This article is part of our DraftKings CFL DFS Picks series.
CFL DFS Picks and Cheat Sheet for Week 21 on DraftKings
The final week of the regular season in pro football is always a challenging one for DFS purposes, regardless of the league. There's no exception on this Week 21 four-game slate, with playoff contenders expected to hold out or limit players but not all necessarily revealing their plans ahead of kickoff. As such, we'll look to navigate what could be a tricky player pool with our selections.
Quarterback Plays for CFL Week 21
Bo Levi Mitchell, HAM at OTT ($10,600): On a week with a healthy dose of uncertainty regarding personnel usage, there hasn't been any indication that Mitchell's status as the Tiger-Cats starting QB is in any jeopardy. Naturally, there's always a possibility he could get pulled at some point, but with Hamilton not heading to the playoffs and Mitchell enjoying one of the best all-around seasons of his career, it's not a bad idea to ride his momentum. Mitchell just compiled a whopping 40 DK points on the strength of a 450-yard, five-touchdown effort against the Stampeders in Week 20, and he came just a yard short of hitting 300 passing yards in each of his two prior meetings versus the Redblacks. Ottawa also enters the finale allowing 280.9 passing yards per game and the third-most completions of 30+ yards (27), and the Redblacks could be resting some key defensive personnel during the contest.
Tre Ford, EDM vs. TOR ($8,900): Ford has been confirmed as the starter in the finale for the Elks, another non-playoff team that's nevertheless invested in finishing out what has been a highly encouraging tenure under interim head coach Jarious Jackson in winning fashion. Ford returned to the top role in Week 19 against the Stampeders and recorded 13.6 DK points with 208 passing yards and another 33 on the ground. He's had a bye week to further reacclimate to his bevy of pass-catching weapons, and he's facing an Argos team that will be resting players and that already checks in allowing 294.8 passing yards per game, a 71.3 percent completion rate and thes second-most completions of 30+ yards (32).
ALSO CONSIDER: Cameron Dukes, TOR at EDM ($6,900)
Running Back Plays for CFL Week 21
Greg Bell, HAM at OTT ($8,800): Bell is another Ti-Cats skill-position player I'm in on this week, with the versatile back coming off a spectacular 22.2 DK-point showing against the Stampeders in Week 20 courtesy of having compiled 162 total yards on 18 touches. That was Bell's third tally of over 20 DK points in just seven games, making his salary all the more eye-catching. As mentioned earlier, the Redblacks are likely to be playing at less than full strength with the playoffs looming, and Bell already tallied 20.1 DK points while falling just a yard short of a 100-yard performance and corresponding DK-point bonus back in Week 15.
Justin Rankin, EDM vs. TOR ($5,600): The Elks' backfield has been tough to figure out at times this season, but Rankin is presumably coming into the finale as the starter after eclipsing 100 rushing yards for the fourth time in five games with double-digit carries. The explosive Northwest Missouri State product is averaging 2023 De'Von Achane-like 8.3 yards per carry on 86 rush attempts during his rookie CFL campaign, and he's added a receiving TD on nine catches as well. The Argonauts have been one of the league's toughest defenses against the run, but considering Toronto's playoff positioning is set and Rankin has seemingly excelled each time he's seen extended opportunity, he's certainly worth a look at his salary.
ALSO CONSIDER: Deonta McMahon, TOR at EDM ($4,700)
Wide Receiver/Slotback Plays for CFL Week 21
Tim White, HAM at OTT ($10,400): Using the same reasoning that applied to Mitchell, I'm also in on what may be his top target. The veteran wideout enters the finale just 74 yards short of his third straight 1,200-yard season, and he just recorded 32.8 DK points, the second-highest total of his season, at the expense of the Stampeders in Week 20. White has eclipsed 30 DK points on two occasions overall this season, with his season high of 33.7 coming against this same Redblacks squad back in Week 4.
Kalil Pimpleton, OTT vs. HAM ($8,800): Much like Rankin in Edmonton, Pimpleton has consistently delivered whenever he's been on the field during his CFL rookie tenure. The explosive Central Michigan product is averaging 14.1 yards per reception, 25.1 yards per kickoff return and an elite 18.7 yards per punt return coming into the regular-season finale, and he's scored over 31 DK points on two occasions, including in Week 20 against the Argonauts. While there's a chance Pimpleton doesn't play a full game if the Redblacks opt to be cautious, we can't completely stay away from explosive players on playoff teams, and thanks to his speed, Pimpleton is capable of delivering a strong return without an inordinately large number of snaps.
Bralon Addison, OTT vs. HAM ($3,700): Addison will reportedly start at running back for the Redblacks in the finale, an intriguing development that makes his salary and the ability to roster him as a receiver an intriguing combination. Addison has always played a modest role in the ground attack for teams he's suited for during his extensive CFL career – he has 72 career carries in 48 games – but he may be in line for a much larger role Friday. Moreover, Addison coming off having scored a season-high 30.7 DK points against the Argonauts as part of a two-touchdown effort as a receiver, and he's now readying to face a Ti-Cats defense allowing 5.5 yards per carry and 370.1 yards per game of net offense overall in what could be robust dual role.
Dejon Brissett, TOR at EDM ($2,900): Considering the Argonauts are already resting starting QB Chad Kelly and could also protect several other key players by holding them out or affording them limited snaps, Brissett becomes a very viable bargain-basement option. The Virginia product has typically made good use of his relatively limited opportunities over his first four CFL seasons, posting a 70-992-9 line across 52 games (26 starts). Brissett just scored a season-high 23.7 DK points via a 5-67-2 line against the Redblacks in Week 20, and with extended opportunity Friday, he could certainly thrive versus an Elks team allowing a league-high 307.3 passing yards per game, 32 touchdown passes and 33 completions of 30+ yards.
ALSO CONSIDER: KeeSean Johnson, SSK vs. CGY ($5,400); Kenny Lawler, WPG at MTL ($5,400)
Team Defense Plays for CFL Week 21
Saskatchewan Roughriders ($3,600) vs. Calgary Stampeders: The uncertainty surrounding Week 21 even extends to team defense, but the Roughriders have some upside at their salary against a vulnerable, turnover-prone opponent like the Stampeders. Saskatchewan has averaged an impressive 7.9 DK points per contest, and they just put up an impressive 17 DK points in Week 19. The Riders are now rested following a Week 20 bye, and they've averaged 10.9 DK points per contest at home. Corey Mace's squad is headed to the postseason and could therefore field something less than a full defensive unit, yet the Stampeders have seemingly checked out and come in having committed the second-most turnovers (42), a bad matchup considering the Riders having forced a league-high 47 miscues while also recording 36 sacks.
CFL DFS Cheat Sheet for Week 21
Tre Ford, QB
Greg Bell, RB
Bralon Addison, WR
Total salary expenditure: $21.4K
This trio could give you significant flexibility elsewhere in your lineup and return excellent fantasy-point-per-dollar value if they all perform as expected. Ford has a good matchup against an Argos team that's already been vulnerable to the pass and not likely to play its first-team defense all the way through, while Bell has been one of the league's best runners in the latter portion of the season. And we'll take a bit of a chance with the bargain-salaried Addison, who is expected to be used as a running back but will undoubtedly be used as a receiver at times as well.
