We're teed up for our first four-game DraftKings main slate of the regular season, a welcome development for the size and depth of our player pool. With three weeks' worth of games in the books, we also are starting to get a solid feel for which teams look like good early-season targets for fantasy purposes on either side of the ball.
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 4
Chad Kelly, TOR at SSK ($10,300): Kelly immediately allayed any concerns about how much rust he'd have to work off after missing all of last season when he threw for 445 yards and three touchdowns in a Week 2 loss to the Alouettes. The talented signal-caller then proved that had been no fluke when he basically replicated his performance in Week 3 against the Redblacks while compiling another 424 yards and four touchdowns, albeit while also tossing four picks.
The Riders haven't been anything particularly special against the pass over their first two games, allowing 283.5 passing yards per contest and a 65.7 percent completion rate. Saskatchewan has allowed just one completion of 30+ yards through two games, but Kelly is averaging a massive 11.1 yards per attempt and has already put up 78 passes through two games. With the Argos' defense also highly suspect and therefore likely to force Toronto to remain aggressive on offense, Kelly should have every opportunity to augment his stellar average of 31.6 DK points per contest.
Trevor Harris, SSK vs. TOR ($10,100): Harris is another quarterback who starred in his Week 2 season debut and then delivered a highly successful encore in Week 3, and the veteran signal-caller looks to be as locked in as ever. Harris followed up his season-opening 417-yard, three-touchdown tally with a 349-yard day in a wild Week 3 overtime win against the Stampeders, a game in which he threw for another trio of scores.
Harris is completing a co-career-high 73.6 percent of his passes and averaging a career-high 10.6 yards per attempt as well, so aggressiveness has not been an issue. Additionally, the veteran signal-caller also has seven completions of 30+ yards through two games, good for second in the league behind Kelly and the Ti-Cats' Bo Levi Mitchell. Then, Toronto is conceding the second-most passing yards per game (351.5) and has already allowed four completions of 30+ yards through two contests, furthering Harris' case.
Davis Alexander, MTL vs. OTT ($10,000): Alexander saw his noteworthy career-opening streak of 13 consecutive wins snapped in Week 3 against the Elks, but he continued to put up stellar fantasy numbers. The versatile quarterback had already accumulated 777 yards and posted a 4:0 TD:INT while completing 70.0 percent of his passes in the first two games of the season, and he followed that pair of standout performances up with a 356-yard, one-touchdown tally in the loss to the Elks that netted 23.2 DK points.
Alexander now takes aim at a Redblacks defense that's given up 337.0 passing yards per game at a 72.7 percent completion rate, the latter ranking as the league's third-highest figure. Ottawa has also given up a co-CFL-high six completions of 30+ yards and five touchdown passes despite having played just two games, so there are no shortage of statistical indicators that point to another fantasy-friendly performance for Alexander.
ALSO CONSIDER: Nathan Rourke, BC vs. CGY ($10,200)
Running Back Plays for CFL Week 4
Justin Rankin, EDM at WPG ($10,100): Rankin came through yet again against the Alouettes in Week 3, continuing the blistering start to his season with a massive 43.0 DK-point night he garnered on the strength of an 18-179-2 rushing line and a 5-51-0 tally through the air. The explosive back – who has a stated goal of becoming the CFL's first player to gain both 1,000 yards rushing and receiving this season – had also delivered 33.6 DK points in his only other game to date in Week 1, making him the most coveted non-QB fantasy option through the first three weeks of the new season.
Rankin's elite Week 3 performance was made all the more impressive by the fact the Alouettes presented a tough on-paper matchup for running backs, and the Northwest Missouri State product gets a diametrically opposite challenge in terms of difficulty Thursday. The Blue Bombers have allowed a CFL-high 171.0 rushing yards per game and four rushing TDs at 5.7 yards per carry through their first two games, with both the Stampeders' Dedrick Mills and the Tiger-Cats' Larry Rountree eclipsing the 100-yard mark against them.
James Butler, BC vs. CGY ($8,800): Butler hasn't had a particularly noteworthy start to the season, but the veteran back has unquestioned upside and is in a good position for his first potential breakout 2026 game in Week 4. Butler scored two rushing touchdowns on nine carries in the Lions' Week 2 season opener, and he turned in a solid 15-62-0 line on the ground in Week 3 against his old Tiger-Cats squad.
Butler's Week 4 opponent has had its share of trouble slowing down the run over its first two games, as the Stampeders have allowed 125.5 rushing yards per game at 5.0 yards per carry. Calgary has also already given up four rushing touchdowns and 17 rushing first downs despite playing only two games, while Butler has taken four of his 24 carries over his first two games for gains of 10+ yards. In a game where the Lions should be able to keep pace and dictate game script to an extent, Butler could see his biggest workload yet.
ALSO CONSIDER: Travis Theis, MTL vs. OTT ($7,200)
Wide Receiver/Slotback Plays for CFL Week 4
Justin McInnis ($9,500) or Keon Hatcher ($7,000), BC vs. CGY: McInnis failed to practice both Tuesday and Wednesday due to an ankle injury, while Hatcher, who was a late Week 3 scratch due to a thigh injury, was able to participate in limited fashion for the first two sessions of the week. Therefore, we're listing both as options, as it appears at least one will suit up.
McInnis has gotten the new season off to a commendable start, posting a combined 13-210-0 line over his first two games while generating 23.9 and 13.1 DK points in those contests. However, he currently appears the less likely of the two between him and Hatcher to play. Therefore if McInnis sits, Hatcher should be in line for an even bigger role than usual.
Hatcher posted a modest 4-64-0 line in his only game so far this season, but the Stamps have conceded 281.5 passing yards per game, four touchdowns, 9.1 yards per attempt and four completions of 30+ yards through only two contests.
Tyler Snead, MTL vs. OTT ($8,700): Snead and Alexander have been clicking since the opening gun of the 2026 season, as the fourth-year receiver has quickly recorded a 19-305-2 line over his first three games. Snead opened the season with a massive 34.3 DK-point tally against the Tiger-Cats in Week 1, and he's followed that performance up with tallies of 11.2 and 18.0 DK points in the subsequent pair of contests.
As already covered in Alexander's entry, the Redblacks have been vulnerable to the pass over their first two games. Ottawa's penchant for giving up big plays downfield also dovetails nicely with Snead's skill set, as he has the CFL's longest reception so far this season (70 yards), has seen a league-high 10 targets of 20+ yards in depth, and has recorded three catches of 30+ yards.
Kian Schaffer-Baker, SSK at TOR ($8,500): Speaking of red-hot targets, Schaffer-Baker is among the upper echelon in the early going. The veteran pass catcher, who's been besieged by injury over the last two seasons, is healthy and looking every bit like it while accumulating 19 receptions for 295 yards and two touchdowns in his first pair of games. He's easily cleared the 100-yard mark in both contests, while also eclipsing 30 DK points in each.
Schaffer-Baker should be set up for success again versus Toronto's porous pass defense, whose various deficiencies were enumerated in Harris' entry earlier. Schaffer-Baker also has an elite 86.4 percent catch rate through his first two contests, a number partly generated through a perfect catch rate on his three targets of 20+ yards in depth. He's also recorded a league-high 11 second-down catches, underscoring how much trust Harris has in him.
Makai Polk, TOR vs. SSK ($6,800): Polk put together a fantastic season as a rookie in 2024 (61-1,024-5 over 17 games), and he was also productive during a shortened 2025 campaign that he started over in the NFL with the Falcons. Polk had a full CFL offseason and camp this year, and that, coupled with his reunion with the QB that facilitated his rookie success in Kelly, has paid some early dividends.
Polk has a 7-117-1 line on 15 targets in his first two games, recording tallies of 12.2 and 12.5 DK points in those contests. Then, Polk makes for an interesting tournament pivot at a $500 savings over the much likelier higher-rostered Kevin Mital, who missed some practice time this week because of a calf issue. Mital will play, but Polk may actually see less defensive attention – despite his significant ceiling – in a game that carries a co-slate-high projected total of 57.5 points.
ALSO CONSIDER: Tyson Philpot, MTL vs. OTT ($10,400); Kevin Mital, TOR vs. SSK ($7,300)
Team Defense Plays for CFL Week 4
Montreal Alouettes ($4,500) vs. Ottawa Redblacks:
The Alouettes are the highest-salaried unit this week, and that's for good reason. Montreal's defense arguably has the most favorable matchup of the week against a Redblacks offense that's still trying to find its footing under new quarterback Jake Maier. Ottawa is averaging a league-low 22.5 points and 303.5 total yards per game, and they rank last out of nine teams in passing yards (231.0) and rushing yards (72.5) per game. Additionally, Maier has thrown two picks and taken three sacks through two games, while the Als have three picks and sacks apiece in their first three contests. Montreal has given up its fair share of points and yards, but they've also faced the high-powered offenses of the Tiger-Cats, Argonauts and Elks in its first three games.
CFL DFS Cheat Sheet for Week 4
- Trevor Harris, QB
- Justin Rankin, RB
- Kian Schaffer-Baker, WR
Total salary expenditure: $28.7k
As was the case last week, this trio will require some heavy investment, but they'll hopefully deliver as well as our Week 3 core of Chad Kelly, Justin Rankin and Tyson Philpot did. We're keeping Rankin in this week as the highest-upside running back in the CFL by far, and we're adding the Harris-Schaffer-Baker battery around him. The quarterback and veteran wideout have already displayed elite chemistry over their first two games, and this matchup against an Argos team that's been very beatable through the air since the start of last season and can also force opponents to remain aggressive thanks to Kelly makes for an ideal fantasy scenario.
