June 19, 2018

Start vs. Sit: Bang for your buck with Spencer

Patrick Doyle/CFL.ca

Week 2 is highlighted by the Grey Cup rematch between the Stampeders and Argonauts on Saturday evening, but the three games before Calgary and Toronto reunite have the potential for more scoring than was seen in Week 1. Ottawa begins its regular season against a Saskatchewan team that eliminated them in the East Semi-Final. The scoreboard could also be busy when Hamilton’s Jeremiah Masoli ($9,874) collides with Edmonton’s Mike Reilly ($14,000). Don’t discount the clash between the Blue Bombers and Alouettes either – a game that will unearth a Fantasy gem or two.

Who starts and who sits? Let’s find out.


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Saskatchewan (1-0-0) at Ottawa

Thursday | 7:30 p.m. ET

Start: Diontae Spencer, WR, Ottawa, $6,513 Salary

The Roughriders defence had the second-best opponent’s pass efficiency, holding the Argos’ Ricky Ray ($9,421) to a 76.1 rating. They will be hard-pressed to duplicate that effort against REDBLACKS pivot Trevor Harris ($9,488), who passed for 457 yards and two majors in the East Semi-Final loss. Spencer put up 26.1 Fantasy points that afternoon, catching nine passes for 157 yards and a touchdown and can also hurt Saskatchewan as a return specialist. He ended his 2017 season with three 100-yard outings in his last four games that also included his record-setting 496 all-purpose yard outing against Hamilton. With the Riders having to put a lot of focus on running back William Powell ($7,640) and receivers Greg Ellingson ($6,142) and Brad Sinopoli ($3,229), Spencer has a great chance to start his 2018 with a bang.

Sit: Jerome Messam, RB, Saskatchewan, $4,482 Salary

Yes, Messam rushed for 72 yards and caught two passes for seven yards in the win over Toronto, but he managed just 3.4 yards per carry on his 21 attempts while newcomer Tre Mason ($3,000) averaged better than five yards per carry in his five rushing attempts. With Marcus Thigpen set to return after this week, the Roughriders’ ground game is going to be crowded and there’s a good chance Messam could be the odd man out. If this becomes a shootout, expect Mason to have a bigger role than Messam.

Winnipeg (0-1-0) at Montreal (0-1-0)

Friday | 7:00 p.m. ET

Start: Chris Streveler, QB, Winnipeg, $6,000 Salary

Why not? Keep in mind that the Alouettes defence allowed Lions quarterback Jonathon Jennings to rush for 57 yards on nine carries on Saturday night. Like Jennings, Streveler has no qualms about running the ball, as displayed by his 30 yards on seven carries against the Eskimos. Sure, he will run, yet Streveler showed accuracy on the deep ball, completing three of his five attempts beyond 20 yards. With Darvin Adams ($6,104), Weston Dressler ($4,686) and Adarius Bowman ($4,481) at his disposal, the Bombers rookie is in position for a big night.

Sit: Chris Williams, WR, Montreal, $3,798 Salary

A bright light in the Alouettes loss to the Lions, Williams caught six passes for 98 yards, including a 56-yard reception. However, if you take away that big play, his yards per catch drops to 8.4 yards per haul. Drew Willy ($6,000) passed for 281 yards in Week 1 and has a chance to exploit a Bombers secondary that gave up 408 yards to Reilly last Thursday, including five passes of better than 20 yards. Ernest Jackson ($3,385) and B.J. Cunningham ($3,888) combined for 11 targets in Week 1; that will have to change if the Als want to snap their 13-game losing streak. It may mean fewer opportunities for Williams in an offence that had just one touchdown on Saturday.

Leading the league in passing touchdowns after Week 1, rookie Chris Streveler’s a top pick vs. the Alouettes in Week 2. (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)

Hamilton (0-1-0) at Edmonton (1-0-0)

Friday | 10:00 p.m. ET

Start: Jalen Saunders, Hamilton, $5,157 Salary

Dating back to Week 13 last season, Saunders has scored at least nine Fantasy Points in six of his last seven games, including Week 1’s 18.8 outing against Calgary. The second-year pass catcher has established a solid rapport with Masoli and faces an Eskimos defence that allowed three touchdown passes to rookie Chris Streveler last week. The Tiger-Cats have a wealth of talent for Masoli to throw to, but it’s beginning to feel as if Saunders is the go-to man for an offence that averaged a league-best 7.4 yards per play against the vaunted Stampeders defence but had just one touchdown to show for it.

Sit: Mike Jones, WR, Hamilton, $2,500 Salary

The few — yet bold — Fantasy players who put Jones in their lineup saw their gamble pay off in the form of five catches for 120 yards. It’s not that Jones can repeat his effort, it’s the fact Brandon Banks isn’t going to finish with four catches for 19 yards on Friday night. Masoli had the second-best average yards per attempt in Week 1, tossing the ball at a 12.7-yard clip and will continue to strike downfield. Jalen Saunders and Luke Tasker will get their looks as well. Jones’ projected target total will disappoint anyone who plans on using him.

Calgary (1-0-0) at Toronto (0-1-0)

Saturday | 7:00 p.m. ET

Start: Terry Williams, RB, Calgary, $3,859 Salary

Don Jackson ($3,000) should be atop the Stampeders depth chart once again, yet it doesn’t mean Williams won’t have Fantasy value. He did rush for 33 yards on seven carries against Hamilton and his return skills will offer Williams more touches against a Toronto team that allowed just one big play last week. The Argos did have their hands full against Riders return specialist Christion Jones ($2,500) last week and will face another challenge in Williams, who can create an explosive moment any time he touches the ball.

Sit: Ricky Ray, QB, Toronto, $9,421

The hero of last year’s Grey Cup championship thriller looked as if he still had not thawed out with a lacklustre 233 passing yards and an interception against the Roughriders last week. Ray failed to throw a touchdown, a feat he achieved just twice in 2017. While the Stamps allowed 344 passing yards last week, they did not allow a passing touchdown to Masoli and had the second-best opponent’s quarterback rating at 46.3. Toronto is still looking for a third receiver to take some of the coverage off S.J. Green ($5,965) and Armanti Edwards ($4,040), so it’s not all on Ray. However, this is not the week to bet that Ray reverts to form, so Fantasy players should avoid him.