Jimmy Jeong/CFL.ca
Nerves aren’t the only thing tightening as Semi-Final Sunday draws closer. With fewer teams comes a tighter salary cap, as Fantasy owners now have to work with only $30,000 to build a team. That means the margin for error becomes glaring if you miss badly on a player.
Want Mike Reilly on your team? At $14,000, that’s almost half of your salary cap, which means you’ll have to play things close to the vest when it comes to adding a top-end back. Those thinking of adding Reilly and Eskimos receiver Zylstra ($7,900) will take a huge bite out of their salary, so crossing that $21,790 bridge could be far too expensive for many Fantasy owners.
Fantasy owners must also take stock of the status of Bombers pivot Matt Nichols ($8,344), who missed last week’s regular season finale with a leg injury. Nichols would give way to Dan LeFevour ($5,000) if he can’t answer the call. LeFevour got the start last week and helped lead Winnipeg to victory against Calgary. The status of Kevin Glenn ($6,046) makes him a risk as Riders coach Chris Jones could give way to Brandon Bridge ($5,138), a pattern he has used over the past three weeks.
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Nichols returns this week after missing the season finale with a lower body injury (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
Zylstra is the top receiver, but Ottawa’s duo of Diontae Spencer ($6,836) and Greg Ellingson ($6,428) are affordable enough to consider stacking pivot Trevor Harris ($9,931) with either one of them. The Eskimos can also play the stack game well with Zylstra, Derel Walker ($5,755) or Adarius Bowman ($4,810) to play with Reilly. Winnipeg needs a healthy Nichols to make Weston Dressler ($4,297) a factor on Sunday. The Riders’ receiving corps takes a back seat to no one, especially if Duron Carter ($4,247) returns to play on offence more frequently and team up with Naaman Roosevelt ($5,891) and Bakari Grant ($3,632) and give Glenn a trio of playmakers.
Defensively, Winnipeg is the team to grab, as their two touchdowns in last week’s win over Calgary boosts their value. Saskatchwan’s D could prove to have value as well.
QUARTERBACKS
| Matchup Rank (Position Rank) | Player | Value | Opponent |
| 1 (1) | Mike Reilly, EDM | $14,000 | WPG |
| 2 (2) | Trevor Harris, OTT | $9,931 | SSK |
| 3 (3) | Matt Nichols, WPG | $8,344 | EDM |
| 4 (4) | Kevin Glenn, SSK | $6,046 | OTT |
| 5 (6) | Brandon Bridge, SSK | $5,138 | OTT |
| 6 (9) | Dan LeFevour, WPG | $5,000 | EDM |
| 7 (10) | James Franklin, EDM | $3,644 | WPG |
| 8 (5) | Drew Tate, OTT | $5,244 | SSK |
| 9 (8) | Dominique Davis, WPG | $5,000 | EDM |
| 10 (12) | Vernon Adams, Jr., SSK | $2,500 | OTT |
RUNNING BACKS
| Matchup Rank (Position Rank) | Player | Value | Opponent |
| 1 (2) | C.J. Gable, EDM | $7,499 | WPG |
| 2 (1) | William Powell, OTT | $8,023 | SSK |
| 3 (4) | Andrew Harris, WPG | $6,334 | EDM |
| 4 (6) | Kienan LaFrance, SSK | $3,799 | OTT |
| 5 (6) | Timothy Flanders, WPG | $3,994 | EDM |
| 6 (15) | Christion Jones, SSK | $2,500 | OTT |
| 7 (3) | Mossis Madu, OTT | $6,348 | SSK |
| 8 (10) | Marcus Thigpen, SSK | $2,500 | OTT |
| 9 (11) | Greg Morris, SSK | $2,500 | OTT |
| 10 (19) | Brendan Gillanders, OTT | $2,500 | SSK |
| 11 (22) | Calvin McCarty, EDM | $2,500 | WPG |
| 12 (16) | Patrick Lavoie, OTT | $2,500 | SSK |
RECEIVERS
|
Matchup Rank (Position Rank) |
Player | Value | Opponent |
| 1 (1) | Brandon Zylstra, EDM | $7,900 | WPG |
| 2 (2) | Diontae Spencer, OTT | $6,836 | SSK |
| 3 (3) | Greg Ellingson, OTT | $6,428 | SSK |
| 4 (6) | Derel Walker, EDM | $5,755 | WPG |
| 5 (5) | Naaman Roosevelt, SSK | $5,891 | OTT |
| 6 (8) | Adarius Bowman, EDM | $4,810 | WPG |
| 7 (9) | Weston Dressler, WPG | $4,297 | EDM |
| 8 (14) | Bakari Grant, SSK | $3,632 | OTT |
| 9 (7) | Chad Owens, SSK | $5,115 | OTT |
| 10 (10) | Duron Carter, SSK | $4,247 | OTT |
| 11 (11) | Vidal Hazelton, EDM | $3,888 | WPG |
| 12 (19) | Clarence Denmark, WPG | $2,708 | EDM |
| 13 (13) | Caleb Holley, SSK | $3,795 | OTT |
| 14 (20) | Joshua Stangby, OTT | $2,900 | SSK |
| 15 (37) | L’Damian Washington, WPG | $2,500 | EDM |
| 16 (30) | D’haquille Williams, EDM | $2,868 | WPG |
| 17 (34) | Jamill Smith, EDM | $2,500 | WPG |
| 18 (43) | Chris Givens, WPG | $2,500 | OTT |
| 19 (35) | Matt Coates, WPG | $2,500 | EDM |
| 20 (17) | Juron Criner, OTT | $2,542 | SSK |
DEFENCE
| Matchup Rank (Position Rank) | Team | Value | Opponent |
| 1 (1) | Winnipeg | $5,214 | EDM |
| 2 (2) | Saskatchewan | $4,668 | OTT |
| 3 (3) | Edmonton | $3,483 | WPG |
| 4 (4) | Ottawa | $3,200 | SSK |
