The Canadian Press
Week 13 was unlucky for Fantasy players, especially at the quarterback position, which saw only two pivots score more than 20 points. While the quarterback play was a challenge, the few who invested in Argonauts running back James Wilder were rewarded beyond the craziest of expectations.
Wilder put up 31.7 Fantasy points in Toronto’s win over Edmonton, easily making him the highest scorer for Week 13. The big back, who got the start over injured Brandon Whitaker, rushed for 190 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries while also catching seven passes for 67 yards. Wilder recorded the league’s season-best totals in both rushing yards along with a 76-yard major en route to now owning the seventh-best rushing total in the league.
Travon Van’s return to the Eskimos lineup was fruitful as he put up 23 FP in the loss to the Argos. Coming back after missing six games with a shoulder injury, Van rushed for 29 yards and a touchdown on seven carries and added three catches for 11 yards and a second score. His versatility showed in the 50 yards he had on three punt returns and 126 yards on five kickoff returns.
BE THE GM IN CFL FANTASY
» Play TSN CFL Fantasy
» Make your picks in CFL Pick ‘Em
» Bio: James Wilder by the numbers
Two other backs put up double-digit production as Toronto’s Martese Jackson produced 15.9 FP on the strength of a 125-yard missed field goal return for a touchdown, while Ottawa’s William Powell returned from the injured list to rack up 14.8 FP in the REDBLACKS’ victory over the Alouettes.
Brandon Bridge made believers out of those willing to start him by putting up a position-best 21.9 Fantasy Points in the Roughriders win over the Tiger-Cats on Friday night. Bridge, making his first start, passed for 231 yards and three touchdowns and added seven yards on a pair of carries. He became the first Canadian-born passer to throw three touchdowns in a game since Greg Vavra pulled off the feat for the Stampeders in 1984. Edmonton’s Mike Reilly produced 21.6 FP in the loss to Toronto by tossing for 323 yards and a pair of scores.
Hamilton’s Jeremiah Masoli fell short of the 20-FP mark as he put up 19.3 Fantasy Points in the loss to Saskatchewan, while Calgary’s Bo Levi Mitchell had 17.6 FP in the Stamps’ win over BC. On the flip side of things, Lions pivot Jonathon Jennings had 0.7 FP, making the fourth time in his last five games he has failed to eclipse double-digit Fantasy numbers. Toronto’s Ricky Ray had his third-worst outing of the season after he managed just 11 FP, as Wilder’s performance took pressure off him and the Argonauts passing attack.
The position had its disappointments. BC’s Jeremiah Johnson had only 7.7 Fantasy Points, while Calgary’s Jerome Messam had just four FP before being injured. Ticats back C.J. Gable had only 6.5 FP a week after leading all backs with 23.3 FP.
Jeremiah Johnson was among running backs who struggled to gain ground in Week 13 (The Canadian Press)
The ever-versatile Diontae Spencer topped the field at receiver with a 17.9 Fantasy point week in Ottawa’s win at Montreal, highlighted by his 113-yard missed field goal return for a touchdown. Spencer has accounted for over 200 all-purpose yards twice in the last four weeks since replacing injured Quincy McDuffie as the REDBLACKS return specialist.
Marken Michel had his second double-digit Fantasy output of the season, scoring 15.5 FP in the Stampeders win over the Lions, while teammate Reginald Begelton finished with 11 FP after recording his first career touchdown. Eskimos receiver Brandon Zylstra finished with 13.2 FP in the losing effort against the Argos. Naaman Roosevelt had 12.6 FP for the Roughriders on Friday night while extending his streak of touchdowns to four straight games.
Injuries cost Fantasy players the service of Saskatchewan’s Duron Carter, who had one catch for five yards before an ankle injury sidelined him the rest of the way. While injuries didn’t slow down S.J. Green, the Argonauts standout had only 6.8 points on two receptions for eight yards and a touchdown.
