This article is part of our DraftKings CFL DFS Picks series.
The CFL made a successful return in Week 1 after a lost 2020 season, but the firsts are not all done just yet. The Montreal Alouettes, last week's idle squad, will be making their '21 debut in Week 2, and several players will be on a quest to build on impressive season-opening performances, even in some tough defensive matchups.
DraftKings CFL Plays- Week 2
Quarterback
Cody Fajardo, SSK vs. HAM ($10,300): Fajardo compiled 256 total yards in Week 1 and would have likely accumulated an even greater total had it not been for the fact the Roughriders owned a comfortable lead by the latter portion of the second quarter and the Lions didn't make their comeback until relatively late in the game. The Nevada product flashed the same dual-threat skills that made him a breakout star in 2019, and the Tiger-Cats, while a generally solid defense, did allow 324 total yards, including 149 on the ground, in their Week 1 loss to the Blue Bombers. Fajardo has the array of weapons and a solid running game behind him helmed by William Powell to come through with another strong performance.
Trevor Harris, EDM vs. MTL ($9,500): Harris threw a couple of picks in Week 1 against the Redblacks, but he also totaled 319 passing yards and another 26 on the ground on his way to 20.4 DK points. The veteran signal-caller was just getting his feet wet with speedy target Derel Walker in that contest and working off the rust of not seeing live game action for nearly two years, but Harris should have worked out any kinks by night's end. He still impressively completed 70.7 percent of his throws in the game and should be set up well in what could be a hgh-scoring, back-and-forth affair against an Alouettes team he hung over 400 yards passing on twice back in 2019.
McLeod Bethel-Thompson, TOR at WPG ($8,000): MBT technically lost out on his bid for the starting job in camp to Nick Arbuckle, but he ended up stepping in brilliantly when the latter missed Week 1 with a hamstring injury. MBT's 354 passing yards and two touchdowns helped lock him in a for a Week 2 start, although that's admittedly not an enviable task considering it's the Blue Bombers stingy defense on tap. Nevertheless, Bethel-Thompson displayed instant chemistry with his pair of explosive new weapons in Ricky Collins and Eric Rogers, and his ability to also supplement his fantasy contributions with his legs keeps him viable at his current salary despite the tough matchup.
Running Back
James Wilder, Jr., EDM vs. MTL ($8,700): Wilder looked like he hadn't missed a beat in his Elks debut, flashing his trademark two-way skills against the Redblacks by racking up 161 total yards on 24 touches. Both the volume and efficiency were highly encouraging from a fantasy standpoint, making Wilder worth the roster spot again in Week 2 despite the bump in salary. The Alouettes finished 2019 tied with the Elks with a league-high 5.4 yards per carry allowed and surrendered the most opponent completions (472), leaving Wilder poised for a potentially fruitful all-around showing.
William Stanback, MTL at EDM ($8,300): Stanback enjoyed a breakout season back in 2019 with 1,048 rushing yards and five touchdowns, numbers he supplemented with a 33-329 line through the air. The versatile back subsequently attempted to latch on in the NFL and is now back in Montreal and ready to reassume lead-back duties. Stanback flashed a ceiling north of 40 DK points back in 2019 and posted double-digit tallies on 10 occasions overall, and the volume of touches he's primed to see make him a worthwhile consideration despite the statistically tough matchup against the Elks run defense.
Ka'Deem Carey, CGY vs. BC ($7,100): Carey saw a strong opening night sullied by a key fourth-quarter fumble, but the veteran back still showed plenty of promise with 75 rushing yards on 18 carries. Carey's workload was near ideal as well, and he'll undoubtedly be motivated to atone for his mistake in what could be a favorable matchup against the Lions, which allowed 4.2 yards per carry to Roughriders backs in Week 1 and particularly saw William Powell have a good deal of success against them early on.
Wide Receiver/Slotback
Derel Walker, EDM vs. MTL ($8,800): Walker enjoyed a solid return to Edmonton in Week 1, posting an 8-98 line in the loss to the Redblacks. The veteran wideout showed solid chemistry with new battery mate Trevor Harris and logged 10 targets overall, supporting the notion there won't be any difficult acclimation period between the two. Walker now gets a shot at the Alouettes secondary, which helped facilitate a CFL-high 316.1 passing yards per game in 2019, along with a league-high 73.6 percent completion rate as well.
Ricky Collins, TOR at WPG ($7,900): Collins got his Argonauts career off to a noteworthy start in Week 1, posting a 6-126 line against the Stamps in the comeback victory. The speedy veteran ripped off an 81-yard catch for the highlight of his night, and he was targeted on an encouraging eight occasions overall. As mentioned earlier, the Winnipeg defense is no easy task, but Collins' role and talent keep him in play, particularly for larger-field tournaments.
Lucky Whitehead, BC at CGY ($7,300): Whitehead got a wild BC comeback attempt started in Week 1 against the Roughriders with a 75-yard scoring grab on his way to a 5-136-1 line on eight targets. The successful connection came in tandem with rookie quarterback Nathan Rourke, who'll draw the start again in Week 2 with Mike Reilly still dealing with an elbow injury. Whitehead got a chance to work with Reilly as well during the second half of Week 1, so even if the Lions pull off another QB switch like last week, the speedster will still be treading on familiar ground as arguably the most explosive target in BC's arsenal.
Kamar Jorden, CGY vs. BC ($6.200): Jorden makes for an appealing value play on the other side of the Stamps-Lions matchup, and he's coming off a very encouraging Week 1 effort that represented his first taste of regular-season game action since 2018 (Jorden did play in a 2019 postseason game). The veteran put together a 5-85 line on five targets and seemed to corroborate his previous assertion that he was all the way back from the serious knee injury he suffered back in Week 12 years back. Given his rapport with QB Bo Levi Mitchell, Jorden could be even more involved in Week 2 and will be facing a Lions secondary that both Shaq Evans and Kyran Moore had no trouble finding consistent success against in Week 1.
Team Defense
Calgary Stampeders vs. BC Lions ($4,900): There are a few different potentially favorable situations for defenses in Week 2, and the Stamps at a bit of a savings over both the Roughriders ($5.3K) and Tiger-Cats ($5.1K) is not a bad way to go. Calgary will be at home, where they averaged a solid 8.2 DK points in 2019 while picking off 15 passes and scoring four defensive TDs there. As already alluded to, the Lions will start Nathan Rourke again in Week 2, and if Mike Reilly were to come in, his ability to make accurate throws beyond 10-15 yards could be significantly compromised by his ailing elbow, as was clear in Week 1. Calgary should be able to put plenty of pressure on either signal-caller as well, which could certainly result in some turnovers, particularly in the inexperienced Rourke's case.
