A unique situation has arisen as Week 4 of the CFL season gets underway. Instead of starting the week with the traditional Thursday Night Football game, Friday night’s game holds the honor of being the first of the week. The Edmonton Elks were faced with several cases of positive COVID-19 tests which forced the league to postpone their scheduled game against Toronto. So, this week is now a three game slate and many of the favorite Argos players are now off the board. All of this on top of the natural bye week for the red hot Saskatchewan Roughriders and their fantasy gold. It’s time to get creative and have a little fun as we dig into our CFL fantasy football picks for the new week.
The following players are suggestions for each position (except defense), for the second week of play. Feel free to mix and match to find a final roster that is best for you. Also this week, many of the players that work on the CFL’s official fantasy game also work for your DraftKings lineups. So because of that, player prices will be listed by their CFL value first, and their DK price next. Many of the fade options this week also serve as great flex options, so you can feel comfortable loading them in those spots as well. Hopefully, you have fun this season watching the CFL and of course, playing fantasy football along with it.
Quarterback
Top Shelf Option: Vernon Adams – Montreal Alouettes (CFL: $11,282; DK: $10,400)
There’s no doubt that Cody Fajardo has been high on the fantasy horse this season. Right behind him though, Vernon Adams has turned in two solid outings so far. In fact, he is tied with Fajardo for second on the league leaderboard in touchdown passes. So far in the 2021 season, he’s thrown for 472 yards. He’s also registered 15 carries for another 94 yards. Last week, he topped 23 fantasy points in Draftkings. In the CFL fantasy game, he missed that mark by .01 points. Even in a losing effort to Calgary last week, Adams was still able to provide top shelf fantasy value, especially with his legs.
This week, the Alouettes draw the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The Ticats were idle last week. Although, the last quarterback they did face was Fajardo. Hamilton’s defence surrendered 222 yards and two touchdowns passing to the Sasktchewan signal caller. They also allowed him to gain 66 yards and a touchdown on seven carries. With Adams posing the same type of threat this week, he has the potential to do just as much, if not more damage against this squad. With the Riders on their bye week, Adams becomes the best choice at his position.
House Options: Dane Evans (CFL: $9,393; DK: $8,600), Zach Collaros (CFL: $10,757; DK: $7,900)
Running Back
Top Shelf Option: Ka’Deem Carey – Calgary Stampeders (CFL: $6,429; DK: $7,900)
No Bo Levi Mitchell? No problem. The Stamps leaned heavily on Ka’Deem Carey to lessen the load on their backup quarterback turned starter Jack Maier. Carey touched the ball 16 times against Montreal tallying 14 carries and two receptions. All told, he gained 66 rushing yards and 19 receiving yards. His two touchdowns were a major spark that helped Calgary pick up its first win of the season. It was his best outing of the season, and quite possibly the beginning of a breakout for the second-year Stampeder. If nothing else, stepping up his play with his All-Star pivot out of the mix went a long way in gaining head coach Dave Dickenson’s trust.
He will square off this week against a Winnipeg defence that has allowed back-to-back 100-yard rushing performances. In a home and home with the Argos, both John White and D.J. Foster topped the century mark. While Carey himself has not logged such a game, he has the potential to excel nonetheless in this matchup. Bo Levi Mitchell remains sidelined which should open up the same workload for Carey this week as he saw in the last. It may be a little greedy to expect another two touchdown game.
That said, Pat DelMonaco did not try to send his young arm over the pile in a goal-to-go situation from the one yard line like most coaches do. Instead, he gave his running back a chance to charge it through for the score, which he did, twice. He’s not priced as a top shelf play, but he’ll perform like one on Sunday.
House Option: William Stanback (CFL: $7,755; DK: $9,200)
Wide Receiver
Top Shelf Option: Bryan Burnham – B.C. Lions (CFL: $9,584; DK: $9,900)
It was not a stellar outing for Bryan Burnham last week. After starting the season with two games of more than 19 fantasy points, the Lions top wideout managed only 5 points against the Elks. To be fair, the B.C. offence offered little in the way of value across the board. In light of that, it’s safe to give Burnham a pass for last week. What he’s up until last week though should provide enough hope to roster him against the league’s worst pass defence in Ottawa. Burnham opened the season by catching 7 passes for 92 yards and a touchdown. He followed that up with a 121 yard day on only 4 catches. It’s obvious he can put up solid fantasy numbers. What he needs is the opportunity.
Burnham should get plenty of opportunities this week as the Lions travel to the Nation’s Capital to take on the Redblacks. In week one, Elks receiver Derel Walker was only two yards short of a 100-yard game against Ottawa. Last week, fantasy underdog Brayden Lenius was able to take the Redblacks secondary for 67 yards. The conditions are right for Burnham to return to his early season form. With a diminished slate this week, if you don’t want to pay all the way up for the struggling Brandon Banks, here is where you take the step down in price.
House Options: Jake Wieneke (CFL: $6,554; DK: $6,600), Jaelon Acklin (CFL: $5,626; DK: $7,000)
