This article is part of our DraftKings CFL DFS Picks series.
Quarterback
Jeremiah Masoli, HAM vs. CGY ($11,100): Masoli has essentially proven to be matchup-proof this season, and the Stampeders defense hasn't exactly been in top form in recent weeks. Masoli's latest explosion went to the tune of a season-high 38.38 fantasy points against the Argonauts in Week 13, and he already carved up the normally stingy Calgary secondary in Week 1 this season for 344 yards with just under a 70.0 percent completion rate. Meanwhile, the Stamps just surrendered 397 yards and four touchdowns to Mike Reilly in Week 13, a combined 323 yards to Matt Nichols and Chris Streveler in Week 11, and 270 to Zach Collaros in Week 10. In other words, their passing yards allowed have been trending in the wrong direction, and Masoli has more than enough firepower at his disposal to continue that pattern.
Travis Lulay, BC at MTL ($9,200): Our options are limited with only six teams on the slate, putting Lulay firmly in play. The veteran exited the Week 13 contest with a concussion, but he was already back at practice Wednesday and appears to be a full go against the Alouettes in Week 14. That should represent a matchup Lulay can take advantage of and reverse an unfavorable three-game trend of seeing his fantasy points drop over those of the prior contest. Montreal's defense was admittedly impressive their last time out against the Redblacks, but they gave up over 400 yards to Mike Reilly the game prior and continue to rank last in net offensive yards allowed (435.2), passing touchdowns allowed (23), opponent plays from scrimmage allowed (63.2), opponent passing touchdowns allowed (167) and completions allowed (289). They're also near the bottom of the league in several other pass defense metrics, and the 21 completions of over 30 yards they've surrendered – third most in the CFL – dovetails well for fantasy purposes with Lulay's 15 completions of that distance over parts of seven games.
Antonio Pipkin, MTL vs. BC ($8,200): Pipkin gets the call if you're paying down at quarterback this week, as he's set to retain the starting job for at least one more week over Johnny Manziel. Pipkin has been a bargain over his last two starts, compiling 29.02 and 21.18 fantasy points, respectively. While he's generated an unsightly 0:3 TD:INT during that span, he's made up for it with three rushing touchdowns. His running upside has been a boon for his overall fantasy production and would figure to give him a safe floor in Week 14, especially at his price. The Lions don't have any pass defense metrics that jump off the screen, with the exception of one big one -- they come in allowing the third-most passing yards per game (278.3) in the league.
Running Back
Jeremiah Johnson, BC at MTL ($7,400): Staying with the Lions, Johnson stands out as a potential value relative to the other two more expensive backs this week, William Powell and Alex Green, who both have especially difficult matchups. Johnson's is a cakewalk in comparison, considering Montreal has allowed the third-most rushing yards (114.8), most rushing attempts (257) and most rushing first downs (90). Johnson's workload is typically steady, and as such, as he's recently complemented a range of 9-11 carries with 5-6 catches per contest. And while he came up empty in the passing game last week against Ottawa, that's unlikely to be the case this week against an Alouettes team that gives up plenty of yardage through the air as well, as detailed in Lulay's entry. Given his dual upside and discount over Powell and Green, Johnson is definitely under consideration as a tournament pivot.
Romar Morris, CGY at HAM ($6,800): Morris will helm the Stampeders rushing attack in Week 14 with Jackson's ankle injury keeping him on the sidelines again. Morris will benefit from facing a Tiger-Cats defense with a secondary stingy enough to funnel plenty of action to the running game, where they check in tied with the Argonauts for most rushing yards allowed per game (116.5). Hamilton is also allowing the highest average yards per rush (6.0) and the third-most rushing touchdowns (11), while drawing even with the Alouettes for most rushes of over 20 yards allowed (10). Morris has already logged double-digit carries in three starts this season -- and scored four touchdowns last week -- so he's seemingly set for plenty of volume.
Chris Rainey, BC at MTL ($6,200): With a small slate this week, Rainey is the one back in the affordable range I trust the most. His multiple roles help afford him a solid floor, as evidenced by the 14.05 fantasy points he's posted per game this season. Rainey has been seeing 3-4 carries per contest on average, along with occasional targets in the passing game and work as the primary returner for both punts and kickoffs. As alluded to earlier, the Alouettes' metrics against both the run and pass make them targets, and the fact they've allowed a CFL-high four punt returns of over 20 yards certainly plays well with Rainey's special-teams exploits. Montreal is also allowing the third-highest punt return average (10.7) and kickoff return average (23.0), further Rainey's case in the area of the game where he's likely to see the most touches.
Wide Receiver/Slotback
Brandon Banks, HAM vs. CGY ($9,800): As detailed earlier in Masoli's entry, the Stamps have proven increasingly vulnerable to the pass in recent weeks, and Banks is just the type of player to exploit that. The veteran speedster has been positively lethal all season, eclipsing the century mark in all but two games and racking up six of his seven receiving touchdowns on the campaign over the last four games. He continues to retain some usage on punt returns as well on many weeks, providing him with additional value. With 100 targets already in 2018 and a 13-for-25 success rate on targets over 20 yards, he's got both the volume and big-play upside for either cash or tourneys.
Ricky Collins, Jr., BC at MTL ($7,300): Collins was the go-to man in the Lions receiving corps last week with Emmanuel Arceneaux down with a knee injury, and with the latter now on the injured list, Collins is especially appealing against the vulnerable Als secondary. Montreal's deficiencies defending the pass were already detailed earlier, and Collins came away from a whopping 10 catches for 105 yards in his first game without Arceneaux in the lineup in Week 13 against the Redblacks. He'll be starting at slotback this week, potentially affording him an even greater workload.
Shaq Evans, SSK vs. OTT ($4,600): Evans should once again draw a start at receiver in Week 14, and it's worth noting he's been a steady presence in what's sometimes been a modest but fairly consistent Roughriders passing attack. The 27-year-old has tallied multiple catches in seven of 10 games, serviceable volume for a player of his extremely reasonable price. The Redblacks also come in allowing the third-most passing touchdowns (17), fourth-highest average yards per pass (8.1) and third-highest passer efficiency rating (94.3), so they're some penetrability to their secondary that Evans could sufficiently exploit and find himself to a solid return.
Team Defense
Ottawa Redblacks at Saskatchewan Roughriders ($4,300): Having just pointed out some of what might be considered weaknesses in their pass defense, I still find the Redblacks to have the best combination of pricing and matchup on the six-game Week 14 slate. Ottawa checks in $700 less expensive than the highest-priced unit of the week -- which happens to be their opponent -- but they bring some nice upside in their own right. The Redblacks had generated double-digit fantasy-point totals for three straight weeks before failing to do so against the Lions in Week 13, but they could be poised for a bounce-back effort versus one of the more pedestrian offenses in the CFL. Saskatchewan has had the most two-and-outs in the CFL (67), scored the fewest offensive touchdowns (14), thrown the second-fewest touchdown passes (seven) and logged the second-fewest first downs (187). Ottawa isn't quite at the level of the Riders defense, but they still check in with the third-most sacks (26), 22 turnovers and a respectable 55 two-and-outs forced. This should be a relatively low-scoring, grind-it-out game in which the Redblacks could provide excellent value on their price.
