Week 1 is in the books and thus brings us another week of Total CFL Pick ‘Em.
Fortunately, the REDBLACKS won’t have to wait much longer to get their hands dirty, as they’ll be getting their season underway after being on a bye in Week 1.
Total CFL Pick ‘Em is back in 2018 and if you can pick the winners with regularity, you’ll have a chance to win $5,000. *View rules regarding streaks and prizing.
With the first game tabbed to kick off on Thursday, here are my picks for Week 2 of the CFL season.
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SASKATCHEWAN @ OTTAWA
Thursday | 7:30 p.m. ET
Zach Collaros may continue to grow in the Green and White when they take on Ottawa on Thursday. (The Canadian Press)
Injuries to the REDBLACKS offensive line would be very worrisome if I’m Trevor Harris standing in the pocket. The way Charleston Hughes and the rest of the Roughriders front seven put pressure on Ricky Ray last week, you have to believe they’ll get there again this week.
Will the REDBLACKS try to exploit a matchup on the outside with receiver Diontae Spencer against Duron Carter, who is making the move to defensive back? The Argos needed three quarters and a much more passive defence from the Riders to move the ball.
Zach Collaros took another step forward as quarterback of the Roughriders last week and looked far more comfortable in the offence as the game went on. The REDBLACKS had another week off and may need some time to iron some things out on the field in game action.
PICK: SASKATCHEWAN (90% confidence)
WINNIPEG @ MONTREAL
Friday | 7:00 p.m. ET
Montreal’s Drew Willy was more efficient than expected in their loss to the Lions in Week 1. Does that have the makings for an upset in Week 2? (Jimmy Jeong/CFL.ca)
The Bombers are coming off one of the strangest losses in CFL history with two rain delays totalling over 3 hours and then they blew a late lead to Mike Reilly and the Eskimos.
Chris Streveler was okay in his first start but did make some mistakes, while also adding some added flare with this speed. I do expect the Alouettes to be far more prepared at spying Streveler and keep him passing because he’s clearly hot and cold.
I was pleasantly surprised by Drew Willy’s efficiency at quarterback last week with a 72% completion percentage and it is clear Tyrell Sutton is going to be the workhorse for the Als. Winnipeg was fine against the run by allowed over 400-yards through the air against Edmonton.
Usually rookie quarterbacks can surprise a team without a lot of film, but I’m going to slide over to a home team with the ability to pick apart tendencies in the film room in the CFL’s first big upset of 2018. But I’m not putting any bonus points on the line in this one with the confidence meter.
PICK: MONTREAL (0% confidence)
HAMILTON @ EDMONTON
Friday | 10:00 p.m. ET
Brandon Banks will have to shake off any off-season rust if the Ticats hope to have a chance against a well-rounded Esks squad. (The Canadian Press)
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats held in against a strong Calgary team and if it weren’t for a late interception by Jeremiah Masoli, it could have been a dramatic win for Hamilton.
Now they are back to Alberta to take on the Eskimos, who are coming off a big comeback win in Winnipeg.
I think that fourth quarter has the Eskimos carrying some momentum into the game as they found that late game magic from Mike Reilly again. Over 400-yards passing and the matchup this week could see C.J. Gable get a little more success on the ground and in the passing game.
Brandon Banks was disappointing in his first game after believing he could eclipse 2,000-yards receiving in the offseason. I feel he’ll be back to his game-breaking self in this one. Another close game but I think the home team has this one.
PICK: EDMONTON (66% confidence)
CALGARY @ TORONTO
Saturday | 7:00 p.m. ET
It’s the Grey Cup rematch, so expect the Argos to be making it clear why they’re reigning champs. (Matt Smith/CFL.ca)
The Grey Cup rematch!
There was some good and bad in both Toronto and Calgary’s Week One game, although Toronto’s matchup was higher on the scale of difficulty playing on the road in Saskatchewan.
Ricky Ray didn’t play in the preseason and it looked like he was a little behind game speed until the second half against Saskatchewan. Probably not a good sign for the Stampeders defence who gave up some big plays to the Tiger-Cats last week.
James Wilder Jr. wasn’t as involved in the offence as he could have been but a ruthless pass rush gave the Argonauts headaches early.
Wilder will be pressed to be running away from tackle Micah Johnson, which could lead to some high production.
Calgary will be a hard team to cover, however, and with Don Jackson having a good debut there is a lot to worry about for the Argonauts defence. This could be a great rematch!
PICK: TORONTO (25% confidence)
TSN CFL Fantasy: Nye picks his roster
The TSN CFL Fantasy game returns for another season after launching last year. Each team will consist of six active offensive players (one quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers, and a flex player) as well as a defence selected from one of the CFL’s nine teams, all while staying under a salary cap.
Best of all, TSN CFL Fantasy managers compete for the grand prize, of $10,000!
With Week 1 approaching fast, Nye makes his picks below:
QB – ZACH COLLAROS
With the expectation that the Riders win and the way he looked to get more comfortable within his new offence, I think there has the potential for Collaros to air it out a little bit more in Week 2. Yes, he won’t have Duron Carter but there are young, fast receivers to throw to and the always dependable Naaman Roosevelt. What makes it even more appealing is the price, leaving money to spend elsewhere.
RB – TYRELL SUTTON
The Alouettes running back was targeted a bunch in that first game of the season and I don’t expect him to get any less attention from Drew Willy and with PPR now in fantasy with the CFL, those are easy points to pick up.
RB – JAMES WILDER JR.
Disappointed in his first week of the season, Wilder has much more to contribute for the Argonauts offence. Four catches on four targets show his ability in the receiving game but he’s also a tough man to bring down when he gets the ball in the backfield. Look for Toronto to rely on Wilder a little more rather than having to go away from their back trailing Saskatchewan last week.
WR – CALEB HOLLEY
No Duron Carter on offence for this game which means the targets have to go somewhere and I’d expect Holley and Naaman Roosevelt to benefit. I feel both are solid plays this week but Holley could be the game breaker down field that the Riders need to make big plays with Carter on defence.
WR – DEREL WALKER
10 targets, 8 catches, 176-yards and a touchdown is a great start to the season for Walker and he is clearly Mike Reilly’s number one target and that yields amazing numbers throughout the season. It’ll be hard not to play Walker and his value is low right now than what it will be by the end of the season.
Flex – DON JACKSON
A great debut for the Stampeders running back. All that was missing from his game was catching a ball out of the backfield. If he starts developing there for Bo Levi Mitchell, the sky is the limit but I’ll roll with a $3,000 cap hit and the potential for another good game from the dynamic rookie in Calgary.
DEF – SASKATCHEWAN
They punished a healthy offensive line in Week One. What are they going to do to an offensive line with some injury problems? I think this should be a pretty popular pick as the Riders value will only rise throughout the season.
