Welcome to the 2022 CFL season! The official Canadian Football League Week 1 kickoff is on Thursday, June 9th. That means you can play even more Daily Fantasy Sports and Going for 2 is here to help you along the way. Specifically, DraftKings has several weekly CFL DFS contests, including both 50/50 cash games, as well as GPP tournaments. Here are the best dollar values for CFL DFS DraftKings Week 1.
Quarterback
Zach Collaros (WPG) $9,600 vs OTT
Starting things off for this CFL DFS season, I will go with the two-time reigning Grey Cup Champion. And after throwing a league-leading 20 TD passes last season, Zach Collaros also won the M.O.P. (Most Outstanding Player) award (the CFL’s version of the MVP). The advantage of using Collaros in Week 1 is that he is not the most expensive QB on the slate. However, working against Collaros is the fact that both Winnipeg’s #1 RB and #1 WR left via free agency.
Considering that Andrew Harris is one of the best pass-catchers at the RB position, his loss will hurt Collaros. But perhaps that means that the Blue Bombers will concentrate more on the trial attack and less on the ground game. Extra volume certainly isn’t a bad thing. Maybe the loss of Kenny Lawler will be more detrimental for Winnipeg. He was after all the only 1,000-yard receiver in the shortened 2021 season. However, perhaps all of that production came from the fact that Collaros was the one throwing the football. I’ll side with Collaros and play the Blue Bombers QB this week.
Dane Evans (HAM) $8,200 @ SSK
Dane Evans is now the unquestioned top dog for the Tiger-Cats. In spite of the fact that he has played in back-to-back Grey Cups, Evans is actually the cheapest starting QB on the Week 1 slate. If you choose not to pay up for the QB that beat the Ti-Cats in those Grey Cup games, I would suggest paying all the way down to Evans. However, as I mentioned for Collaros, Hamilton lost one of its top passing game options. But to make up for that, there will be a certain Ti-Cat returning from injury, after missing most of the 2021 campaign (more on him in a bit). This should allow Evans productive in Week 1, even if he is the only starting QB priced below $8,500.
Running Back
William Stanback (MTL) $8,900 @ CGY
In 2021, when every other RB failed to even hit 900 yards rushing, William Stanback led the pack with 1,176 yards on the ground. Now, part of this production was due to sheer volume as he also led the league with 193 carries. However, volume aside, Stanback was efficient, running for over 6 yards per attempt. Knowing that Montreal’s starting QB is coming off a late-season injury, I speculate that the Alouettes will start off the 2022 campaign with a heavy dose of Stanback. And that all begins on the road in Week 1.
Now, in advance of Week 1, Stanback is a limited practice participant with an ankle injury. On DraftKings, he has a questionable tag currently. That red Q next to his name may keep his rostership down. With potentially fewer people having exposure to Stanback than what was normally predicted, I think he might be best in tournaments or GPP contests. However, for 50/50 and cash games, I might prefer to target this next RB.
James Wilder Jr. (EDM) $8,700 @ BC
Considering that DraftKings uses full-point PPR scoring, James Wilder Jr. makes a lot of sense. Last season, he was 2nd among running backs with 28 receptions (in only 12 games). Compare that to last year’s league-leading rusher William Stanback who only caught 16 passes, and Wilder has a slight edge in the passing game. Even after the Elks poached Kenny Lawler off of Winnipeg, I still think that Wilder will remain a true workhorse back, tasked with running the football as well as his normal receiving duties.
Back to my comments earlier, Wilder would be the RB I would especially target in 50/50 cash games. That is because the passing-game work should help support his floor. But I also think Wilder is viable in GPP or tournament contests because of his skill-set and efficiency.
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Wide Receiver
Bralon Addison (HAM) $9,000 @ SSK
I made reference to him earlier, but Bralon Addison is now the unquestioned #1 in Hamilton. Just like QB Dane Evans, Addison is now the top dog with the Ti-Cats. If he can recapture his 2019 form, when he produced 95 receptions for 1,236 yards, then Hamilton will be quite content with him as the alpha. Addison’s skill set is also important. He primarily plays as a slot back, which can mean a lot of routes closer to the line of scrimmage. Back to that 2019 season, Addison produced 558 yards after the catch, 2nd in the CFL. That type of after-the-catch role could help his QB in Week 1 against a typically potent Saskatchewan pass-rush.
Kamar Jorden (CGY) $8,200 vs MTL
Consistency is key for football, and for sports in general. So far throughout his CFL career, Kamar Jorden has been exactly that, consistent. In 4 seasons with Calgary, a lot of his numbers have remained steady year after year. Just look at his reception total over the last 3 seasons; all between 52 and 55 catches. Those totals may seem low for a WR who is over $8K in DraftKings, but that is the unfortunate part of Jorden’s consistency, his injuries. Jorden has never eclipsed 11 games played in a season. When he is on the field, Jorden can be incredibly productive. So my reasoning is: best take advantage and put him in your lineup while he is healthy for now.
Rasheed Bailey (WPG) $7,300 vs OTT
As mentioned a couple of times prior, Kenny Lawler left Winnipeg’s leading receiver spot wide open after his free-agency departure. With several potential candidates, this WR room may be one of the most difficult to predict. There are a couple of Blue Bombers wide receivers in the $8K range, but Rasheed Bailey comes in at a sneaky value price of $7,300. In 14 games last season, Bailey was 2nd on the team in targets (72) and receiving touchdowns (5). No surprise, Lawler topped the Blue Bombers in both categories, leaving the door open for Bailey to potentially take over in his absence.
Duke Williams (SSK) $6,700 vs HAM
DraftKings is not the only website that I use for playing CFL DFS. I also participate in the CFL.ca Fantasy version of DFS. Since both sites utilize full PPR scoring, I often compare the player prices between formats. While some players are close in cap hit, there are also massive disparities. Take Duke Williams for instance. On the CFL Fantasy site, he is not only the most expensive Saskatchewan WR on the week, but Williams also has the 4th highest price for the entire position at $9,826. Compare that to his DK cost where he is actually the 3rd most expensive on the Roughriders. And at only $6,700, his DK price is around 2/3 of the CFL Fantasy price, the biggest such disparity where the DraftKings price is more advantageous.
Maybe one site has it wrong. Maybe the CFL Fantasy price will drastically drop as a correction in the next couple of weeks. Or perhaps the Canadian site knows something about the Canadian Football league and the DK price actually needs to be raised. Either way, something has to give, so I say embrace the varriance and play Williams at what could be a reduced cost on DraftKings.
Deep Dive
Jevon Cottoy (BC) $5,200 vs EDM
I didn’t want to go too deep this week because below the $5K range, there are not any names that inspire much confidence. The nature of DFS is that there is some lowered-priced player that will be so productive that they can win a slate. However, I also think Jevon Cottoy has that capacity at $5,200 but with an additional floor to make in cash game viable. Looking at the BC Lions depth chart, Cottoy should easily play the #3WR role. However, considering that his two teammates are almost double his price, Cottoy comes in at a really nice value.
Defense
Edmonton Elks $3,400 @ BC Lions $5,000
As with my articles last season, I am targeting specific opposing quarterbacks when selecting my defenses. In Week 1, the two quarterbacks with the least amount of starting experience are playing against each other. In terms of the DST pricing, the BC Lions are likely getting the home team bump. In fact they are actually the 2nd most expensive defense on the slate. But I still believe that the Lions are a good target… if you want to pay up.
However, my recommended defensive play is the Edmonton Elks. At only $3,400, they are barely above the minimum.
While I love the Canadian QB story-line, this will be Rourke’s first time entrenched as a starter since before training camp. I wonder how he deals with the immediate pressure of being THE GUY for the Lions. Perhaps the Elks defense could force some turnovers from the young signal-caller. And if not, then at least you can spend more money elsewhere, while saving on the defense.
Thank you for reading CFL DFS Best Dollar Values DraftKings Week 1. Be sure to check out all of the great DFS content from Going For 2.
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