August 15, 2017

Start or Sit: Rolling the dice on Michel

David Moll/Stampeders.com

No pivot in the league is as consistent as Mike Reilly, and since he keeps churning out 20-plus Fantasy points on a weekly basis, the $14,000 salary Reilly commands will feel like a discount. The Eskimos’ field general comes into Winnipeg with four straight games of at least 20 FP and stands a good chance to make it five against a Blue Bombers secondary that leads the league with 10 interceptions but is susceptible to big plays.

Elsewhere, in a game featuring the bottom two teams in points allowed, the winless Ticats visit a REDBLACKS team that has just one win, while the surging Stampeders come off an open week to host the Lions, a team reeling from a Week 8 meltdown at the Roughriders. The week ends with a Saturday afternoon affair between a stingy Alouettes defence looking to complete a back-to-back sweep of the Argonaut.

Who to start? Who to sit? Follow the answers below.

Edmonton at Winnipeg
Thursday | 8:30 p.m. ET

Vidal Hazelton has emerged as one of fantasy’s top producers in recent weeks (The Canadian Press)

Start: Reilly. Expecting someone else? Yes, it’s an easy call, but when you have a quarterback who’s thrown for at least 300 yards and multiple majors in his last four games, who else are you turning to? It also helps to know that Reilly leads the league in second down conversions at 54.4 per cent, and the fact that he’s added 93 yards and four majors on the ground in the last three contests only bolsters his case.

Keep in mind, he lit the Blue Bombers for 388.6 passing yards and five majors in the three meetings between the teams last season. Winnipeg is seventh in passing yards allowed (324.3) and must keep Reilly well under that number to have a chance in front of the home crowd. Even if Reilly doesn’t have Brandon Zylstra ($4,534), there’s still Vidal Hazelton ($5,479) and Bryant Mitchell ($3,500) among a fleet of receivers he’ll have available.

Sit: Ryan Lankford ($4,409) has been a high-risk, high-reward receiver/return specialist who has had three games of double-digit Fantasy production while also catching two of Matt Nichols’ league-best 17 passes of 30-plus yards. Edmonton has allowed the second fewest big plays via the pass and lead the league by allowing opposing kickoff returners a mere 19.9 yards per run back. This is one of those games that could become a shootout, but it might be best to keep Lankford on the bench.

Ottawa at Hamilton
Friday | 7:30 p.m. ET

With Brad Sinopoli, fantasy players know exactly what they’re getting each and every week (The Canadian Press)

Start: Brad Sinopoli ($4,633) has been consistent, having caught at least six passes in all but one game for the REDBLACKS. Greg Ellingson ($6,749) has been the league’s best receiver in the first half but Sinopoli has a league-high 53 receptions and 21 catches on second down. He’s recorded double-digit Fantasy production twice and should have a third at the expense of a Ticats pass defence that has improved of late but is still last in yards allowed per game (366.3) and completion percentage (75.1). If Kenny Shaw ($4,542) is healthy and in the lineup, the middle of the field will be where Sinopoli thrives as Ellingson, Shaw and Diontae Spencer ($4,260) stretch things for pivot Trevor Harris ($10,641).

Sit: That Hamilton is the only team in the league allowing more than 100 yards per game on the ground should be a signal to plug Mossis Madu ($6,536) in your lineup, but here’s saying that’s a bad idea. Madu has 32 yards on eight carries in his last two games with 22 of those coming on a run in last week’s loss to Edmonton. He’s certainly capable of better production, but Fantasy owners should avoid Madu until he proves he can regain the form he had last season. William Powell ($5,591) remains a possibility to return to the lineup but Ottawa may sit him out at least one more game to heal his hamstring.

Calgary at BC
Friday | 10:30 p.m. ET

There’s no reason to believe Jerome Messam won’t get his share of touches in Week 9 (The Canadian Press)

Start: Let’s roll the dice on Stampeders receiver Marken Michel ($2,500), who has a good chance to bounce back after catching just one pass for eight yards in the Week 7 win over the Argonauts. Michel had six catches for 190 yards and a touchdown the previous week after replacing the injured Kamar Jorden, and he faces a Lions team that has given up 18 passes of more than 30 yards. Michel has just eight catches on the season,but is averaging a video game-level 26.4 yards per reception. Red-hot Jerome Messam ($7,929) would have been an easy choice but Michel feels like a hunch that wouldn’t need too many targets from Bo Levi Mitchell ($10,570) to potentially pay off for Fantasy players.

Sit: Yes, Sunday was one game, but Jonathon Jennings ($9,006) hasn’t delivered at anywhere near the pace he was on in the second half of last season. Jennings’ high of 18.2 in Week 3 is his best Fantasy effort of the season and he’s got only three touchdown passes thus far. The residue from the debacle at Saskatchewan will carry over in the eyes of many Fantasy owners, who should wisely avoid Jennings until he begins to show the form that made him one of the highest-salaried pivots at the beginning of the season.

Montreal at Toronto
Saturday | 4:00 p.m. ET

Ernest Jackson’s slow start is a thing of the past as the veteran receiver is putting up the numbers (The Canadian Press)

Start: The sluggish start of Ernest Jackson ($5,819) is a thing of the past as he has recorded four straight games of double-digit Fantasy production, including a season-high 13.4 in last week’s win over the Argos. Jackson also has a string of five straight games with at least one catch of over 30 yards and is one of the reasons why the Alouettes lead the league at 7.3 yards per play. He and pivot Darian Durant ($9,221) have been on point over the last month and should continue their run despite Toronto ranking in the upper third of the league in passing yards allowed and completion percentage.

Sit: While it’s hard to consider sitting S.J. Green ($5,396), the same can’t be said for either Armanti Edwards ($3,298) or Anthony Coombs ($3,234), especially if Ray ($9,352) misses a second straight game with a shoulder injury. The duo caught a combined five passes for 42 yards in last week’s loss at Montreal, and while Jeff Mathews ($5,094) and Cody Fajardo ($5,000) should improve upon the combined 132 passing yards they produced last week, avoiding Argonauts receivers not named Green is highly advised.