What appears to be shaping up as an exciting 2026 CFL season kicks off Thursday night with an Alouettes-Tiger-Cats clash and features three games overall across three days. As is the case with the start of every new season, there are plenty of notable names in new places, and the teams with the most year-over-year continuity therefore often have an advantage early on.
As customary, we'll break down multiple options for each roster spot and also offer a trio of core plays to consider making the centerpiece of your lineups.
Quarterback Plays for CFL Week 1
Bo Levi Mitchell, HAM vs. MTL ($10,200): Mitchell put together a second consecutive prolific season in 2025, compiling 5,296 yards while tossing a career-best 36 touchdowns against only 11 interceptions. The grizzled veteran also demonstrated he could generate positive yardage when pressured, recording 124 rushing yards for the second straight campaign and averaging 5.9 yards per attempt when doing so.
The Alouettes were one of the league's stingier defenses last season and quite adept at preventing chunk plays, but Mitchell's upside is undeniable. Additionally, he had one particularly impressive outing against Montreal a season ago, completing 80.6 percent of his passes for 247 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions during a 35-17 home victory for Hamilton in Week 3. Given the Ti-Cats' pass-centric attack, Mitchell is in play irrespective of opponent.
Cody Fajardo, EDM at OTT ($9,100): Fajardo is another long-tenured signal-caller that silenced any skeptics last season, his first in Edmonton. The 2023 Grey Cup MVP posted the second-highest completion percentage of his career (73.2), just narrowly falling short of the career-high 73.6 percent he'd established in 2024 with the Alouettes. Fajardo added a solid 14:7 TD:INT while adding 319 rushing yards (5.8 per carry) and seven TDs on the ground.
The Redblacks surrendered 273.7 passing yards per game at a 69.9 percent completion rate last season, while also conceding 28 completions of 30-plus yards. Fajardo also had one non-injury-shortened start against Ottawa last season and performed well, throwing for 270 yards while completing 78.6 percent of his passes while adding five carries for 57 yards and another score.
ALSO CONSIDER: Vernon Adams, CGY vs. WPG ($9,300)
Running Back Plays for CFL Week 1
Justin Rankin, EDM at OTT ($9,000): Rankin was one of the true breakout starts of 2025, recording a career-high 1,013 rushing yards (5.3 yards per carry) and nine rushing touchdowns, adding a 56-713-4 through the air while playing all 18 regular-season games. The Northwest Missouri State product is now locked into an unquestioned No. 1 role as the 2026 season begins, and Rankin should be locked into one of the most secure high-volume roles in the league.
The Redblacks had put together some solid metrics against the run by the time last season wrapped up, but Ottawa saw Rankin tear through its defense for 105 rushing yards, including a 74-yard touchdown, in Week 3 of last season, a game where he added four catches for 69 yards and another score. Rankin's home-run ability – he posted a league-high 12 runs of 20-plus yards last season – and high-volume role helps make up for what may not be the most appealing matchup on paper based on last season's numbers.
Greg Bell, OTT vs. EDM ($8,300): Speaking of versatile backs, Bell will now be plying his craft for the Redblacks after posting a 1,000-yard campaign on the ground that also included 62 receptions while with the Tiger-Cats in 2025. The San Diego State product has established himself as one of the most talented two-way backs in the CFL in the last pair of campaigns, and he'll step into a similar high-volume role in Ottawa that makes him a very appealing play to open the season.
The Elks finished last season about middle of the pack against the run, surrendering 101.7 rushing yards per game at 5.0 yards per carry. Edmonton also yielded the fourth-most rushing first downs (123), and Bell touched them up for 148 rushing yards at 4.9 yards per carry and an 11-75-0 receiving line on 15 targets over two regular-season games. Bell should be leaned on heavily right from the start of his Redblacks tenure, so his salary may well prove justified.
ALSO CONSIDER: Brady Oliveira, WPG at CGY ($8,800); Travis Theis, MTL at HAM ($5,800)
Wide Receiver/Slotback Plays for CFL Week 1
Justin Hardy, OTT vs. EDM ($8,000): Any time the Tiger-Cats' Kenny Lawler in on the slate – as is the case in Week 1 – he merits consideration, but the superstar receiver struggled to justify his elevated salaries in all three meetings against the Alouettes last season. Meanwhile, Hardy comes at a nice discount off Lawler's $9.9K salary and offers plenty of upside in his own right after posting a third straight 1,000-yard season with the Redblacks in 2025.
Hardy logged double-digit targets in five games last season, and at least seven targets in nine contests overall. The sure-handed wideout posted a solid 67.2 percent catch rate along the way, and he's facing an Elks defense that surrendered a league-high 296.4 passing yards per game at a 71.5 percent completion rate last season. Edmonton also gave up the third-most touchdown passes (29) and the same number of completions of 30-plus yards, setting Hardy up very well on paper.
Kiondre Smith, HAM vs. MTL ($7,700): While Lawler is undoubtedly Mitchell's most explosive target, Smith makes for an interesting pivot if you're having trouble fitting in the former's salary but still want to pair a Ti-Cats pass catcher with the veteran quarterback. Smith has improved in every one of his four CFL seasons, besting the previous year's numbers in each of the last three campaigns and recording a career-high 86 receptions for 1,126 receiving yards across 18 regular-season games in 2025.
As covered in Mitchell's entry, the Alouettes were one of the league's toughest defenses against the pass last season. However, Smith's typically reliable role and well-established chemistry with Mitchell gives the former, who managed an impressive 73.5 percent catch rate in 2025, a solid chance of putting together a productive performance in a game where he could see his fair share of one-on-one matchups due to the attention typically bestowed on Lawler.
Ontaria Wilson, WPG at CGY ($7,600): Wilson made the best of a shortened 2025 season, providing a 21-382-3 line on 36 targets over six games. The Florida State product had been a breakout player just a year prior, when he'd generated a 71-1,026-3 tally across 105 targets as a rookie.
Wilson is now back to health and ready to hit the ground running in 2026, but his salary is still more in line with his production from his injury-shortened 2025. The Stampeders finished last season allowing the third-most passing yards per game (283.3), a league-high 448 completions and a 70.9 percent completion rate, the CFL's third highest. Consequently, Wilson is worth a look as a mid-salary play in a game that could feature a good bit of passing on either side.
Austin Mack, EDM at OTT ($7,200): Mack is a seasoned receiver who has some NFL experience and has been a 1,000-yard receiver in the CFL, and his skill set gives him the ability to overdeliver on his current salary, even in his first regular-season game with the Elks.
In Edmonton, Mack is being reunited with Fajardo, who was his quarterback in Montreal during the wideout's career-best 2023 campaign that saw him post a 78-1,154-4 line across 17 regular-season games. As noted in the quarterback's entry earlier, the Redblacks were about middle of the pack against the pass, and a sure-handed, savvy route runner like Mack who knows his quarterback well could certainly do some damage.
ALSO CONSIDER: Tyson Philpot, MTL at HAM ($9,300)
Team Defense Plays for CFL Week 1
Winnipeg Blue Bombers ($4,100) vs. Calgary Stampeders:
The team defense pool is an interesting one in Week 1, as some talented units are up against some capable offenses. The Blue Bombers fit the bill on both ends of the spectrum, as Winnipeg's defense was very effective last season while allowing the third-fewest points per game (23.6), including a league-low 21.4 offensive points per contest. Winnipeg also conceded a CFL-low 34 offensive touchdowns and 332 first downs, and the Bombers ranked in the top three in both rushing yards per game (94.1) and passing yards per game (261.4) allowed.
Then, the Bombers tied with the Alouettes for the league lead with 12 fumble recoveries, and they surrendered a league-low 34 touchdown drives. The Stampeders are certainly a capable offense, but a unit that made several key offseason additions headlined by defensive lineman Jake Ceresna and talented defensive back Jonathan Moxey has the ability to step up its game and wreak some havoc against Vernon Adams and co.
CFL DFS Cheat Sheet for Week 1
- Cody Fajardo, QB
- Justin Rankin, RB
- Justin Hardy, WR
Total salary expenditure: $26.1k
This trio requires an investment of just over half your salary cap, but it offers some synergy and plenty of upside. Fajardo and Rankin both have a solid matchup against the Redblacks, and given the latter's significant pass-catching role, there could certainly be several opportunities for fantasy-point stacking between the two. Then, Hardy should be one of Jake Maier's top targets right out of the gate, especially with the latter looking to establish some rhythm in his first start with Ottawa.
