Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
There are a ton of question marks going into Week 8 of TSN CFL Fantasy contests, so it will be important to keep an eye on the news and team depth charts as they are released. Questions swirl around the Calgary, Hamilton, and Saskatchewan backfields while everyone is left guessing as to how much playing time Duron Carter will get on offence.
QUARTERBACKS
Top Projected
Mike Reilly, EDM – $14,000
Jeremiah Masoli, HAM – $9,014
Punt Singles
Johnny Manziel, MTL – $7,000
Reilly is still the top projected passer on the slate but for the first time this season it’s not by a landslide. The Eskimos face the Roughriders on Thursday night and the Riders defence has proven to be one of the best units in the league this season. They are fourth in the league in pass defence, allowing only 7.85 yards per attempt, which is nearly two full yards lower than what Edmonton usually passes for (9.64). The Riders defence also leads the league in forced two and outs and is third in forced turnovers, which may limit Reilly’s opportunities. Working in his favour is an offence that generates the most passing yards and passing touchdowns per game along with a guy named Duke Williams that no one appears to have the ability to cover.
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On the opposite end of the spectrum, Masoli has struggled to finish drives with touchdowns this season for the Ticats but he finds himself with the clear best draw for opposing quarterbacks this week. The Als allow the second most yards per pass attempt at 8.75 and have given up a whopping 16 passing touchdowns through six games – over double the league average rate. Injuries to Joe Burnett and Mitchell White in the Montreal secondary only further the appeal of the matchup.
If neither of the top two passers appeal to players due to the matchup or track record, there are a slew of options at bargain prices this week in a changing of the guard at the quarterback position. Manziel will get his first start in the CFL for the Als on Friday. Although the passing matchup is somewhat difficult as Hamilton is third in the league in passing yards per attempt allowed (7.5) and has allowed only four passing touchdowns to this point, much of Manziel’s value comes through his rushing ability. The Ticats are worst in the league in terms of yards per carry allowed, so that works in Manziel’s favour.
RUNNING BACKS
Top Projected
James Wilder Jr., TOR – $7,807
William Powell, OTT – $7,822
Tyrell Sutton, MTL – $6,533
Punt Singles
John White, HAM – $4,000
Romar Morris, CGY – $2,500
Wilder Jr. showed a little more burst than he had through much of the season last week versus Winnipeg but the REDBLACKS sport the third-lowest yards per carry allowed average at a mere 4.69. Given that the Argos have the second lowest yards per carry average this season at 4.58, that could make for a long day for Wilder. His personal best average is only 4.6 this season, a long way down from his lofty 7.1 yards per carry in 2017. Ottawa has only allowed four rushing touchdowns this season as well, making him less than a sure bet to end the week as the top back on the slate.
On the other side of the field on Thursday night, Powell gets a significantly more enticing matchup given the Argos allow 5.35 yards per carry, but Ottawa averages a league-worst 4.48 yards per carry as a team this season. Given Powell’s personal average is over 5.1, there’s a case to be made to manually bump up his projection a bit. The REDBLACKS continue to do most of their scoring through the air though which limits Powell’s opportunities for touchdowns.
William Powell could find some room to run against an Argos’ defence that’s struggled at times (Larry MacDougal/CFL.ca)
Sutton has quietly put up very respectable fantasy numbers this season in PPR scoring, despite the Als’ overall struggles, averaging 13.9 Fantasy points per game and having only one game below double-digit production. This week’s matchup with Hamilton is the best in the league for opposing running backs as the Ticats allow nearly six yards per carry at 5.99. That’s more than the Stampeders are allowing per pass so far this season (5.81). Let that sink in for a minute. Sutton has also had a very stable role in the passing game with over five targets per game thus far.
There are couple of microscopic price tags available at the running back position this week as well but both come with a significant risk to their opportunities that won’t likely become clear until after the first games have started this week. White struggled to get traction versus the REDBLACKS in Week 7 but so did seemingly every offensive player in that game. The Ticats’ matchup with Montreal projects them to run the second-most plays from scrimmage this week at 61.8 so White should have more opportunities to produce, if he’s the starting running back. There is a chance that Alex Green returns to the starting lineup this week after being a full go in practice and that information won’t be known until Friday as Coach June Jones said he will make that decision “as late as possible.”
The other cheap back available is Morris, who could have anywhere from the full workload of the Calgary backfield to a spot as a spectator from the bench. Both Don Jackson (hamstring) and Terry Williams (shoulder) have not practised this week but Coach Dave Dickenson is hopeful at least one of them will be able to play Saturday night. Again, we won’t likely have any definitive information on this until the depth chart is released Friday. If both backs are out, Morris is a great value as the starting back for Calgary in a great matchup with a BC defence allowing 5.76 yards per carry. If just Jackson is out, Morris probably still gets the start. If just Williams is out, then it’s likely that Morris takes his role with a half dozen touches from scrimmage and the full return duties, still making him a viable play at this price point.
WIDE RECEIVER
Top Projected
Williams, EDM – $8,359
Kamar Jorden, CGY – $6,907
Brad Sinopoli, OTT – $7,113
Eric Rogers, CGY – $7,848
Derel Walker, EDM – $7,357
Diontae Spencer, OTT – $6,155
Terrence Toliver, HAM – $5,430
Chris Williams, HAM – $4,573
Marken Michel, CGY – $4,663
Duron Carter, SSK – $3,763
Punt Singles
R.J. Harris, OTT – $2,500
Jordan Williams-Lambert, SSK – $2,500
Rodney Smith, TOR – $2,500
Adarius Bowman, MTL – $2,539
Williams has become an unstoppable force of nature out of the slot. No defender has been able to match his combination of size and speed to this point. This week he’ll likely see a heavy dose of Ed Gainey – one of the league’s best defenders – across from him, and although Gainey may be able to match his stride, Williams’ size advantage at 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds will likely be too much for the 5-foot-11, 195-pound Gainey to handle. Williams has a good shot to continue his streak of 100-yard games this week. His teammates, Walker and Stafford, may have a tougher go of things though as the Riders are a better-than-league-average pass defence allowing only 7.85 yards per attempt.
The group of Calgary receivers is led by Jorden in projected points and expected targets in an offence that averages the third most yards per pass attempt in the CFL despite what Riders Coach Chris Jones may say. The Lions have been more prone to allow TDs on the ground rather than through the air (8:6) but much of that is due to two matchups in five total games versus run heavy Winnipeg. The Stamps lead the league with 13 passing touchdowns to this point and there’s no reason to believe that pace will slow down this week for any of Jorden, Rogers or Michel, especially with their injuries in the backfield.
There’s no reason to shy away from Kamar Jorden and the rest of the Stamps receivers (The Canadian Press)
The REDBLACKS passing offence has really struggled to create the big plays they’ve become known for in previous seasons with only seven completions of 30-plus yards and the league’s second lowest yards per pass attempt average at only 7.25. Some of that is due to two of six matchups this season being versus Calgary and in part of a heavier reliance on Sinopoli, who is not as much of a big play threat. Sinopoli has a career average of 11.6 yards per catch while teammate Greg Ellingson has a career average over 15.1 and Spencer averaged over 13 last season. The Argos allow a league-high 9.28 yards per pass attempt this season, so the big plays may start to hit again soon for Ottawa.
The mid-tier of receivers offers a couple of Ticats pass catchers – Toliver and Williams – that are a part of an increasingly healthy receiving corps. As noted earlier, the Alouettes allow an exceedingly high rate of touchdowns per pass attempt so there may be a lot of scoring from the Hamilton group but trying to determine who will do that scoring is the tough part with so many mouths to feed between Tasker, Banks, Saunders, Toliver, and Williams.
The other mid-tier receiver that pops as a great value is Carter, who is listed as a starting slotback for the Riders this week with the return of Nick Marshall to boundary corner. The Green and White have one of the slowest-paced offences in the league which may keep Carter’s targets lower than the 7.7 he averaged on offence last season but even a projection of just over six makes him a great value.
If looking at the bottom of the bargain bin this week, players can consider Harris, Williams-Lambert, Smith, or even Adarius Bowman, who is likely to start this week in place of the injured Chris Harper in Montreal. Each of these players are priced near the bare minimum and efficiently allow players to jam in top priced talent elsewhere.
DEFENCE
Calgary Stampeders – $6,099
Edmonton Eskimos – $3,679
On defence this week, it’s the usual suspect at the top of the list along with a matchup play. As has been written time and again, the Stampeders lead the CFL in essentially every fantasy relevant category on defence. They have still only allowed four offensive TDs through six games, while leading this league in forced turnovers (22) and sacks (17).
The Eskimos have not been a great real life defence this season, allowing the second most touchdowns in the league (19), but have been a reasonable Fantasy option through creating a league high 17 sacks and a respectable 10 turnovers. In a matchup versus a the Riders’ ineffective offence, scoring only four touchdowns so far this season, the Eskimos are an option.
STACKS
Reilly > Williams
It’s the most expensive stack possible but it also tends to keep the ownership levels down. It’s not a great matchup but there is no more consistent duo in the league at this point. With the cheap values at RB it’s entirely possible to make this work.
Masoli > Take your pick of Tiger-Cats receivers
The passing touchdowns are likely to finally pick up for Masoli and company this week versus Montreal, but it feels like a roll of the dice to figure which receiver is most likely to succeed. The projections like Tasker most but my gut says Toliver. Roll the dice and take your pick.
Trevor Harris > Ellingson, Spencer
As noted, the Ottawa offence has struggled to create big plays but the Argos defence allows a lot of them. Sinopoli has been much of the focus of the REDBLACKS passing game to this point but his numbers scream for statistical regression. It may be Ellingson’s opportunity to return to form.
WEEK 8 FANTASY PROJECTIONS
QUARTERBACKS
| Name | Postion | Salary | Team | Opp | Projection | Pts/$ | Pass Attempts | Rush Carries |
| Mike REILLY | QB | $14,000.00 | EDM | SSK | 30.87 | 2.21 | 34.79 | 6.10 |
| Jeremiah MASOLI | QB | $9,014.00 | HAM | MTL | 23.78 | 2.64 | 39.87 | 4.10 |
| Bo Levi MITCHELL | QB | $8,171.00 | CGY | BC | 22.56 | 2.76 | 34.08 | 0.52 |
| Johnny MANZIEL | QB | $7,000.00 | MTL | HAM | 17.30 | 2.47 | 26.30 | 7.00 |
| Trevor HARRIS | QB | $8,137.00 | OTT | TOR | 17.29 | 2.13 | 37.70 | 1.40 |
| Zach COLLAROS | QB | $6,145.00 | SSK | EDM | 14.03 | 2.28 | 29.03 | 0.70 |
| Mcleod BETHEL-THOMPSON | QB | $6,000.00 | TOR | OTT | 13.21 | 2.20 | 34.90 | 2.10 |
| Travis LULAY | QB | $6,105.00 | BC | CGY | 12.36 | 2.03 | 29.34 | 3.10 |
| James FRANKLIN | QB | $7,844.00 | TOR | OTT | 0.95 | 0.12 | 0.00 | 0.90 |
| Brandon BRIDGE | QB | $5,432.00 | SSK | EDM | 0.40 | 0.07 | 0.00 | 1.50 |
| Cody FAJARDO | QB | $5,000.00 | BC | CGY | 0.25 | 0.05 | 1.10 | |
| Dominique DAVIS | QB | $5,000.00 | OTT | TOR | 0.16 | 0.03 | 1.10 |
RUNNING BACKS
| Name | Postion | Salary | Team | Opp | Projection | Pts/$ | Rush Carries | Receiving Targets | Punt Returns | Kick Returns |
| James Wilder Jr. | RB | $7,807.00 | TOR | OTT | 15.96 | 2.04 | 12.20 | 4.50 | ||
| William POWELL | RB | $7,822.00 | OTT | TOR | 15.00 | 1.92 | 16.90 | 3.10 | ||
| Tyrell SUTTON | RB | $6,533.00 | MTL | HAM | 13.89 | 2.13 | 11.10 | 4.60 | ||
| Don JACKSON | RB | $5,979.00 | CGY | BC | 13.87 | 2.32 | 14.10 | 2.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Marcus THIGPEN | RB | $5,045.00 | SSK | EDM | 12.82 | 2.54 | 9.80 | 3.70 | ||
| Jeremiah JOHNSON | RB | $6,250.00 | BC | CGY | 12.14 | 1.94 | 10.80 | 2.24 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| C.J. GABLE | RB | $6,253.00 | EDM | SSK | 11.94 | 1.91 | 12.90 | 2.95 | ||
| Romar MORRIS | RB | $2,500.00 | CGY | BC | 11.93 | 4.77 | 5.90 | 1.70 | 5.00 | 3.00 |
| Chris RAINEY | RB | $6,349.00 | BC | CGY | 11.72 | 1.85 | 3.56 | 2.68 | 5.00 | 3.00 |
| John White IV | RB | $4,000.00 | HAM | MTL | 11.68 | 2,92 | 13.50 | 1.60 | ||
| Tre MASON | RB | $3,000.00 | SSK | EDM | 7.54 | 2.51 | 8.80 | 1.80 | ||
| Christion JONES | RB | $2,979.00 | SSK | EDM | 6.84 | 2.30 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 | 3.00 |
| Martese JACKSON | RB | $3,425.00 | TOR | OTT | 6.53 | 1.91 | 2.40 | 1.40 | 4.00 | 3.00 |
| Declan CROSS | RB | $2,997.00 | TOR | OTT | 5.15 | 1.72 | 0.00 | 2.50 | ||
| Jordan ROBINSON | RB | $4,000.00 | EDM | SSK | 4.47 | 1.12 | 1.10 | 1.10 | 5.00 | 3.00 |
| Sean THOMAS ERLINGTON | RB | $3,000.00 | HAM | MTL | 0.36 | 0.12 | 0.00 | 1.00 |
RECEIVERS
| Name | Postion | Salary | Team | Opp | Projection | Pts/$ | Rush Carries | Receiving Targets | Punt Returns | Kick Returns |
| D’haquille WILLIAMS | WR | $8,359.00 | EDM | SSK | 23.17 | 2.77 | 0.00 | 10.00 | ||
| Kamar JORDEN | WR | $6,907.00 | CGY | BC | 18.07 | 2.62 | 0.20 | 7.90 | 0.00 | |
| Brad SINOPOLI | WR | $7,113.00 | OTT | TOR | 17.81 | 2.50 | 0.00 | 9.10 | ||
| Eric ROGERS | WR | $7,848.00 | CGY | BC | 17.46 | 2.22 | 0.20 | 7.30 | ||
| Derel WALKER | WR | $7,357.00 | EDM | SSK | 17.25 | 2.34 | 0.19 | 7.90 | ||
| Diontae SPENCER | WR | $6,155.00 | OTT | TOR | 15.68 | 2.55 | 0.07 | 6.80 | 4.00 | 3.00 |
| Luke TASKER | WR | $6,657.00 | HAM | MTL | 15.63 | 2.35 | 0.00 | 7.10 | ||
| Jalen SAUNDERS | WR | $6,591.00 | HAM | MTL | 15.12 | 2.29 | 0.04 | 7.30 | ||
| Brandon BANKS | WR | $7,740.00 | HAM | MTL | 13.95 | 1.80 | 0.03 | 7.30 | 0.00 | |
| Kenny STAFFORD | WR | $4,867.00 | EDM | SSK | 13.91 | 2.86 | 0.00 | 6.80 | ||
| Terrence TOLIVER | WR | $5,430.00 | HAM | MTL | 13.21 | 2.43 | 0.00 | 6.10 | ||
| Greg ELLINGSON | WR | $6,281.00 | OTT | TOR | 13.09 | 2.08 | 0.00 | 8.10 | ||
| Marken MICHEL | WR | $4,663.00 | CGY | BC | 12.52 | 2.69 | 0.05 | 5.50 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Emmanuel ARCENEAUX | WR | $5,373.00 | BC | CGY | 11.89 | 2.21 | 0.02 | 8.10 | ||
| DaVaris DANIELS | WR | $5,119.00 | CGY | BC | 11.74 | 2.29 | 0.20 | 5.30 | ||
| Duron Carter | WR | $3,763.00 | SSK | EDM | 11.05 | 2.94 | 0.00 | 6.50 | ||
| Naaman ROOSEVELT | WR | $5,548.00 | SSK | EDM | 11.02 | 1.99 | 0.00 | 6.50 | ||
| Chris WILLIAMS | WR | $4,573.00 | HAM | MTL | 10.97 | 2.40 | 0.00 | 5.80 | ||
| B.J. CUNNINGHAM | WR | $4,779.00 | MTL | HAM | 9.50 | 1.99 | 0.10 | 6.20 | ||
| S.J. GREEN | WR | $5,344.00 | TOR | OTT | 9.32 | 1.74 | 0.00 | 8.14 | ||
| R.J. HARRIS | WR | $2,500.00 | OTT | TOR | 9.03 | 3.61 | 0.00 | 5.10 | ||
| Ricky Collins Jr. | WR | $3,611.00 | BC | CGY | 8.63 | 2.39 | 0.00 | 6.90 | ||
| Bryan BURNHAM | WR | $4,697.00 | BC | CGY | 8.42 | 1.79 | 0.04 | 6.20 | ||
| Armanti EDWARDS | WR | $3,823.00 | TOR | OTT | 7.60 | 1.99 | 0.00 | 5.20 | ||
| Geno LEWIS | WR | $2,500.00 | MTL | HAM | 7.17 | 2.87 | 0.12 | 3.90 | ||
| Rodney SMITH | WR | $2,500.00 | TOR | OTT | 6.77 | 2.71 | 0.00 | 5.10 | ||
| Jordan WILLIAMS-LAMBERT | WR | $2,500.00 | SSK | EDM | 6.71 | 2.68 | 0.00 | 4.10 | ||
| Shaq EVANS | WR | $2,500.00 | SSK | EDM | 5.77 | 2.31 | 0.00 | 4.10 | 0.00 | |
| Mike JONES | WR | $2,500.00 | HAM | MTL | 5.47 | 2.19 | 0.00 | 3.40 | ||
| Llevi NOEL | WR | $2,500.00 | TOR | OTT | 5.34 | 2.14 | 0.00 | 4.10 | ||
| Juwan BRESCACIN | WR | $2,500.00 | CGY | BC | 5.21 | 2.08 | 0.00 | 2.30 | ||
| Cory WATSON | WR | $2,500.00 | BC | CGY | 5.12 | 2.05 | 0.00 | 3.40 | ||
| Adarius BOWMAN | WR | $2,539.00 | MTL | HAM | 5.11 | 2.01 | 0.00 | 5.50 | ||
| Ernest JACKSON | WR | $2,717.00 | MTL | HAM | 4.90 | 1.80 | 0.05 | 4.60 | ||
| Natey ADJEI | WR | $2,500.00 | EDM | SSK | 4.28 | 1.71 | 0.00 | 2.50 | ||
| Nate BEHAR | WR | $2,500.00 | EDM | SSK | 3.29 | 1.32 | 0.00 | 2.10 | ||
| Malcolm WILLIAMS | WR | $2,500.00 | TOR | OTT | 3.10 | 1.24 | 0.00 | 2.50 | ||
| Joshua STANFORD | WR | $2,500.00 | SSK | EDM | 2.93 | 1.17 | 0.00 | 2.30 | ||
| Austen HARTLEY | WR | $2,500.00 | OTT | TOR | 2.27 | 0.91 | 0.00 | 3.80 | ||
| Lemar DURANT | WR | $2,500.00 | CGY | BC | 1.15 | 0.46 | 0.00 | 1.50 | ||
| George JOHNSON | WR | $2,500.00 | MTL | HAM | 0.92 | 0.37 | 0.00 | 1.50 | ||
| Bryant MITCHELL | WR | $3,247.00 | EDM | SSK | 0.69 | 0.21 | 0.00 | 0.90 |
