Week 18 Fantasy Injury Report: Daniels returns

Brandon C. Williams

CFL.ca

It’s Week 18. Everyone is playing hurt, yet some are more hurt than others. While one of the league’s top receivers is sidelined this week, another team gets its pivot back while another team adds spark to their running game as they get a key component to the offence.

How does it impact your Fantasy team? Let’s find out.

Saskatchewan at Calgary
Friday, 9:00 p.m. ET

Cameron Marshall returns this week after missing time with a knee injury (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)

Running back Cameron Marshall ($6,854) returns to the Roughriders backfield after missing the last six games with a knee injury. Marshall is the league’s eighth-leading rusher and is tied for second with five runs of more than 20 yards, but he’s a risky RB2 playing on the road against the league’s stingiest run defence (74 yards per game). Fantasy owners may want to tread with caution. Trent Richardson ($2,500) is the second back as Kienan LaFrance ($4,593) is on the injured list. Slotback Chad Owens ($5,530) will start in his 2017 debut and could be an interesting Flex option since Duron Carter ($5,670) will be focused on starting at cornerback.

Receiver DaVaris Daniels ($6,234) is back in the Stampeders lineup after missing the last four games with a lower body injury. He will have strong WR2 appeal since Marquay McDaniel ($4,539), the team’s leading receiver with 65 catches, is on the one-game injured list. Running back/return specialist Roy Finch ($5,204) is on the one-game IL for at least another game, leaving running back Terry Williams ($3,864) to handle kickoff returns.

Winnipeg at Toronto
Saturday, 4:00 p.m. ET

Weston Dressler returns to the field this week and will be relied heavily upon since Darvin Adams will not play (Jason Halstead/CFL.ca)

The Blue Bombers were dealt a cruel twist of fate with the loss of receiver Darvin Adams ($6,851), who will be out for at least the rest of the regular season with an upper body injury. The team will get receiver Weston Dressler ($4,459) back after he was sidelined three weeks with an upper body injury, yet will likely be without running back/slotback Timothy Flanders ($4,133), who remains on the six-game injured list.

Running back James Wilder ($5,801) is expected to return to the Argonauts lineup after he missed last week’s loss to the Eskimos recovering from a hard hit the previous week against the Roughriders. He had just one carry for three yards in the Week 4 contest against Winnipeg, but it’s safe to use him as a high-end RB2. The Bombers are eighth in the league, having allowed 10 runs of at least 20 yards, a potentially combustible scenario considering Wilder is tied with BC’s Jeremiah Johnson with eight runs over 20 yards.

Edmonton at BC
Saturday, 10:00 p.m. ET

Will Vidal Hazelton make his return this week? (The Canadian Press)

The already-loaded Eskimos receiving corps could add Vidal Hazelton ($5,751), who is eligible to come off the injured list. Hazleton has practiced with the team this week; if he does play, it’s hard to consider him Fantasy-viable now that Brandon Zylstra ($9,197) and Derel Walker ($8,092) have become the top options for Mike Reilly ($13,576). Running back Kendial Lawrence ($3,929) also practiced this week and could come off the IL to give the Edmonton punt return game a needed boost. C.J. Gable ($8,941) is also ruled out of Saturday’s contest after being placed on the one-game injured list.

The Lions will likely have receiver Nick Moore ($4,198) on the injured list for another week. As a whole, the team does not have a lot of injury issues that could impact decisions for Fantasy owners.

Hamilton at Montreal
Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET

Darian Durant is set to lead the Alouettes offence this week after missing time with an injury (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)

Promising return specialist Willie Quinn ($2,500) is on the one-game injured list after he suffered a lower body injury last week. Receiver Jalen Saunders ($4,644) missed practice on Wednesday, leaving his status in doubt. Running back Mercer Timmis ($2,500) is eligible to come off the six-game injured list, but the presence of Alex Green ($4,924) makes it unlikely Timmis will see too many carries if activated.

The Alouettes will get quarterback Darian Durant ($7,654) back after he missed the last two games with a hamstring injury. He’ll get his chance to snap the team’s eight-game losing streak. Montreal put running back Brandon Rutley ($,5348) on the injured list earlier this week, leaving them with Tyrell Sutton ($6,983) in the backfield.

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