Matt Smith/CFL.ca
With three weeks left in the regular season, every lineup decision is magnified and the need for the extra edge to hurdle over your fellow Fantasy league mates intensifies. Whether you’re atop the standings or desperately seeking to avoid last place, one thing is required: play it out.
Deciding who to start and who needs to sit is no easier in Week 18 than it was in Week 1. Let’s figure it out here.
Saskatchewan at Calgary
Friday, 9:00 p.m. ET
Starting the league’s leading rusher would be wise for fantasy owners this week (The Canadian Press)
Start: Stampeders running back Jerome Messam is a bargain of sorts, as the league’s leading rusher comes into Week 18 with a salary of $6,262. There’s no way he repeats last week’s 11-yard effort in the win over Hamilton and he gets a favorable matchup against a Roughriders run defence that is seventh in rushing yards allowed per game (102.1). Messam had a season-high 135 yards rushing in a Week 5 win over Saskatchewan, adding a touchdown on 28 carries. Speaking of scoring, Messam should snap a drought that has seen him fail to score in his last four games.
Sit: Kevin Glenn ($8,872) threw for a pair of touchdowns last week, his first since the Banjo Bowl on Labour Day weekend. While it’s an encouraging sign, don’t expect Glenn to light up the scoreboard against the league’s top defence, one which held him to 203 yards in the Week 5 meeting between the teams. The return of running back Cameron Marshall ($6,854) from the six-game injured list will provide the Riders offence a needed jolt, yet it may not be enough to help Glenn make a play or two downfield.
Winnipeg at Toronto
Saturday, 4:00 p.m. ET
Ryan Lankford will likely be a bigger part of Winnipeg’s offence this week with the loss of Darvin Adams (Matt Smith/CFL.ca)
Start: The loss of receiver Darvin Adams ($6,581) for at least the remainder of the regular season is a huge hit to the Bombers’ passing attack, especially when you consider he accounted for half the team’s 22 receptions of at least 30 yards. Take the gamble on Ryan Lankford ($3,341), who has two catches of 30-plus yards and has been largely silent since a seven-catch effort in Week 6. Lankford has just 35 targets this season but averages 13 yards per catch and has three touchdowns among his 20 receptions.
Sit: Blue Bombers receiver Weston Dressler ($4,459) returns to the lineup, yet he has not been an effective Fantasy performer since his 109-yard outing against the Argonauts in Week 4. While injuries have limited Dressler to eight games this season, he hasn’t exceeded 64 receiving yards in any game since crossing the century mark in the previous meeting against Toronto. He has also been held without a touchdown since scoring both of his majors in the season opener against Saskatchewan.
Edmonton at BC
Saturday, 9:00 p.m. ET
Starting the Esks D might be a good choice this week, especially against Jonathon Jennings’ league-leading interceptions (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
Start: The Eskimos defence ($3,651) merits a start here. Yes, Edmonton is seventh in points allowed per game (28.9), but the unit is facing a Lions team that is last in the league with a -14 turnover ratio, due in part to pivot Jonathon Jennings’ league-leading 15 interceptions. BC has also given up 37 quarterback sacks, second only to Toronto’s 38. That plays into the strength of the Edmonton D, which is third in QB pressures (102) and fourth with 34 sacks.
Sit: Jennings ($9,671), 3-8 as a starter this season, is averaging just 1.46 points per possession, the second-worst rate among qualified quarterbacks. His 58.5 QBR and 33.9 completion rate on passes of 20-plus yards also rank near the bottom of the league as well. It also doesn’t help that Jennings is playing an Edmonton defence that leads the league in opponents’ passing yards allowed per game (266).
Hamilton at Montreal
Sunday, 1:00 p.m ET
Since June Jones took over as head coach of the Ticats, Brandon Banks has emerged at receiver (The Canadian Press)
Start: Ticats receiver Brandon Banks ($5,571) has been revived since June Jones took over the reigns as coach. He’s put together four straight games of double-digit Fantasy production and three consecutive 100-yard efforts while averaging 17.2 yards per catch during this current stretch. The Alouettes have allowed a league-low 21 passes of 30-plus yards, but Banks and quarterback Jeremiah Masoli ($9,315) have emerged as one of the league’s best downfield tag teams over the past month and have been key to Hamilton’s newfound offensive spark.
Sit: If Drew Willy ($5,134) is in line for a third straight start for injured Darian Durant ($7,654), it makes it harder to use Alouettes receiver Ernest Jackson ($3,888). Jackson has just two games of more than 43 yards receiving since Week 9 and has just one reception of more than 20 yards in that same span. Only twice has he had more than three receptions. A return of Durant or perhaps an extended look at rookie Matt Shiltz ($2,500) could help his case, but Jackson would be a challenge to use in a Flex position.
