CFL DFS Picks and Cheat Sheet for Week 2 on DraftKings
Following an exciting Week 1 slate, the CFL jumps right back into action for a second straight three-game schedule beginning Thursday night. The Week 2 ledger features the season debuts of three teams – the defending Grey Cup champion Saskatchewan Roughriders, the Toronto Argonauts and the Nathan Rourke-led B.C. Lions.
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 2
Nathan Rourke, BC at SSK ($9,700): Rourke always carries the potential to be the most electric player on any slate he's on, as the versatile signal-caller can rack up plenty of production with both his arm and legs. The reigning Most Outstanding Player earned that award in 2025 with a season for the ages, compiling 5,290 passing yards and a 31:16 TD:INT while 564 rushing yards and another 10 scores on the ground.
Rourke had two outstanding regular-season performances against the Roughriders last season, posting 337- and 368-yard passing performance with a combined 6:2 TD:INT. Saskatchewan finished the 2025 campaign allowing the second-most passing yards per game (285.6) and a 68.8 percent completion rate, along with the third-most completions of 30+ yards (30). Given all the numbers cited, Rourke should be well in line for a dynamic season-opening performance.
Chad Kelly, TOR at MTL ($9,100): Kelly is making his return to action after missing all of the 2025 season with the fractured tibia and fibula he suffered his right leg during the 2024 East Division Final. Naturally, there will be some rust to deal with despite the fact Kelly has been back to full health for some time, but the combination of his salary and upside stemming from his prior body of work makes him an intriguing tournament consideration in particular.
Kelly posted a 4,100-yard season in 2023 over 18 games (16 starts), adding 248 rushing yards and another six scores on the ground. The Mississippi product accumulated 2,451 passing yards and a 10:8 TD:INT alongside a 214 rushing yards and another five scores in nine games (eight starts) in 2024 and six combined postseason TDs after that campaign before suffering his injury. Therefore, there's plenty of statistical evidence that supports the notion he could deliver a well-rounded performance against an Als defense that surrendered a 300-yard game to Bo Levi Mitchell in Week 1, and that Kelly has had an extra week to prepare for.
ALSO CONSIDER: Davis Alexander, MTL vs. TOR ($10,000)
Running Back Plays for CFL Week 2
James Butler, BC at SSK ($9,400): Butler enjoyed a successful return to the Lions in 2025 after two seasons in Hamilton, recording a career-high 1,213 rushing yards and 11 rushing TDs and adding a 46-439-1 line on 70 targets over 17 regular-season games. The versatile veteran always carries a rock-solid fantasy floor thanks to his ability to amply contribute through both the ground and air.
Butler recorded a 123-yard, one-touchdown tally on the ground in his first regular-season meeting against the Roughriders last season. Saskatchewan was excellent against the run overall in 2025, but Butler has a significant enough role in multiple capacities to keep him as a prime consideration at a position that is generally thin, especially on a three-game slate.
A.J. Ouellette, SSK vs. BC ($8,800): Ouellette will serve as Butler's opposite number in this Week 2 season-opening clash for both clubs, and like the latter, he's also coming off a stellar 2025 campaign. Ouellette set his own new high-water mark in rushing yards for the Grey Cup champs with 1,222 and scoring a co-career-high eight rushing TDs along the way.
Much like Butler, the Ohio product was also a reliable component of the air attack, mustering a 35-250-1 line on 45 targets. Then, Ouellette combined for 38 carries and 211 rushing yards and a touchdown – along with four catches and another score – in his first two regular-season meetings against the Lions last season. BC also yielded the third-most rushing yards (105.3) per game and the second-most rushing first downs (138) a season ago, furthering Ouellette's case.
ALSO CONSIDER: Shomari Lawrence, MTL vs. TOR ($8,100)
Wide Receiver/Slotback Plays for CFL Week 2
KeeSean Johnson, SSK vs. BC ($9,600): Johnson was a critical piece of the Roughriders' success in their Grey Cup title season, putting together his best campaign as a pro yet. Johnson, who was a sixth-round pick of the NFL's Cardinals in 2019, recorded a career-best 86-1,159-4 line on 120 targets across 16 regular-season games, but a knee injury led to him missing the entire postseason.
Johnson is facing a Lions squad that allowed a 69.4 percent completion rate last season, and that also tied for the third-most passing touchdowns surrendered (29). Additionally BC surrendered the second-most completions of 30+ yards (31), and Johnson, who tallied an impressive 71.7 percent catch rate in 2025, posted a combined 10-130-0 line against the Lions in two regular-season meetings.
Keon Hatcher, BC at SSK ($9,100): Hatcher was the class of the CFL's pass catchers in 2025, producing a career-best 102-1,688-9 line on a massive 145 targets over 18 regular-season games before adding an 8-126-1 tally in a pair of postseason contests. The veteran wideout displayed outstanding chemistry with Rourke, and rostering one virtually requires including the other as the new season begins.
Hatcher scored two receiving touchdowns against the Roughriders during the 2025 regular season, and he posted 15 catches overall across his three meetings with Saskatchewan. Additionally, the Arkansas product managed league highs in both receptions and receiving yards, and he posted a 70.3 percent catch rate but was also a downfield threat with 12 catches of 30+ yards. Given the Riders' troubles preventing chunk plays through the air last season, Hatcher could very well capitalize to the tune of a rewarding fantasy performance.
Tyler Snead, MTL vs. TOR ($8,800): Snead is our first player this week that already suited up in Week 1, and the fourth-year pro put together a dominant performance in an overtime win against the Tiger-Cats. The East Carolina product furnished nine receptions, 163 yards and a touchdown over 13 targets, serving as Davis Alexander's favorite target and displaying plenty of downfield chops.
Snead now tangles with an Argonauts defense that gave up 278.8 passing yards per game, along with a league-high 72.4 percent completion rate, 35 passing touchdowns and 39 completions of 30+ yards, during the 2025 season. Snead had a touchdown grab against Toronto last season, and he recorded two receptions of 30+ yards in Week 1 as he was utilized as a downfield threat after already averaging an impressive 13.4 yards per reception in 2025.
Tim White, WPG vs. HAM ($8,300): The offseason addition of White by the Blue Bombers rightfully received plenty of press, and the veteran wideout wasted no time underscoring why Winnipeg sought to add him to its air attack. In his first game with Zach Collaros, White supplied five catches for 60 yards and a touchdown in the Bombers' 30-28 victory over the Stampeders, showing immediate chemistry with his new quarterback.
White now faces his old Tiger-Cats squad, which allowed 281.5 passing yards per game last season and gave up 336 to the Alouettes' Davis Alexander in Week 1. Hamilton also surrendered three completions of 30+ yards in that season-opening overtime loss, and White could be due for an even busier game considering the 2.5-point spread and the fact he's had another week of practice reps to sync up with Collaros.
ALSO CONSIDER: Justin McInnis, BC at SSK ($9,200); Damonte Coxie, TOR at MTL ($9,000)
Team Defense Plays for CFL Week 2
Montreal Alouettes ($4,400) vs. Toronto Argonauts:
The Alouettes were a highly effective defense in Week 1, recording a sack, an interception and a fumble recovery while allowing a meager 35 rushing yards at a tiny 2.2 yards per carry. Montreal did allow Bo Levi Mitchell to pass for over 300 yards, but the Alouettes didn't give up a passing touchdown and now face a quarterback in Kelly that hasn't played since the 2024 postseason. While the Argos quarterback certainly has plenty of talent as discussed earlier, the Alouettes are at home and could certainly generate some turnovers, especially if they can make Toronto one-dimensional over the course of the game as was the case against the Tiger-Cats in Week 1.
CFL DFS Cheat Sheet for Week 2
- Nathan Rourke, QB
- A.J. Ouellette, RB
- Keon Hatcher, WR
Total salary expenditure: $27.6k
While this trio will run you more than half of your salary cap, the upside is explosive and there is plenty of synergy since they're all part of the same game. Rourke and Hatcher, as discussed in their entries, are a dynamite combination that could easily generate the top score of an QB-WR combo on the slate, especially considering the Riders were prone to allowing some big plays through the air last season. Then, Ouellette is always in line for solid volume and is coming off a career-best campaign that saw him enjoy plenty of success against the Lions. With the game carrying a 52.5-point projected total, all three of these players could post useful fantasy performances.
