even if you're also rostering Philpot. Spieker missed time earlier in the season due to an ankle injury, but the fifth-year pro has made an impact in all three games he's suited up for.
Spieker has been particularly effective in the two games since his return, posting a combined a 9-136-1 line and averaging 14.3 DK points per contest in that span. The Redblacks' weaknesses against the pass have already been amply covered in Alexander and Philpot's entry, and Spieker's 15.8 yards-per-catch average underscores his ability to do damage downfield and therefore potentially pay off his salary on just a handful of plays.
ALSO CONSIDER: Kalil Pimpleton, OTT vs. MTL ($7,600)
Team Defense Plays for CFL Week 9
Calgary Stampeders ($4,400) at Hamilton Tiger-Cats:
The Roughriders let us down in a significant way in Week 8 against a juggernaut of an Elks air attack, so we'll play things a bit safer this week with the Stampeders. While Calgary has had its fair share of struggles on defense this season, the Tiger-Cats have naturally lost plenty of momentum on offense due to Bo Levi Mitchell's serious ankle injury.
Tre Ford has been serviceable over the last two games, but the Stamps are second in the league in both sacks (14.0) and interceptions (eight), as well as third in turnover ratio (+4). Meanwhile, Hamilton is now averaging a league-low 323.9 offensive scrimmage yards per game, along with a league-low 23.0 net offensive points and the second-fewest average yards per play (6.2).
CFL DFS Cheat Sheet for Week 9
- Cody Fajardo, QB
- Travis Theis, RB
- Kian Schaffer-Baker, WR
Total salary expenditure: $28.9k
This is yet another trio that will require you to invest more than half your salary cap, but the upside here is through the roof. Fajardo is coming off the game of his career and facing the same Roughriders defense, and although an encore is naturally too much to ask, we could well be in for at least a 300-yard effort in what may turn out to be wire-to-wire affair between two teams that have gotten extra rest. Theis is proving to be an elite lead back and has back-to-back 100-yard efforts, while Schaffer-Baker is enjoying a career-best season and makes for a great correlated play with Fajardo.
