The two best teams in the league play each other this week, and your DFS lineup needs to be built around that game.
Montreal (7-1) travels to Edmonton (6-2) in a legit Grey Cup preview, and it's the headline act on a four-game slate that also features Saskatchewan going into Ottawa looking to feast on the league's only winless team. BC at Hamilton and Calgary at Toronto round things out, but if you're not building around Commonwealth Stadium this week, you're leaving points on the table.
Must-Start Players
These are the guys you build your lineup around, not the ones you hope pan out.
- Tyson Philpot (WR, Montreal Alouettes) — $10,600: 1,023 yards and four scores through eight games, and he's the fastest Canadian ever to hit 1,000 receiving yards. Edmonton's secondary has been solid, but nobody has slowed this guy down for a full game yet. Pay up.
- Vernon Adams Jr (QB, Calgary Stampeders) — $10,400: 21 touchdowns against zero interceptions is absurd efficiency. He adds rushing juice too, with 164 yards and two scores on the ground. Toronto's defense hasn't found an answer for mobile quarterbacks all year.
- Justin Rankin (RB, Edmonton Elks) — $9,800: 588 rushing yards, seven rushing touchdowns, and 37 catches out of the backfield. He's the workhorse in a game Edmonton needs to control the clock in to keep pace with Montreal's offense.
- Davis Alexander (QB, Montreal Alouettes) — $10,200: 2,788 yards and 14 touchdowns while barely turning the ball over. He's not the flashiest arm in the league, but he's efficient, and with Philpot and Tyler Snead both going, the volume is there every single week.
Top Value Plays
Finding production below market price wins DFS contests. These guys are priced like role players and play like stars.
- Austin Mack (WR, Edmonton Elks) — $9,000: 38 catches, 657 yards, five touchdowns, and he's a full point cheaper than Philpot in the same game. Mack has been Fajardo's security blanket all year.
- Dejon Brissett (WR, Calgary Stampeders) — $7,200: Five touchdowns on just 22 catches is a red-zone role that doesn't show up in the salary. Toronto's secondary has been picked apart all season.
- Tommy Stevens (QB, Saskatchewan Roughriders) — $6,500: Eight rushing touchdowns in a change-of-pace role. Ottawa's run defense has been gutted all year, and Stevens is the guy Corey Mace trusts near the goal line every single week.
- Erik Brooks (WR, Calgary Stampeders) — $6,100: 37 receptions and 434 yards is a target monster priced like a WR3. He's the safest floor play on the board.
- Kaion Julien-Grant (WR, Edmonton Elks) — $5,600: 24 catches, 334 yards, three touchdowns. He's the big-play guy behind Mack in an Edmonton passing game that should have to keep up with Montreal all night.
Sleeper Picks
Cheap salary, real upside — these are the difference-makers for tournament lineups.
- Maximilian Mang (TE, Hamilton Tiger-Cats) — $2,500: Three touchdowns on just eight catches. At the minimum salary, that's a red-zone weapon nobody is talking about.
- Keric Wheatfall (WR, Hamilton Tiger-Cats) — $6,700: 354 yards on 22 catches and BC's secondary has been carved up all year. He's due for a touchdown to match the volume.
- Daniel Adeboboye (RB, Ottawa Redblacks) — $4,700: Ten catches and two rushing scores in seven games. Ottawa is a mess, but he's their most explosive weapon and gets goal-line work.
Players to Avoid
- Jake Maier (QB, Ottawa Redblacks) — $9,500: Nine interceptions against eight touchdowns is a turnover machine, and he's walking into a Saskatchewan defense that's been opportunistic all season. This salary is a trap.
- Chad Kelly (QB, Toronto Argonauts) — $10,000: Nine picks on the year and he's the most expensive quarterback outside of Adams and Alexander. You're paying premium price for boom-or-bust chaos.
- A.J. Ouellette (RB, Saskatchewan Roughriders) — $7,500: 288 rushing yards and zero touchdowns. Stevens is vulturing every score near the goal line, and that's not changing against Ottawa.
Budget Lineup of the Week
This build stacks Edmonton's passing game, leans on high-target volume at wide receiver, and steals a touchdown-heavy tight end for pennies.
| Position | Player | Team | Salary | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | Tommy Stevens | Saskatchewan Roughriders | $6,500 | Eight rushing TDs, plays a winless Ottawa defense |
| RB1 | Samuel Hicks | Toronto Argonauts | $5,800 | 319 yards, steady touches every week |
| RB2 | Greg Bell | Ottawa Redblacks | $6,200 | 24 catches out of the backfield, huge target share |
| WR1 | Erik Brooks | Calgary Stampeders | $6,100 | Volume monster, safe floor |
| WR2 | Dejon Brissett | Calgary Stampeders | $7,200 | Five TDs on 22 catches, red-zone role |
| TE | Maximilian Mang | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | $2,500 | Three TDs at the minimum salary |
| FLEX | Kaion Julien-Grant | Edmonton Elks | $5,600 | Big-play upside in a shootout matchup |
Total Salary: $39,900 / $60,000
Final Thoughts
Stack the Montreal-Edmonton game hard this week — two top-tier offenses colliding almost always means a shootout, and both Philpot-Alexander and Mack-Fajardo are correlated plays that hit together. The contrarian move is fading Toronto's Chad Kelly and rostering Vernon Adams Jr instead; same salary range, way less turnover risk. And don't sleep on Ottawa's skill players as cheap value against a Saskatchewan defense that's more opportunistic than dominant — Greg Bell and Daniel Adeboboye still get their touches even when the Redblacks are losing by three scores.