The Canadian Press
Four points separated Saskatchewan from an improbable trip to the Grey Cup Final last November, and while quarterback Kevin Glenn is gone from a team that finished 10-8 in the regular season, there are strong reasons to believe the offence could be better than last year’s edition.
Whoever wins the starting role at pivot will have a trio of Fantasy-friendly receivers to fire the ball to, and if the Roughriders can solve their issues at running back, this could be a fun team to turn to for solid numbers.
QUARTERBACKS
Glenn threw for 4,038 yards and 25 touchdowns, but the three interceptions he threw in the Eastern Final marked his unofficial end with the Riders. In his place comes Zach Collaros, who lost his job to Jeremiah Masoli in Hamilton.
Among ranked quarterbacks, Collaros finished last with 11 touchdown drives and was a less than stellar 9-of-35 in passes of longer than 20 yards. He finished with just seven passing majors and eight interceptions before the Tiger-Cats caught fire down the stretch with Masoli guiding the offence. For all his faults in 2017, the Roughriders think Collaros can return to the form he had in 2015-16, when he threw a combined 43 touchdown passes. If Saskatchewan can get the Collaros of those two seasons, he would be a Fantasy bargain. His lack of running does hurt his Fantasy value, so those starting him will have to rely solely on his arm.
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Should Collaros struggle, the Roughriders won’t hesitate to turn to Brandon Bridge, who put up an impressive 107.0 efficiency rate last season. Bridge completed 66.7 per cent of his passes for 1,236 yards with 10 touchdowns to just four interceptions in 138 attempts. He received a handful of starts later in the season when Glenn was injured, yet wasn’t productive enough to merit Fantasy attention. Signed by Saskatchewan prior to the start of free agency, Bridge has superstar potential and would make Fantasy players think twice when considering him. Bridge is a good runner who averaged 6.4 yards per carry and scored once on the ground, making his upside more intriguing.
David Watford is the most likely candidate to win the third job over B.J. Daniels.
RUNNING BACKS
The position was a revolving door, as injuries led to the team using six different runners over the course of the season. None were able to save the Roughriders from finishing last in the league with 82.1 rushing yards per game and eighth with 4.8 yards per carry.
Saskatchewan turned to former Stampeders back Jerome Messam to resolve their ground troubles. The 33-year-old had consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons and finished third last year with 1,016 yards. Messam also added a combined 20 rushing scores the past two seasons, so at least his nose for the end zone remains strong. He did struggle late in 2017, managing just 119 total rushing yards in his last four regular seasons games, but did score touchdowns in both of Calgary’s playoff games and was named the Most Valuable Canadian in the Grey Cup Final.
There’s risk with Messam, especially if his production starts to decline. He makes a good RB2 in most weeks and Fantasy players shouldn’t be surprised if he shows signs of being his old self.
The acquisition of Zach Collaros could change the Riders’ Fantasy outlook going into 2018 (The Canadian Press)
With Cameron Marshall and Kienan LaFrance both gone, the opportunity for carries behind Messam could go to former St. Louis Rams back Zac Stacy. Stacy missed the 2017 football season recovering from injuries but did record 973 yards and seven touchdowns in his rookie year in 2013. If Messam goes down, Stacy will be a Flex option who could rise into a low-end RB2 for Fantasy players.
While Stacy has been added to the team’s practice roster, Tre Mason could team up with Jerome Messam in the Riders’ backfield early on. Mason is just 24 and has a bright future in the league if he can prove he belonds.
Marcus Thigpen ran for 169 yards and touchdown in the Riders’ Eastern Semi-Final win over Ottawa, but opens the season serving a two-game suspension. With Stacy and the other American running backs in town, Thigpen’s issues may have hurt his chances of gaining a bigger role, although he was impressive in the pre-season opener.
Trent Richardson, who played in four games last season, was placed on the suspended list and may have seriously hampered an opportunity to thrive in the league.
RECEIVERS
Despite injuries that cost him four games, Naaman Roosevelt further established himself as one of the league’s best pass-catchers in 2017, pulling in 75 receptions for 1,035 yards and eight touchdowns en route to earning West Division All-Star honors. Roosevelt had three 100-yard games and also had a six-game stretch where he caught a touchdown pass in five of those contests. He comes into the season looking for a third straight 1,000-yard campaign and is a lock to be a WR1 that delivers weekly for Fantasy players.
Duron Carter came from Montreal and gave Saskatchewan another East Division All-Star receiver, as he led the team with 1,043 yards and tied Roosevelt with a team-high eight scores. Carter, who caught 73 passes, was a highlight reel seemingly every week and also handled duties in the secondary, where he recorded nine tackles and returned an interception for a touchdown. If his focus is solely at receiver this year, Carter will be a good WR2 choice, but the situation is cloudy after watching him play corner in pre-season. Still, Carter has at least 900 yards in receptions in each of his first four years in the league and is a sure bet for production in 2018.
If Duron Carter plays more DB this year, his Fantasy production could take a hit (Arthur Ward/CFL.ca)
Christion Jones brought life into the return game by returning three punts for touchdowns, including one in the Eastern Final. He averaged 14.3 yards on punt returns and 23.5 on kickoff returns, making him an interesting Flex play. The Roughriders did not use him often on offence, hurting his Fantasy value.
The release of Rob Bagg, Bakari Grant and Chad Owens came as a surprise on cutdown day, but opens up new doors on the Riders’ offence. Jordan Williams-Lambert could move into a starting role, while Caleb Holley could see an uptick in opportunities behind Carter and Roosevelt on offence.
DEFENCE
Only the Stampeders allowed fewer points than the Riders, who limited foes to 23.9 points per game. The unit caused havoc on a weekly basis, finishing third in the league in both forced turnovers (40) and interceptions (19). Defensive back Ed Gainey earned CFL and West Division All-Star honors after leading the league with 10 interceptions while lineman Willie Jefferson paced the team with eight sacks.
Despite finishing with just 27 total sacks, the Roughriders clamped down on the pass, holding pivots to a league-low 62.1 per cent completion rate and were second in opponent’s average pass (7.7 yards).
