This article is part of our DraftKings CFL DFS Picks series.
After a long, 21-week regular season, the CFL rolls into the Semi-Final round of the postseason with a pair of interesting matchups. The Eskimos-Alouettes battle particularly has some potential for fireworks, while two teams that are highly familiar with the other after having played in two of the final three regular-season games, the Stampeders and Blue Bombers, meet in Calgary. We naturally have less options than usual, but there are still multiple intriguing choices at each position to examine. Without further ado, let's jump right in! :
DraftKings CFL Plays - Semi-Final Round
Quarterback
Trevor Harris, EDM at MTL ($10,300): Harris should be well rested and raring to go for this Eastern Division semi-final matchup, considering he sat out Week 21 after triumphantly returning from injury in Week 20 against the Roughriders with a 321-yard tally and 85.5 percent completion rate. He'll now face an Alouettes defense he blasted for 40.1 fantasy points back in his Week 1 Eskimos debut, and that finished the regular season allowing the most passing yards per game (316.1), most completions (472) and highest completion percentage (73.6). Montreal also surrendered 27 completions of 30 yards or greater, along with a CFL-high 138.3 passer efficiency rating on targets of 20 yards or greater downfield. Harris has no shortage of downfield passing prowess or weapons and also averaged 316.8 passing yards per game on the road this season, making this a premium matchup for him in a high-stakes environment.
Bo Levi Mitchell, CGY vs. WPG ($10,100): Mitchell was on a tear for most of the latter portion of the regular season, and the Blue Bombers were a team that helped facilitate some of his excellent production. Mitchell compiled 33.5 and 35.0 fantasy points, respectively, against the Bombers in a Week 19-20 home-and-home series, racking up over 300 yards in each of the two games, along with a 7:1 TD:INT. The Bombers finished the regular season with 303.4 passing yards allowed, along with the most completions of 30 or more yards (32). Therefore, the big-play opportunities should be there on more than one occasion for Mitchell, who fell just two yards short of putting together six straight 300-yard performances between Weeks 14 and 20 and threw for 3,464 yards in just 11 games this season.
Running Back
Andrew Harris, WPG at CGY ($10,500): Harris presents a dilemma to DFS players on this two-game slate. On the one hand, he's clearly overpriced relative to recent production, as he's been under 20 fantasy points in four of his last five games. However, his upside and role are such that you could potentially be dead in the water with your lineups if he's not part of them. There's also the matter of Harris having enjoyed one of his best performances of the season at the expense of this same Stampeders defense, as he racked up 25.4 fantasy points against Calgary back in Week 9. However, it should be noted the Stamps contained him much better in Weeks 19 and 20 (26 carries, 119 yards), giving Harris a bit of risk in terms of being able to pay off his price. The other side of the equation is he should see a barrage of opportunities through both the ground and air, and that Calgary's defense wasn't quite as dominant this year as it had been in recent seasons.
C.J. Gable, EDM at MTL ($9,200): Gable was able to get back on the practice field beginning Tuesday, leaving him poised to make his return from a knee injury that robbed him of the last three regular-season games. Yet that layoff, which isn't overly long in the grand scheme of things, could be a blessing in disguise, as it gave Gable's veteran legs a break at the tail end of the campaign. Assuming his knee is back to health, he should be in strong form against an Alouettes defense that finished the regular season allowing 104.8 rushing yards per contest while tying with multiple teams for highest average yards per rush allowed (5.4). Montreal also yielded 20 rushing scores and a 61.0 percent red-zone success rate, while Gable trampled them to the tune of 154 rushing yards and a receiving touchdown in Week 1, a performance that netted him a season-high 30.3 fantasy points.
Wide Receiver/Slotback
Reggie Begelton, CGY vs. WPG ($9,700): The Stampeders draw an excellent matchup against the Blue Bombers' pass defense as already alluded to in Mitchell's entry, while Begelton is the strong-armed quarterback's top target. As such, he's the clear-cut top option at receiver on the short slate. Begelton exploded onto the scene in 2019 after a modest first two CFL seasons, racking up career highs in receptions (102), receiving yards (1,444) and receiving touchdowns (10). Three of those scores came against Winnipeg in a Week 19 matchup, and it's also worth noting Begelton saw no fewer than six targets and as many 15 in every game since Week 5, cementing his already strong case.
Greg Ellingson, EDM at MTL ($7,800): Ellingson presents as a highly appealing option if you're looking to save some significant dollars off Begelton, and there are also ways to get both of them in the same lineup. The veteran Eskimos wideout finished out the regular season in strong fashion with tallies of 22.3 and 14.6 fantasy points in Weeks 18 and 20, respectively, and he also flashed a ceiling north of 40 fantasy points on two occasions this season. The Alouettes' deficiencies against the pass were already detailed in Trevor Harris' entry, and it's also noteworthy that Montreal allowed a CFL-high 67.7 completion percentage on targets of between 10 and 19 yards downfield, along with the second-highest efficiency rating (102.9) on those throws. That dovetails perfectly with Ellingson's offensive profile, considering he averaged 13.6 yards per grab this past regular season.
Hergy Mayala, CGY vs. WPG ($3,800): For those who have a bit more cash to spend, the Eskimos' Tevaun Smith ($5,200) is also an interesting option after finishing the regular season off strong. Meanwhile, Mayala continues to be priced like an absolute steal, easily making him the value play of the week at the position. The rookie once again comfortably outpaced his salary in the regular-season finale, racking up 24.3 fantasy points on the strength of his second 100-yard effort of the campaign. Mayala scored five receiving touchdowns over the last four games of the regular season alone and finished with 17.6 to 27.3 fantasy points in four of his last five contests. Mayala also saw a solid seven targets on three occasions over the last four games of the campaign. What's more, the Bombers gave up a robust 14 passing touchdowns on targets of 20 yards or greater in depth this past season, while Mayala finished off 2019 with at least one catch of over 20 yards in five straight games.
Team Defense
Calgary Stampeders vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers ($5,000): On such a short slate, there's no need to overthink defense, especially when one has the clear-cut best matchup of the four in play. Such is the case for the Stampeders, which fittingly check in as the highest-priced option on the four-game ledger. The Stamps defense actually didn't perform at a top level on any of the three occasions they faced Winnipeg this past season, but it's worth noting they'll likely be facing a somewhat rusty Zach Collaros on Sunday, with Chris Streveler (ankle) unlikely to be ready to play. As mentioned earlier, Calgary wasn't quite as strong on defense in 2019 as they'd been in previous seasons, but they did check in with the second-most 2-and-outs forced (97), second-most points off turnovers (113) and most turnovers forced (47), including the most interceptions (26). Calgary recorded 15 of those picks and four defensive touchdowns at home this season as well, while Collaros has proven mistake-prone in the past and could certainly be pressured into some miscues.
