The Canadian Press
Whose fast start (Ricky Ray, DeVier Posey) is a precursor of things to come? Whose salary (Emmanuel Arceneaux, Ernest Jackson) will finally translate into production? Three weeks into the season, Fantasy owners are beginning to see which players can be considered reliable performers along with patiently waiting for those who have yet to live up to expectations. While the sample sizes are miniscule the numbers are enough to have a clear idea who’s worth starting and who should remain benched going into Week 4.
Toronto at Winnipeg
Thursday | 8:30 p.m. ET
Ricky Ray leads the league in receiving yards (1,199) heading into Week 4 action. (The Canadian Press/ Patrick Doyle)
Start: Ray ($10,729) is in a groove and is reasonably priced (fourth-highest salary at QB). He’s also facing a Blue Bombers secondary that has allowed 354.5 passing yards per game, eighth in the league. Toronto is throwing the ball more than 80 percent of the time, and with three of the top seven players in receiving yards (S.J. Green, Posey, Armanti Edwards) donning Argonauts jerseys, expect Ray to continue firing the ball downfield. No pivot has delivered the big play like Ray has thus far, as he leads the league with nine completions of more than 30 yards and averages 9.4 yards per pass play. Regardless of score, the Argos are going to put pressure on the Bombers even though the Winnipeg defence tops the pack with four interceptions.
Sit: Whoever starts in the Argonauts’ backfield — Brandon Whitaker ($5,952) or James Wilder ($3,000) — will face a stubborn run defence. The Blue Bombers have allowed just three yards per carry and are one of two teams (Calgary) that have yet to give up a run of more than 20 yards. Whitaker was injured near the end of Saturday’s victory at Ottawa, which could open the door for Wilder to make his second start of the season. Either way, your Fantasy team would be best served not to place either on your Week 4 roster.
Calgary at Montreal
Friday | 7:00p.m. ET
Tyrell Sutton has led the charge on the Alouettes’ offence through the first three weeks of the CFL season. (Jason Halstead/CFL.ca)
Start: If you have to start an Alouettes player, make sure it’s Tyrell Sutton ($6,407), the one constant in the league’s eighth-ranked offence. Sutton leads the league in rushing with 210 yards and should be able to deliver a productive evening against a Stampeders run defence that is eighth in yards allowed per game (81.7) while giving up 4.8 yards per tote. Averaging 6.2 yards per carry, Sutton will be expected to chew up both yards and time as the Montreal offence knows it cannot afford to be involved in a track meet against a Calgary attack with the potential to bust open a contest with its quick-strike capabilities.
Sit: Bo Levi Mitchell. It sounds strange to suggest sitting him, yet the Montreal defence has put up numbers to strongly suggest avoiding Mitchell and his $11,723 salary. In his last three games against the Als, Mitchell has averaged just 276 passing yards and only three passing majors. Two of those scores came in one game (Week 6 of the 2015 season), and he faces a Montreal secondary that has flustered Mike Reilly and Jonathon Jennings in their last two games. The Alouettes are second in fewest yards allowed per play (5.6) and have given up just two pass plays of 30-plus yards, numbers that suggest that this week is not the one to have Mitchell in your lineup.
Ottawa at Edmonton
Friday | 10:00 p.m. ET
Diontae Spencer racked up an impressive 122 kickoff return yards last week. (The Canadian Press)
Start: REDBLACKS receiver/return specialist Diontae Spencer ($5,980) leads the league with 601 all-purpose yards and averages 17.1 yards each time the ball is in his hands. In a game in which East Coast watchers could be up well into Saturday morning, Spencer is going to have a decisive part in whether the defending champs finally get into the win column or fall short in another wild Friday night affair. If this game does indeed become a shootout, the return yards Spencer could amass makes him a must-start performer. Edmonton does a good job defending returns, yet will be challenged to contain the explosive skills of Spencer, who is also 10-for-11 in passes targeted in his direction.
Sit: Eskimos rookie receiver D’hquille Williams ($4000) could still emerge as a Fantasy standout later in the season, but he’s a clear fourth in the Edmonton pecking order behind Adarius Bowman, Brandon Zylstra and Vidal Hazelton. Bowman is overdue for a breakout performance and might get it against an Ottawa defence that is seventh in passing yards allowed per game and has given up seven passes of more than 30 yards. Williams showed his deep ball prowess in the Week 1 win over BC, but considering he’s been targeted just eight times thus far, rolling the dice on his bargain value might be too risky.
BC at Hamilton
Saturday | 7:30 p.m. ET
Can Jonathon Jennings turn around his slow start against the Ticats? (CFL.ca/Jimmy Jeong)
Start: Now is the time to play the slumping Jennings ($11,625), who could have a healthy evening of numbers at the expense of a Ticats defence giving up a staggering 10.4 yards per pass play. Jennings should be able to see his 7.9 yards per pass total take a hike down the lofty path he was on for much of the second half of the 2016 season, and with Hamilton having to contend with both the Lions’ receiving corps and the presence of running back Jeremiah Johnson, don’t be surprised if Jennings finds ample running lanes to further add to the stress of a troubled Tiger-Cats unit.
Sit: It was assumed Hamilton receiver Luke Tasker ($5,958) would benefit from an abundance of targets in the wake of losing Terrence Toliver, yet the vision failed to materialize last Saturday as Tasker was not targeted once in the loss to Saskatchewan. Surely, Zach Collaros will rectify the error, but the Tiger-Cats have one offencive major in their first eight quarters while their 208 total yards per game is 103.7 yards fewer than eighth-place Montreal. Brian Tyms leads the team with 16 targets and the emergence of Jalen Saunders last week only adds to the uncertainty of who gets the most attention from Collaros.
