DraftKings CFL: Division Finals Value Plays

DraftKings CFL: Division Finals Value Plays

This article is part of our DraftKings CFL DFS Picks series.

An exciting Semi-Final round that saw the Calgary Stampeders and Montreal Alouettes jettisoned from the postseason picture gives way to a two-game Finals ledger that will decide the participants in the 107th Grey Cup in two weeks. We have a potential shootout in the Eskimos-Tiger-Cats tilt on tap, while the Blue Bombers-Roughriders matchup is a meeting between two teams intimately familiar with the other. Both Hamilton and Saskatchewan are rested and prepared coming off Semi-Final-round byes, potentially making their players even more appealing for fantasy purposes. Without further ado, let's jump right into highlighting multiple selections for each position on the two-game slate!:

DraftKings CFL Plays- Division Finals Round

Quarterback

Dane Evans, HAM vs. EDM ($9,400): Cody Fajardo ($10,200) has been an excellent two-way threat the majority of the season, and he's up there if you've got the cash. However, the Roughriders quarterback is battling an oblique injury, certainly giving him an element of risk you may not want to take on with a five-figure salary. Meanwhile, Evans is rested and ready after last week's bye, and as customary, is underpriced relative to his upside. Evans finished off the regular season scoring no fewer than 20.3 and as many as 37.8 fantasy points over his last seven games, contests in which he eclipsed the 300-yard mark on six occasions, including the 400-yard threshold twice. One of the games during that span was a 336-yard, three-touchdown tally against this same Eskimos squad in Week 15, and it's worth noting Evans posted a 5:1 TD:INT overall in two games versus Edmonton. The Eskimos were the stingiest team in the CFL in terms of passing yards allowed per game during the season, but the combination of Evans' upside, price and prior history against them makes him a great cost-savings pivot off the riskier and more expensive Fajardo.

Trevor Harris, EDM at HAM ($9,000): Harris came through in fine fashion in the Semi-Final round victory over the Alouettes, posting a personal-best 92.3 percent completion rate on his way to 23.14 fantasy points. Due to his stay on the injured list earlier in the season due to an arm issue, the now fully healed Harris has less wear and tear on him than usual at this point of the campaign, which could pay off handsomely at his price Sunday. As alluded to in Evans' entry, the Tiger-Cats are likely to get their share of yards and points in this contest, which means Harris and his teammates will have to remain aggressive. Harris didn't face Hamilton this season, but he was a slightly more productive fantasy option on the road (22.6 fantasy points per game when traveling) and Hamilton allowed 270.6 passing yards per contest despite checking in at or near the top of the heap in several other pass defense categories. It's not the easiest matchup, but like Evans, Harris' price and expected game script , not to mention his talent and postseason savvy, make him a solid choice at a reasonable price.

Running Back

C.J. Gable, EDM at HAM ($9,200): Andrew Harris ($9,800) is always an option, especially on such a small slate, but he's definitely in the "buyer beware" category after repeatedly coming up short in terms of paying off his price on multiple weeks at the end of the regular season and last week's Semi-Final round. Meanwhile, not only is Gable $800 cheaper, he also keeps the same salary this week after posting 20.8 fantasy points in the Semi-Final round win over the Alouettes last week. The Tiger-Cats finished the season allowing 5.2 yards per rush and 14 rushing touchdowns, while also checking in behind only the Redblacks with 14 runs of 20 yards or greater surrendered. Gable averaged a solid 13.2 fantasy points in two meetings with Hamilton this past season and demonstrated a ceiling north of 20 fantasy points on four occasions in 2019.

Cameron Marshall, HAM vs. EDM ($5,800): The Tiger-Cats ' running back situation is admittedly a bit of a mystery, as there's always the chance Maleek Irons takes some carries from Marshall. However, the latter figures to be heavily involved Sunday after finishing off the regular season with 31.3 fantasy points against the Argonauts in Week 21 on the strength of a 109-yard performance on the ground. Marshall will certainly have fresh legs after only suiting up for four games all season, and he also is a capable receiver that will be facing an Eskimos defense that was only about middle of the pack this year while allowing 99.2 rushing yards per contest and allowing a league-high 5.4 yards per carry, as well as the third-most rushes of 20 or more yards (12).

Wide Receiver/Slotback

Brandon Banks, HAM vs. EDM ($10,400): Banks should raring to go after a week off, and he unquestionably carries the biggest upside of any receiver on the slate. Accordingly, he'll cost you a pretty penny, but the dynamic veteran is worth the investment after averaging 26.1 fantasy points during the regular season and scoring 22.1 to 52.1 fantasy points in each of his last four contests. Banks averaged 20.4 fantasy points versus the Eskimos this season in two games, and it's also worth noting Edmonton gave up 11 touchdown passes on targets of 20 yards or more in depth during the season, while Banks is one of the most lethal downfield threats in the league.

Ricky Collins, EDM at HAM ($7,200): Naturally, Collins' teammate Greg Ellingson ($8,000) is also a fine choice and came through handsomely for us last week in the Semi-Final round with 23.5 fantasy points in the win against the Alouettes. However, Collins gives you even more cost-effective access to the Eskimos' passing game and brings equal upside, having scored 20.7 fantasy points versus Montreal in last week's playoff win. Collins had two rather ordinary performances against the Ti-Cats this season, but he's drawn at least six targets in four straight games and flashed a ceiling north of 20 fantasy points on five occasions last season, including last week's playoff tilt.

Kyran Moore, SSK vs. WPG($7,000): Moore's teammate Shaq Evans ($8,700) is the more consistent big-play threat between him and Moore, but Evans is struggling with a toe injury and checks in $1.7K more expensive for this tantalizing matchup versus a Blue Bombers squad that's had trouble stopping the pass. Moore has had a couple of explosive outings himself, having scored 36.3 fantasy points against the Eskimos in Week 20 and 25.3 fantasy points against the Argonauts back in Week 3. He also notched a solid 12.6 against this same Bombers squad that last time he saw them Week 13, and if Evans is out or limited, Moore would likely become the de facto downfield threat Sunday. The second-year wideout fell just short of the 1,000-yard mark for the season and will be up against a Winnipeg secondary that allowed 303.4 passing yards per game during the regular campaign, along with the most completions of 30 or more yards (32). Moore has a 98-yard touchdown on his ledger this season and eclipsed the century mark on three occasions, giving him plenty of upside at his price.

Team Defense

Saskatchewan Roughriders vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers ($5,500): Granted, the Stampeders failed to come through as the highest-priced defense of the slate last week, but I'm going with the same line of thinking to try and pay up for the best in the Division Finals. The Riders were an especially effective unit at home this past season, averaging 12.0 fantasy points per nine Mosaic Stadium contests.  Saskatchewan also posted 18.0 fantasy points against this Blue Bombers squad the last time they faced them in Week 17. The Riders also had an 11-fantasy-point tally versus Winnipeg in another meeting this year, and they tied with the Eskimos for most sacks (56) while also leading the CFL in points off turnovers (116). They've also had extra opportunity to gameplan for the Bombers due to having been on bye last week, and Winnipeg's quarterback situation remains in flux with Zach Collaros possibly due for another start in place of Chris Streveler (foot). While the Bombers have a formidable offense overall, the Riders' rest and preparation advantage, not to mention their home-field edge, could lead them to a big day.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Juan Carlos Blanco plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: DraftKings: jcblanco22, FanDuel: jc_blanco22, DraftPot: jc_blanco22, FantasyDraft: jc_blanco22, OwnThePlay: jcblanco22.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Juan Carlos Blanco
Winner of the FSWA 2016 Newcomer of the Year Award, Juan Carlos Blanco has been playing fantasy sports for over 20 years and covers NBA, MLB, NFL, CFL and Arena Football for Rotowire.com, including serving as the beat writer for teams in multiple sports. He has previously written for KFFL.com and remains an avid season-long and daily fantasy player in multiple sports as well.
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