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Sunday’s Stampeders-Roughriders game will officially mark the halfway point of the regular season. While the first half has introduced a host of new faces that have enhanced the TSN CFL Fantasy football experience, there is more than enough time for others to stake their claim.
Week 10 brings a four-game schedule, with each blurring the line between a possible defensive slugfest and a “last team with the ball wins” type of offensive shootout.
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Ottawa (5-3-0) at Winnipeg (5-3-0)
Friday | 8:30 p.m. ET
Start: Nic Demski, WR, Blue Bombers, $5,565 Salary
Demski has become Winnipeg’s second offensive option behind running back Andrew Harris, having scored three touchdowns in his last two games along with recording at least five receptions in three of his last four. His big-play prowess has shown since the Bombers committed to getting him more involved in the offence, as he has four of Winnipeg’s 19 big plays on the offensive side of the ball and a fifth via a kickoff return. With receiver Weston Dressler (lower body injury) expected to miss time, quarterback Matt Nichols will have to rely more on Demski to keep the REDBLACKS defence from zeroing in on Harris and the league’s top running game.
Sit: William Powell, RB, REDBLACKS, $7,921 Salary
The league’s second-leading rusher will have his share of Fantasy users, but buyer beware: Powell goes against a Bombers run defence that is third in the league in fewest rushing yards allowed per game (94.3) and while it can pointed out that Winnipeg is tied with Edmonton with 11 rushing majors allowed, it can also be countered that the REDBLACKS have just four rushing touchdowns this season. Ottawa has also struggled running the ball effectively, averaging a league-low 4.3 yards per carry and it is last in yards per carry on first down (4.85). Powell is capable of a big evening on the ground, but the numbers strongly suggest this might be the week to keep the REDBLACKS grinder on the bench.
BC (3-4-0) at Toronto (2-5-0)
Saturday | 4:00 p.m. ET
Start: Travis Lulay, QB, Lions, $6,793 Salary
Although Lulay has yet to score more than 21 Fantasy points in any of his four starts, Saturday presents a golden opportunity for him to exceed that total. Toronto is last in the league in opponents’ average pass (9.5) and has allowed 14 completions of better than 30 yards. The Argos’ penchant for giving up the big play works into the hands of Lulay, who has 10 completions of 30-plus yards while three of his five touchdown passes have been from beyond 30 yards. Opposing pivots have completed a whopping 72.1 per cent of their attempts against Toronto, and if BC rolls into town without the services of running back Jeremiah Johnson, expect Lulay and the Lions receiving corps to stretch the field on a defence that allows 298.6 passing yards per game.
Sit: Jeremiah Johnson, RB, Lions, $7,345 Salary
BC got adequate production on the ground from running back Travon Van in last week’s win over the Eskimos. If there is concern about Johnson’s injured ankle, which forced him out of last week’s game, the Lions may yield and sit him down another week and let Van and Chris Rainey handle the running duties. Should Johnson play, he would line up against an Argonauts defence that allows 115.1 yards per game on the ground, but has limited foes to only five rushing touchdowns and a league-low two rushing plays of better than 20 yards.
Montreal (1-7-0) at Edmonton (5-3-0)
Saturday | 9:00 p.m. ET
Start: Mike Reilly, QB, Eskimos, $14,000 Salary
Sometimes, the answer is so obvious. The Alouettes were tagged for 487 yards from Trevor Harris last week while still reeling from the 415 yards and four touchdowns Reilly poured on them in Week 7. Montreal allows a league-high 329.1 yards per game and have allowed 16 completions of better than 30 yards. This will be the perfect Fantasy marriage, as the Eskimos lead the league in passing yards at 329.8 per game, and Reilly will be looking to rebound from last week’s pedestrian numbers (257 yards, one touchdown pass) against the Lions. Reilly also leads the league with 10 passing majors of 20 or more yards, giving fans yet another reason to plug him into their lineups and reap the rewards.
Sit: B.J. Cunningham, WR, Alouettes, $4,522 Salary
The Eskimos’ pass defence is third in fewest yards allowed per game (242.4), yet no team gives up the big play via the friendly skies like Edmonton, which has given up a league-high 17 pass completions of better than 30 yards, Only the Alouettes (24) have allowed more big plays to opposing offences than the 23 given up by the Eskimos, which makes sitting down Cunningham more painful. Montreal’s quarterback issues are well-documented, and the ripple effect pours down to Cunningham, who has only one catch of better than 30 yards this season and has yet to record better than 70 yards in a game. Johnny Manziel can deliver big plays, a trait yet seen in his first two starts, making running back Tyrell Sutton perhaps the only Alouettes player that’s Fantasy-viable.
Calgary (7-0-0) at Saskatchewan (3-4-0)
Sunday | 7:00 p.m. ET
Start: Marken Michel, WR, Stampeders, $4,766 Salary
Kamar Jorden and DaVaris Daniels will stress the Roughriders secondary, which should clear up Michel for favourable matchups downfield. Bo Levi Mitchell is back doing Bo Levi Mitchell things, including 19 completions and six touchdowns on passes longer than 20 yards. Saskatchewan’s D has been solid all season, allowing only 13 offensive touchdowns and limiting foes to only 5.9 yards per play, but with the Stampeders hitting their big play stride, Michel will have a chance to do some damage. He had only one reception in the previous meeting against the Riders in Week 7, but it was a 41-yard touchdown catch. With Eric Rogers sidelined indefinitely, Michel will be able to thrive as Calgary’s third receiver.
Sit: Marcus Thigpen, RB, Roughriders, $5,988 Salary
Ten carries for 23 yards. That was Thigpen’s totals the last time they faced Calgary in Week 7. No one runs on the Stampeders, who have allowed a league-low 72.3 yards per game while giving up only three rushing scores this season. While Thigpen has game-altering speed, the thought of him hitting a big play is nullified by Calgary allowing only two runs of better than 20 yards. The Stamps take away the biggest strength of Saskatchewan’s offence, which is second in the league with 117.6 yards per game on the ground. With no ground game, the Riders simply play into the hands of a Stampeders secondary that gives up a paltry 199.4 yards per game in the air. Long story short: this is a good week not to invest in Roughriders.
