This article is part of our DraftKings CFL DFS Picks series.
CFL DFS Picks and Cheat Sheet for Week 4 on DraftKings
The CFL moves into Week 4 with a flourish after an exciting first three weeks, and we have an intriguing slate on tap. There could be a bit of everything, beginning with a potential offensive explosion between the Elks and Lions on Thursday night, followed by a battle of undefeated squads and 2022 Grey Cup rematch in Alouettes-Argonauts and two surprisingly winless teams in the Blue Bombers and Ti-Cats trying to break the ice on their 2024 season.
Quarterback Plays for CFL Week 4
Vernon Adams, B.C. vs. EDM ($11,500): Adams' salary has unsurprisingly continued to rise, and it admittedly is getting to a point where rostering him can make it particularly challenging to build a balanced lineup. Nevertheless, he has to be considered again this week after yet another standout performance in Week 3, one where he threw for a season-high 398 yards and two touchdowns against a normally stout Bombers defense. Adams was listed as questionable this week with ana abdominal issue, but he's already confirmed as the starter this week and is facing an Elks defense allowing a 72.3 percent completion rate, 9.5 average yards per pass and a co-league-high seven touchdown passes.
Cody Fajardo, MTL at TOR ($9,400): Fajardo has followed up his Grey Cup-winning season in 2023 with a fantastic start, completing 73.1 percent of his passes and generating a 7:1 TD:INT while also generating 5.6 yards per rush and adding a touchdown on the ground. Fajardo should have a good chance to continue his strong play this week, considering the state of the Argonauts' defense through two games. Toronto has allowed a CFL-high 352.5 passing yards per game, along with a 74.6 percent completion rate and 9.9 yards per pass. The latter two figures are the second-highest figures in the league, and additionally, the Argos have yielded a league-high 128.0 opponent passer efficiency rating.
Bo Levi Mitchell, HAM at OTT ($9,300): Mitchell is an interesting play if you want to pivot off the top two suggestions, even after a rocky Week 3 performance against the Roughriders where he threw three interceptions, including a pick-six. The veteran signal-caller still threw for 295 yards and two touchdowns, however, and the former figure was actually his lowest through three games. Mitchell has also tossed a scoring pass in each contest thus far, and he's now facing a Redblacks defense that's given up the second-most passing yards per game (339.5). Ottawa has also conceded six completions of 30+ yards despite playing just two games, while Mitchell already has four completions of at least that distance and five of his six TDs have come on passes of 20 yards or more in depth.
ALSO CONSIDER: McLeod Bethel-Thompson, EDM at B.C. ($9,500)
Running Back Plays for CFL Week 4
Brady Oliveira, WPG at CGY ($9,200): Oliveira has had an atypically uneventful start to the new season after recording a career-high 1,540 yards and nine touchdowns in 2023, missing one game due to a knee injury and being stymied in the opener for 38 rushing yards on 11 carries. However, Oliveira did bounce back in his Week 3 return, recording an efficient 64 yards on nine carries against the Lions. Oliveira now figures to be involved even more than he normally would be, as the Blue Bombers will be down three receivers, which could certainly open up plenty of pass-game volume for the versatile back. Meanwhile, the opposing Stampeders have also conceded a league-high 120.5 rushing yards per game at a league-high 6.7 yards per carry.
Dedrick Mills, CGY vs. WPG ($7,300): Mills' first two games as the de facto replacement for departed veteran Ka'Deem Carey have been solid, as the Nebraska product has produced 133 rushing yards at 5.5 yards per carry and complemented them with eight catches for 118 yards. Mills' success thus far doesn't profile as an outlier, either, considering he's demonstrated his fantasy value on multiple occasions over the previous two seasons as well in both a spot-starter and reserve role. Mills now faces a Blue Bombers defense that's underperformed early this season, surrendering 103 rushing yards per game while yielding the third-highest yards per carry (4.8).
ALSO CONSIDER: William Stanback, B.C. vs. EDM ($7,500)
Wide Receiver/Slotback Plays for CFL Week 4
Alexander Hollins, B.C. vs. EDM ($10,000): Like his quarterback Adams, Hollins' ascending salary is a byproduct of his early-season success. The veteran wideout has been highly effective in the ongoing absence of Keon Hatcher (IR-Achilles), recording a 23-402-3 line on 32 targets through the first three games. Hollins happens to be coming off a jaw-dropping performance as well, as he produced seven receptions for 215 yards and two touchdowns on eight targets against the Blue Bombers. He could well find his way to another prolific night versus the Elks, which, in addition to the metrics cited in Adams' entry, have also given up five completions of 30+ yards in three games.
Justin Hardy, OTT vs. HAM ($9,100): Hardy put in several productive seasons as a complementary receiver at the NFL level with the Falcons, and he then generated a 1,000-yard campaign and 85 receptions for the Redblacks a year ago following a solid 2022 debut season. The veteran has gotten his 2024 campaign off to a stellar start as well, recording a pair of 100-yard efforts in as many games on his way to a 14-254-1 line on 19 targets. Hardy should be in for another busy and likely productive night again Sunday night, as the Ti-Cats have given up 286.7 passing yards per game, the second-most completions (73) and six touchdown passes through three games.
Dillon Mitchell, EDM at B.C. ($5,500): Mitchell has upside befitting a much higher salary, and he's already demonstrated early this season while tallying a 17-274-1 line on 21 targets through three games. Mitchell's most recent game was his best yet, as he produced five receptions for 120 yards and a touchdown on six targets against the Argonauts. The Oregon product, who's seen at least six targets in each game, is tangling with a Lions squad that's allowed the third-most completions (70) and a league-high 77.8 percent completion rate, which should give him a very good chance of justifying the investment in him.
Drew Wolitarsky, WPG at CGY ($4,200): Wolitarsky is almost the proverbial last man standing for the Blue Bombers' air attack, as no fewer than three pass catchers (Kenny Lawler, Dalton Schoen, Keric Wheatfall) are on the injured list heading into this Week 4 matchup. While veteran slotback Nic Demski (listed in the Also Consider section below) is another good option if you're paying up, Wolitarsky could very well turn out to be one of the best fantasy-point-per-dollar values of the week considering the combination of his salary and expected target volume. Wolitarsky has already been commanding a fair amount of Zach Collaros' attention with a healthier offense, as he's logged a solid 16 targets through three games and parlaying them into a 12-151 line. The Stamps are also good targets, having given up 294.5 passing yards per game over their first two contests.
ALSO CONSIDER: Nic Demski, WPG at CGY ($8,900); Justin McInnis, B.C. vs. EDM ($6,000)
Team Defense Plays for CFL Week 4
Montreal Alouettes ($4,100) at Toronto Argonauts: The Alouettes have been a standout defense through the first three weeks of their Grey Cup title defense season. Montreal is allowing a league-low 17.7 points per game, is tied with Calgary for second-fewest touchdowns allowed (five), and is also ranked No. 1 in net offensive yards (319.7) and yards per play (5.5) surrendered. The Als have faced a couple of particularly talented offenses already in those of the Blue Bombers and Elks, and they may draw what is arguably their toughest challenge yet in an Argonauts squad that's averaged 37 points and already scored nine touchdowns through just two games. However, Montreal seemingly has the ability to disrupt the versatile Cameron Dukes and his array of weapons, having recorded a co-league-high eight sacks and league-best 10 turnovers. The fact lead back Ka'Deem Carey (groin) could be out or limited only serves to brighten the prospects for the Alouettes' unit, making them an interesting pivot on the road this week.
CFL DFS Cheat Sheet for Week 4
- Cody Fajardo, QB
- Brady Oliveira, RB
- Justin Hardy, WR
Total salary expenditure: $27.7K
While Adams and Hollins could have easily been in play for the fourth straight week in this spot, their especially elevated salaries lead me to consider a couple of impressive pivots at QB and WR for my core. That's Fajardo and Hardy, who've both demonstrated excellent floors this season. Meanwhile, Oliveira figures to be a very safe proposition as well, considering the matchup and what should be an expanded role due to the short-handed nature of the Bombers offense.
