Patrick Doyle/CFL.ca
Is there a more versatile player in the CFL than Saskatchewan’s Duron Carter? As the 2018 pre-season officially got underway on Sunday, I found myself asking myself that question as Carter played both ways in a Riders 35-12 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos.
If Saskatchewan is going to use Carter on both side of the football all season long, it opens up possibilities that no other team has in their possession.
I won’t lie: I was quite skeptical late last season when Head Coach Chris Jones opted to use Carter as a defensive back in the team’s Week 19 showdown with Calgary. Of course, it didn’t take long for Carter to prove us skeptics wrong when he picked off Bo Levi Mitchell for a fourth quarter touchdown.
It was an emphatic way for Carter to burst onto the CFL scene as a DB and it led to Sask using him in that spot a few more times down the stretch. Well, we got a pretty good idea how varied Carter’s role might be this season on Sunday afternoon.
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Shaq Cooper had one of four rushing touchdowns for the Esks in their pre-season win (The Canadian Press)
Carter spent the first quarter at receiver and was targeted three times by quarterback David Watford. In the second, Carter flipped to the defensive backfield and finished with a pair of tackles in a solid quarter of work. That’s not necessarily going to be the deployment strategy all season long, but it sure did get my wheels turning on all the options the Riders have here.
The fact is there’s truly no one like Carter in this league. Nobody plays both ways this day and age! And, in Carter’s case, it’s not like he’s just passable on either side of the ball. Nope, the fifth-year pro straight up excels in both positions and could be a legit starter on all eight other teams.
This gives Jones and company so many fascinating options this season. What we saw on Sunday is certainly a strategy we could see employed by the Riders at different times. But where it gets really interesting is when Saskatchewan’s coaching staff starts digging deep on matchups.
Perhaps one night the pre-scout fleshes out a pretty solid matchup to exploit in the opposing secondary, which would mean a steady dose of Carter at receiver. Conversely, maybe we’re talking about a matchup where the Riders need to prioritize Carter’s speed and physicality defensively and are okay sacrificing what he brings at receiver.
Regardless of how Saskatchewan decides to deploy Carter on a weekly basis, the fact is they have a weapon unlike any other across the league. Even better is the fact the Riders seem poised to exploit everything that goes along with a one-of-a-kind player like Carter. Why was I skeptical again?
Flying high
Yes, it was only a pres-eason game, but it sure does look like the Edmonton Eskimos are ready to pace the league with their aerial attack for another season. It’s nothing new, as Mike Reilly and Edmonton’s receivers have torn the league apart for two consecutive seasons and it’s something we were expecting heading into 2018. Nothing about their pre-season debut changed that.
Derel Walker got 46 per cent of the vote to be this year’s leading receiver in CFL.ca’s preseason media poll, and you can understand why. Not only is Walker freakishly gifted with his combination of speed and strength, but he’s also got the league’s most dangerous passer throwing to him. Walker looks very much on track to have a huge season, but he’s not the only one.
Duke Williams was the big star for the Eskimos in their win on Sunday and he’s a solid candidate for a breakout season. Williams had a solid, albeit limited, 2017 campaign; in 13 games, he had 83 catches for 715 yards and four touchdowns. This year, though, I see Williams being used even more frequently, especially with the departure of Brandon Zylstra. As such, we might see a reduction in his “boom or bust” tendencies from last season.
Then there’s Bryant Mitchell who has the same type of breakout potential as Duke. Getting into seven games, Mitchell was even more limited than Williams was last season, but was quite productive nonetheless. Mitchell finished with four touchdowns and 482 yards on 32 receptions, which are solid numbers, and he’s going to be a much bigger part of the offence in 2018.
Heading into Week 1, Reilly is the most expensive player in CFL Fantasy at $14,000, which is understandable. For me, though, I’m far more apt to plop my cash down on Reilly’s receivers as opposed to using up a huge chunk of my budget on one player.
By targeting guys like Walker, Williams, Mitchell, and Vidal Hazelton, who are all solid buys in Week 1, you’re still exploiting Reilly without plopping down a massive sum. The Esks have owned the league’s leading receiver four of the last five years, and there’s a pretty solid chance that trend continues once again this season.
The Money List
We’re adding a tailback to our expanding 2018 Money List. We’re identifying the top players at each position right now and are adding a huge piece on offence this week.
Quarterback: Bo Levi Mitchell, Calgary Stampeders
Receiver: Greg Ellingson, Ottawa REDBLACKS
Defensive End: Willie Jefferson, Saskatchewn Roughriders
Defensive Tackle: Micah Johnson, Calgary Stampeders
Linebacker: Alex Singleton, Calgary Stampeders
Running Back: Andrew Harris, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
He’s reliable. He’s Canadian. He can impact the game on the ground and through the air. Winnipeg’s Andrew Harris just keeps on doing what he does year after year and, while he may be 31, he shows no signs of slowing down. It’s not a knock on James Wilder, Tyrell Sutton, or Jeremiah Johnson, but If I were starting a championship contending team right now, Harris would be my feature back, no questions asked.
You can bank on certain things with Harris every single season. He’s a threat for 1,000 rushing yards and has done so on three different occasions; two other teams he’s been close at 998 and 974. There’s a difference between a thousand-yard rusher and a guy who’s rushed for a thousand yards, and Harris most certainly the former.
He’s also good for at least 500 yards through the air, something Harris done five of the last six years; the lone exception saw him finish with 484 with the Lions in 2015. Last year was a new career best for Harris, and he almost became the first player in CFL history to go over 1,000 yards through the air and on the ground. In the end, he finished with 857 receiving yards, which made him a top 20 receiver.
So lets’ recap: Harris is coming off year where he led the league in rushing yards and was a top-20 volume receiver. Additionally, he’s about as reliable and consistent as they come and has one other thing that puts him over the top: he’s durable. Harris has played 18 games in six of his eight CFL seasons, which is unicorn level stuff at his position.
I readily admit Wilder might be the most terrifying and explosive player in the game right now. But Harris’s combination of versatility, consistency, and durability puts him in a category of his own, which is why he’s our Money List tailback for a second straight year.
