Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
Welcome to a new season of TSN CFL Fantasy, a game so grand that it forced the league to start the regular season one week earlier (kidding!). From the warmth of a summer night in Toronto to the bone-chilling cold that will usher in a Grey Cup champion in Edmonton, countless players will tap into their inner general manager and attempt to put together a winning lineup on a weekly basis.
So, how to successfully make the most of the $40,000 salary cap?
Let’s look at five strategies for success in CFL Fantasy.
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1. Pivot wisely
While it would be easy to say “start Mike Reilly on a weekly basis,” not everyone is willing to pay the $14,000 required to play the reigning Most Outstanding Player. Three other projected Week 1 starters — Ottawa’s Trevor Harris ($9,931), Winnipeg’s Matt Nichols ($8,344) and Toronto’s Ricky Ray ($10,416) — threw at least 25 touchdown passes last year while Hamilton’s Jeremiah Masoli ($10,581) finished the regular season with enough momentum to enter this year as one of two other pivots with a five-figure Fantasy salary.
Finding a passer who can also enhance your numbers with his running skills will bolster your numbers. Don’t expect Reilly to repeat his 12 rushing majors from 2017, yet do know he’ll remain an asset near the goal line. Masoli and BC’s Jonathon Jennings are also strong running threats capable of finding a running lane and creating a big play or two.
Don’t be too fixated on playing the same quarterback each week. Sure, there’s going to be the pivot who sports an extended hot hand, but blindly pressing your luck will eventually get you burned. Be patient and crunch the numbers to find the quarterback who has the ideal matchup each week. It’s not rocket science, yet assumptions can (and will) leave you looking up at the rest of your league mates if you squander the most important position in the game.
With a full off-season under Head Coach June Jones, the Ticats may just have the best bang for your buck in their receiving corps (The Canadian Press)
2. Caring is pairing
Simple but effective, the pairing of quarterback and his favourite target can take your scoring off the charts. Ask any Fantasy player how productive the combination of Masoli and Brandon Banks ($8,075) were during the last quarter of the regular season. The two will be a strong pairing with a full season of coach June Jones’ offence and with teams also forced to focus on fellow Tiger-Cats receivers Luke Tasker ($5,644), Jalen Saunders ($4,435) and a returning Terrance Toliver ($4,950), a Masoli-Banks ticket will be a popular union for Fantasy players.
However, a Masoli-Banks teaming will eat up nearly half of your salary. If that’s an uncomfortable feeling, there are other pairings with the potential to be effective. Keep an eye on who wins the starting quarterback job in Saskatchewan, as either Zach Collaros ($6,598) or Brandon Bridge ($5,138) will be a bargain to pair up with Duron Carter ($4,247) or Naaman Roosevelt ($5,891). The Roughriders will provide a solid option that will light up scoreboards along with delivering a potential springboard to a winning Fantasy lineup.
3. Be willing to gamble
A $40,000 salary assures you can’t put together an all-star team, so Fantasy players must accept the reality of going off the grid in order to find a gem or two that can carry their team over the top.
The running back position will present the most risk this season beyond the pair of Toronto’s James Wilder Jr. ($8,216) and Edmonton’s C.J. Gable ($7,499). Several teams opened training camp attempting to find either a starter or an effective committee. Keep in mind that Wilder didn’t gain the Argos’ starting role until mid-season and Gable’s best stretch of play didn’t come until after he was dealt from Hamilton late in the campaign.
Finding sleepers is great but don’t overdo it. You will need an elite player or two, so whistling in the dark across the board will leave Fantasy players feeling foolish (and make them the focus of ribbing from fellow league members). Maximize the salary cap because it’s not like the $2,800 left over is going to wind up in your bank account.
4. Defence wins championships
Don’t overlook the value of a good defence. The points may not be as prolific as those from a Flex player but the right D on a weekly basis is a source of sneaky good production. Playing matchups is important. Choosing a defence that’s facing the Eskimos is an invitation to disappointment most nights, so find a unit that is either on a roll or is playing against an offence that has been scoring challenged.
Pairing against the Alouettes became a popular play in the second half of last season. Montreal’s offence failed to generate consistent production in what became a 10-game losing streak to close out the year. By the fifth game of the streak, most Fantasy players began to catch on and used the defence the Als would be facing that week. However, the addition of new coach Mike Sherman lends some optimism that Montreal won’t continue to be a great source of defensive points.
A defence can come out of nowhere and become a value play. The Roughriders began last season near the bottom in pricing, but the unit emerged as a bargain as they finished second in fewest points allowed and third in interceptions. The Stampeders were the most consistent defence in 2017 but the off-season turnover in personnel might change things.
Saskatchewan’s D was a bargain last season in fantasy, ranking near the bottom in cost, yet finishing among the league’s best (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
5. Leave the past in the past
Sure, it’s easy to bet players like Reilly, Wilder and REDBLACKS receiver Greg Ellingson will continue to be among the top players at their respective positions. At the same time, just because a player had a good 2017 doesn’t make them a cinch to repeat that level of production this year.
Changes in offensive personnel, a new location and Father Time are three reasons a player’s Fantasy production can dip from hero to zero level in the blink of an eye. Consider at this time last season, Jennings was slated to be a must-start pivot, Mossis Madu had “breakout running back” status in Ottawa and Adarius Bowman looked like he was primed for another 100 catches, 1,500 yards and 10 touchdowns. All three turned out to be Fantasy disappointments, leaving many an owner puzzled.
On the other side of the coin, an off-2017 can lead a player to fly under the radar. Jennings is a prime example and with the Stampeders’ ground game in a state of uncertainty, the return of Bo Levi Mitchell to elite Fantasy status can’t be ignored. Players like Hamilton receiver Terrence Toliver and Stamps wideout Lemar Durant both had injury-plagued campaigns yet both have the potential to reach lofty levels of Fantasy production.
