Although the CFL is set for its first four-game slate of the new season, DraftKings is limiting this week's main-slate contests to the last three games of the weekend. Even though the Lions-Tiger-Cats Friday night clash is excluded, we still have a solid player pool stemming from a trio of intriguing matchups.
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 3
Trevor Harris, SSK at CGY ($10,000): Harris got his season off to an unforgettable start, throwing for 417 yards and three touchdowns in a wild 31-27 win over the Lions in Week 2. The veteran signal-caller was in midseason form, connecting with six different targets and facilitating a pair of 100-yard efforts, as well as a three-touchdown day for Samuel Emilus.
Harris now faces a Stampeders defense that played very well in Week 1 before its Week 2 bye, but pne the veteran signal-caller also tore through for a season-high 425 yards and 81.8 percent completion rate in one of two 2025 regular-season meetings. Harris' deep group of targets and complete command of the offense make him a top-tier QB option on this slate, especially with the Lions' Nathan Rourke excluded from the player pool
Chad Kelly, TOR at OTT ($9,500): Kelly looked nothing like a player seeing his first non-preseason game action since the 2024 East Final in his Week 2 debut, throwing for 445 yards and three touchdowns in a loss to the Alouettes. The Mississippi product confidently spread the ball around, hitting seven different targets along the way.
Kelly should naturally only be more comfortable and in rhythm after another week of practice, and he draws what could be a very generous matchup. The Redblacks allowed 266 yards and a 67.6 percent completion rate to the Elks' Cody Fajardo back in Week 1, while also surrendering two completions of 30+ yards. Kelly can also do damage with his legs when the opportunity arises, furthering his already strong case.
ALSO CONSIDER: Davis Alexander, MTL at EDM ($9,700)
Running Back Plays for CFL Week 3
Justin Rankin, EDM vs. MTL ($9,400): Rankin picked up right where he left off last season when he faced off with the Redblacks in Week 1, ripping off a 61-yard touchdown run on his way to a 13-102-1 line on the ground. Rankin also brought in five of nine targets for 94 yards, with the well-rounded performance netting 33.6 DK points. The explosive back has now had a bye week to rest up, and he should therefore have plenty of spring in his step for this Saturday afternoon clash.
The Alouettes have been extremely tough against the run over their first two games, so this is far from the ideal matchup on paper. However, Rankin's explosiveness and typically secure pass-catching role makes him too attractive an option not to mention, and it's worth noting that in his first regular-season meeting with Montreal in 2025, he posted a 12-76-0 line on the ground and added three catches.
Dedrick Mills, CGY vs. SSK ($8,900): Mills put together a career-best 1,409-yard, 11-touchdown season on the ground in 2025, and the standout back appears primed for another prolific campaign if his Week 1 performance is any indication. The Nebraska product rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries in a narrow season-opening loss to the Blue Bombers, showing off his trademark speed with a game-long 39-yard run.
Mills now faces a Roughriders defense that wasn't really tested much by a traditional running game in its Week 2 opener, as the Lions' James Butler only logged nine rush attempts partly due to game script. Butler did take two of those carries for touchdowns, however, and Mills presents an even stiffer challenge due to his speed. Additionally, he had little trouble in this matchup a year ago, producing 163 yards on 30 carries while adding six receptions for 36 yards over two regular-season contests.
ALSO CONSIDER: A.J. Ouellette, SSK at CGY ($8,600); Sam Hicks, TOR at OTT ($5,800)
Wide Receiver/Slotback Plays for CFL Week 3
Tyson Philpot, MTL at EDM ($10,200): Philpot has been virtually unstoppable over the first two games of the new season after an injury-shortened 2025 campaign, recording a combined 16-269-3 line on 23 targets. Philpot is coming off having posted an elite 42.4 DK points in Week 2 against the Argonauts, a game where he recorded nine receptions for 193 yards and two touchdowns on 12 targets.
The veteran wideout, who's improved his numbers over those of the prior year in each of his non-injury-shortened seasons, now tangles with an Elks defense that can certainly be exploited. Edmonton allowed a modest 203 passing yards to the Redblacks' Jake Maier in his Week 1 team debut, but a season ago, the Elks surrendered a league-high 296.4 passing yards per contest, a 71.5 percent completion rate and 29 TD passes, as well as 29 completions of 30+ yards. Meanwhile, Philpot made a modest contribution to those numbers, posting an 8-96-1 line on nine targets in a Week 3 win.
KeeSean Johnson, SSK at CGY ($9,200): Johnson has evolved into one of the best receivers in the league over his first two CFL seasons after experiencing some modest success at the NFL level. The 2019 sixth-round pick of the Cardinals posted a career-best 86-1,159-4 line over 16 games in 2025, and he opened the new campaign with nine catches for 131 yards on 12 targets in a high-scoring victory over the Lions.
The Stampeders played solid pass defense in their Week 1 opener, but Calgary surrendered 283.3 passing yards per game and a league-high 448 completions in 2025. Johnson provided an 8-172-0 line on 11 targets in two regular-season contests versus the Stamps a year ago, and given the volume he saw right out of the gate in Week 2, he should have a good opportunity to put together another robust stat line in a game that's projected to be tightly contested.
Justin Hardy, OTT vs. TOR ($7,800): Hardy is another NFL alum who's made plenty of noise north of the border, as he came into the 2026 season with three straight 1,000-yard campaigns in tow. The veteran got the new season off to a quiet start with two catches for 20 yards on four targets in Week 1 against the Elks, but one of those two receptions went for a touchdown.
Hardy now gets a golden opportunity to quickly build up his 2026 resume at the expense of the Argonauts, who looked every bit as beatable through the air in their Week 2 season debut as they did throughout the 2025 season. Toronto surrendered 441 passing yards and 30 completions at a 71.4 percent clip to the Alouettes' Davis Alexander in Week 2, along with three completions of 30+ yards.
A season ago, the Argos yielded a league-high 72.4 percent completion rate, 35 touchdown passes and 39 completions of 30+ yards, and Hardy posted a 7-106-2 tally against them in a wild 46-42 victory in Week 10.
Makai Polk, TOR at OTT ($6,800): Polk looked to be primed for a 2025 breakout after posting a 61-catch, 1,024-yard, five-touchdown tally the season prior as a rookie. Injuries limited Polk to seven 2025 games, although he was productive while generating a 30-356-2 line on a robust 58 targets in that span. The Mississippi State product is back healthy and reconnected with Kelly this season, and he immediately saw 12 targets from his quarterback in Toronto's Week 2 season opener.
Then, the Redblacks were already generous against the pass in their one game to date in Week 1, as outlined in Kelly's entry earlier. For what it's worth, Polk has also lit up Ottawa for over 100 yards in each of his two career games versus the Redblacks, and in his last 11 games with Kelly as his QB dating back to the latter portion of the 2024 regular season, Polk has seen fewer than five targets just once.
ALSO CONSIDER: Samuel Emilus, SSK at CGY ($9,300); Kalil Pimpleton, OTT vs. TOR ($7,400)
Team Defense Plays for CFL Week 3
Saskatchewan Roughriders ($4,300) at Calgary Stampeders:
The Roughriders prevailed in a high-scoring showdown against the Lions in Week 2 to open their title-defense campaign, and BC's Rourke certainly piled up plenty of numbers. However, the reigning Most Outstanding Player presents a unique challenge to defenses, and Saskatchewan should be more settled in this week after one game and an additional week of practice. The Stampeders' Vernon Adams is certainly a talented signal-caller in his own right, but he can be prone to interceptions and threw four of them in two regular-season contests against the Riders in 2025. A season ago, the defending champs wreaked plenty of havoc overall, recording 43 sacks, 15 forced fumbles (nine recoveries) and 24 interceptions, all figures that ranked them in the top three of the league. While the Stamps have plenty of skill-position talent, the Riders have the horses to rack up some defensive numbers.
CFL DFS Cheat Sheet for Week 3
Chad Kelly, QB
Justin Rankin, RB
Tyson Philpot, WR
Total salary expenditure: $29.1k
While this trio of stars requires some heavy investment, the potential is undoubtedly there for them to serve as the foundation of a very profitable tournament or cash-game lineup. Kelly already looked like he hadn't missed a beat in his season-opening Week 2 performance, and he draws an inviting Week 3 matchup. Rankin has game-breaking speed and is a force as both runner and receiver, while Philpot appears set for a career-best season after a dominant first two games and is matched up against a vulnerable secondary.
