We return to a conventional week of CFL action after having a rare Monday game for the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend. In Week 19, there are four games on the main slate of Daily Fantasy Sports contests, two on Friday and two on Saturday. As always, I attempt to identify the best value plays on the DraftKings DFS platform.
Quarterback
Jake Maier (CGY) $9,500 vs HAM
Jake Maier is my favorite QB play of the week. With a four-figure price tag, he is not cost prohibitive and this is a great matchup. Not so much on the surface of fantasy points allowed, but historically, Hamilton has struggled mightily in Calgary. With four games on the slate, I am looking to avoid the Tiger-Cats players and focus on putting Stampeders in lineups. And any football offense always starts at the QB spot.
The other aspect that I love for Maier this week are the stacking possibilities. In particular, there are two Calgary wide receivers, with very different costs (more on both of those players in the WR section) that can be stacked alongside their QB. It can be easy to fit Maier and one of his pass-catchers into a variety of different looking lineups.
Dru Brown (WPG) $6,500 @ BC
Winnipeg announced that they would be resting several key players, including their starting QB. The team also announced that Dru Brown would get the start for the Week 19 matchup against the BC Lions. The most obvious appeal of Brown is his $6,500 price tag. This opens up a lot of lineup possibilities with such a cheap QB.
The big downside to Brown is the lack of upside. First off, the Blue Bombers typically employ a different short-yardage QB and do not use their starter in that role. So Brown could be the victim of some touchdowns being vultured by the backup. However, another complication is the lack of knowledge about who else Winnipeg has decided to rest this week. Only the QB change was publically announced, so we do not yet know which receivers will be available for Brown. Rather than stack Brown with his own teammates, I actually prefer to pair him with an opponent (more on that in the WR section). Either way, I would target Brown primarily in 50/50 or cash games.
Running Back
AJ Ouellette (TOR) $7,800 @ EDM
Easily my favorite RB play of the week is A.J. Ouellette. Right off the bat, he faces Edmonton, the defense allowing the most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs. But in spite of the great matchup, DraftKings has still kept his cost below $8K. There are not many running backs priced below Ouellette that I want to invest heavily into. And to get comparable confidence in other running backs, you may have to spend several thousand more. Ouellette is in the perfect price range for Week 19.
Jackson Bennett (OTT) $2,500 vs MTL
If A.J. Ouellette’s price is still too much to spend, then I suggest going all the way down to minimum price and selecting Jackson Bennett. This recommendation will take some monitoring, however. While Bennett is a key piece of Ottawa’s team, he contributes a lot to special teams. Speaking strictly on offense, Bennett is the third option. But with injuries to other RedBlacks running backs, Bennett may get the start in Week 19. If he does, then he should easily pay off his cost of $2,500 against Montreal.
Wide Receiver
Dominique Rhymes (BC) $11,300 vs WPG
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In the QB section, I outlined the case of Winnipeg’s starter at a cost of $6,500. Arguably the best way to take advantage of that value is to play Dominique Rhymes in lineups alongside Dru Brown. While they are not on the same team, they will be facing each other this week. So while it does not count as a team stack, Brown and Rhymes are opponents. Meaning if the game is a high-scoring affair, both teams (and both players) should benefit. The idea of a game stack makes sense, especially if the two teams involved are among the three highest scoring offenses in the CFL.
Even without a Dru Brown-led lineup, I would still recommend Rhymes as the best player to target in the five-figure price range. As the BC Lions top target, Rhymes has produced an incredible season in 2022. He is first among all wide receivers with 18.3 fantasy points per game with DraftKings scoring.
Reggie Begelton (CGY) $9,300 vs HAM
Reggie Begelton represents the first of the Calgary stacking options. For anyone playing Jake Maier, spending over $18K on two teammates may seem extreme. But this is the matchup that best serves this scenario. Begelton is currently leading the Stampeders in targets with 97. Add into that the matchup, and you have a great stand-alone play. The Hamilton defense is surrendering the most fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers.
Dillon Mitchell (EDM) $7,600 vs TOR
Dillon Mitchell has officially played 7 games for Edmonton this year. However, in his CFL debut, he was not utilized on offense. So that’s 6 games where he contributed for fantasy football this season. Over the course of those 6 games, he led the Elks in targets 4 times. Because of injuries elsewhere in the Edmonton receiving corps, it appears that Mitchell has emerged as the team’s top target. Look for that to continue in Week 19. And a sub-$8K is a great price to pay for that type of opportunity.
Richie Sindani (CGY) $5,500 vs HAM
When writing about Jake Maier in the QB section, I mentioned two great stacking options. One of them is Reggie Begelton, but for those attempting to avoid such an expensive stack, might I offer Richie Sindani as an alternative. He is almost $4K cheaper than Begelton and due to injuries to other Calgary receivers, Sindani will likely be leaned on in the coming weeks. Before an injury of his own, Sindani was being utilized with 15 targets in his first two games of 2022. With 11 targets over his previous two contests, look for Sindani to reestablish himself even further.
Deep Dive
Justin Hardy (OTT) $2,500 vs MTL
Arguably my favorite value of the entire slate is another $2,500 player from Ottawa. However, unlike with RB Jackson Bennett, this one will not require that the starter to be injured. Last week, Justin Hardy led the RedBlacks in every receiving category. In a key win to keep Ottawa’s playoff hopes alive, Hardy was relied upon with 13 targets. Meanwhile, none of his teammates had more than 5 targets in Week 18. I am actually shocked to see Hardy at the minimum price. Take advantage and play him in any type of lineup construction.
Defense
Calgary Stampeders $4,600 vs HAM
When looking for DFS defenses, I always try to find the most likely turnover scenarios. Currently, the Hamilton offense has the highest turnover rate in the entire CFL. Not a bad place to start. Not only is the Calgary defense at home, but they are going against such a turnover-prone team. The Stampeders are my favorite play in the DST spot.
BC Lions $4,000 vs WPG
As mentioned earlier in the article, Winnipeg is planning to rest several starters in Week 19. That is because they have clinched 1st place in the West division and are confirmed to be hosting the West Final in the playoffs. While the BC Lions have also clinched a playoff berth, they are still fighting for seeding in the standings, as well as the ability to host a playoff game. If you are not playing a Dru Brown led-lineup, I would strongly consider the BC Lions defense.
Thank you for reading CFL DFS Best Dollar Values DraftKings Week 19. Be sure to check out all of the great DFS content available on GoingFor2.com.
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