This article is part of our DraftKings CFL DFS Picks series.
CFL DFS Picks and Cheat Sheet for Week 1 on DraftKings
The opening week of 2024 CFL action has arrived, and as is the case each season, DraftKings will have a full array of tournaments and cash games for every week of the regular season and postseason. In turn, RotoWire will provide you with multiple options to consider for each roster spot, as well as an optimal three-player core mini-lineup to consider as a foundation.
Quarterback Plays for CFL Week 1
Vernon Adams, B.C. at TOR ($10,200): Adams enjoyed a prolific, career-best season in his first full campaign as the Lions' top signal-caller, posting 4,769 passing yards and tossing 31 touchdowns while adding 324 rushing yards and another score on the ground. The veteran averaged a stellar 22.2 DK points per game overall including the postseason, with that number boosted by a jaw-dropping 50.9 tally in a playoff win over Calgary. Toronto finished last season allowing 272.7 passing yards per contest and then lost standout cornerback Jamal Peters and defensive lineman Brandon Barlow (eight sacks in '23), leaving Adams with a seemingly bright outlook to open the season.
Zach Collaros, WPG vs. MTL ($9,900): Collaros and his Blue Bombers fell short in the Grey Cup for the second straight November in 2023, but the veteran signal-caller still enjoyed another standout campaign. Collaros averaged 20 DK points while throwing for 4,641 yards and tossing 33 touchdowns, including the playoffs. Collaros will be in position to benefit from a healthy pass-catching arsenal headlined by the explosive Dalton Schoen and Kenny Lawler, as well as the ultra-versatile and savvy Nic Demski, making him a viable option even in a tough matchup on paper against the defending champions.
ALSO CONSIDER: Bo Levi Mitchell, HAM vs. CGY ($9,400)
Running Back Plays for CFL Week 1
James Butler, HAM at CGY ($9,300) (UPDATE, 6/6: With Butler now questionable due to a hamstring injury, the Blue Bombers' Brady Oliveira, whose salary is $10.1K, is a viable pivot if paying up): Butler enjoyed an excellent debut campaign in Hamilton a year ago, rushing for a career-high 1,116 yards and tying a career best with seven rushing TDs while adding a career-high 61-527-1 line through the air. Butler averaged 16.5 DK points per game (including one postseason contest), and he lines up to be the clear-cut lead back for the Ti-Cats once again. The Stampeders gave up 5.1 yards per running play last season, and they conceded 102 total yards to Butler in their one meeting with them last season.
A.J. Ouellette, SSK at EDM ($8,600): Ouellette jumped from the Argonauts to the Roughriders this offseason after a career-best 2023 that saw him rush for 1,009 yards and eight touchdowns while also recording a pair of receiving scores on 16 receptions. The bruising, athletic back will have a firm hold of the top job in Saskatchewan, making him an excellent option at his salary against a team that's had trouble stopping the run over the last few seasons in the Elks. Edmonton finished 2023 giving up 123.6 rushing yards per contest and yielded a league-high 6.0 yards per running play, and the Elks conceded three rushing touchdowns in a season-high 26.4 DK-point performance in Week 3.
William Stanback, B.C. at TOR ($6,700): Stanback is another prominent versatile runner that switched uniforms this season, following multiple years in Montreal. Stanback will now helm the ground attack in B.C. and should continue to enjoy the opportunity to flash his skills as both runner and receiver, which netted 963 rushing yards, 266 receiving yards and four touchdowns last season. Toronto was a tough defense against the run last season, but the Argos saw two defensive linemen walk in free agency and Stanback's dual role should give him a strong chance of paying off his very reasonable salary.
ALSO CONSIDER: Peyton Logan, CGY vs. HAM ($5,600)
Wide Receiver/Slotback Plays for CFL Week 1
Dalton Schoen, WPG vs. MTL ($9,900): Schoen dealt with some injury issues last season, but he still managed a 71-1,222-10 line in two fewer total games than 2022, establishing a new career high in receptions in the process. The one-time Kansas State star averaged 15.5 DK points per game along the way, and he should be at full health and raring to go for this Grey Cup rematch. The Alouettes' solid metrics against the pass last season notwithstanding, Montreal still finished the season having surrendered the fourth-most completions (366) on the season, and Schoen is a downfield threat that can make his rostering worthwhile on just one or two plays.
Alexander Hollins, B.C. at TOR ($8,700): Keon Hatcher will open the season on the six-game injured list, opening the door for plenty of opportunity in the Lions' formidable Adams-led air attack. Hollins looks like a rock-solid candidate to absorb many of those available targets after the Eastern Illinois product posted a career-best 78-1,173-9 line in 2023 while getting plenty of reps with Adams. The veteran now gets a crack at a Toronto defense that gave up a league-high 450 completions a season ago and the second-most passing yards per game (273.4), making his candidacy all the stronger.
Charleston Rambo, MTL at WPG ($8,200): Rambo put together an impressive preseason with the defending champions after flashing some strong play with the XFL's Orlando Guardians in 2023, and with Austin Mack now in the NFL, the one-time Miami Hurricane speedster could be in position to step up as the No. 1 option in Montreal's air attack. Rambo, an 1,100-yard receiver during his final college season, should have his fair share of opportunity in a game the Alouettes figure to be aggressive in to ensure they keep pace.
Damonte Coxie, TOR vs. B.C. ($5,500): Coxie seemed to be perpetually undervalued from a salary perspective for the majority of last season, yet the big-play threat finished with an average of 20.2 yards per catch and five touchdowns on 39 receptions in 15 games. Coxie's success was nothing new, considering he posted 1,100- and 1,200-yard campaigns in his final two college seasons at Memphis as well, and he therefore makes for an intriguing value play to open the 2024 season. The opposing Lions finished 2023 having allowed the third-most completions (384) as well, furthering Coxie's case.
ALSO CONSIDER: Justin McInnis, B.C. at TOR ($3,500)
Team Defense Plays for CFL Week 1
Saskatchewan Roughriders ($3,700) at Edmonton Elks: Picking a defense was a bit challenging for this opening week, but the Roughriders are an intriguing value selection that could deliver a strong return on investment while facing an experienced but turnover-prone quarterback in McLeod Bethel-Thompson. MBT threw double-digit interceptions in all five seasons in which he saw extended action with Toronto (2018-22), and Saskatchewan already pick-sixed the veteran signal-caller this preseason. Team brass also took steps to shore up last year's shoddy defense by signing Malik Carney and Jameer Thurman from the Tiger-Cats, and the Riders' defense could open up in aggressive fashion against the aging quarterback.
CFL DFS Cheat Sheet for Week 1
Vernon Adams, Jr., QB
A.J. Ouellette, RB
Total salary expenditure: $27.5K
While this trio will require an investment of just over half your salary cap, they appear about as sure a group as there is in Week 1. The Adams-Hollins combo could enjoy plenty of success right from the jump as already outlined in their respective entries. Meanwhile, the versatile Ouellette frequently paid strong dividends in the last season-plus while with the Argos, and his expected robust role in his new Roughriders digs in a solid matchup should give him a very appealing Week 1 floor with plenty of ceiling.
