The Canadian Press
Fun With Fantasy Numbers looks back at an offensive-friendly Week 18. Mike Reilly made us remember why he’s the best pivot in Fantasy. Brandon Banks continued to really break the bank when it comes to his TSN CFL Fantasy Football salary. Andrew Harris disappointed a lot (as in 4,989) of users on a weekend when the West not only wasn’t won but became more jumbled.
Return of the Mike: With the Eskimos’ playoff hopes on the line, Reilly shook off the doldrums of a three-week slump and returned to his elite Fantasy ways, putting up 26 Fantasy points in Edmonton’s 34-16 win over Ottawa. While the numbers weren’t as impressive as his early-season totals, Reilly got his groove back and made believers out of the mere 988 Fantasy users who kept the faith.
Fantasy Analysis: Reilly, who has 12 rushing touchdowns, gave way to running back C.J. Gable near the goal line, which resulted in Gable scoring a pair of majors on his way to a 23.9 FP effort that was the week’s eighth-best performance. He only threw one touchdown pass, keeping his numbers from going higher. With a huge shootout at BC awaiting him and the Eskimos on Friday night, count on Reilly to put up bigger numbers.
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The Winnipeg defence had themselves a big day against Saskatchewan, coming out on the winning end with zero points against them. (The Canadian Press)
Bryant the Magnificent: Much of Reilly’s production went in the direction of receiver Bryant Mitchell, who had a career day with 13 catches for 190 yards and touchdown, giving him a Week 18-best 38 Fantasy points. Ranked 21st in usage (2,192), Mitchell put up his second 100-yard game of the season and further stamped himself as the Eskimos’ number two option behind D’haquille Williams.
Fantasy Analysis: Are we sure that he’s second on the Edmonton pecking chart? After all, Mitchell has six straight games of at least 10 Fantasy points and has racked up at least 69 receiving yards since returning to the active roster in Week 10. The league’s hottest receiver not wearing a Ticats uniform, Mitchell goes into Friday’s game at BC a solid Top 10 Fantasy option who could see his usage double.
Simply Brantastic: To suggest Banks is “in the zone” doesn’t do justice to the explosive season he is having. Banks put up 31.8 FP in Friday’s 34-20 win over Toronto, catching eight passes for 178 yards and his 10th touchdown of the season. Banks now has nine games of at least 100 yards and has scored seven times in his last four games.
Fantasy Analysis: He’ll replace Reilly as the highest-salaried player available in Week 19 and with the way he continues to play, Banks may become a one-man receiving corps. Yes, Fantasy users will need to pay a steep price to have him, but it didn’t stop Banks from ranking 14th in usage (2,603). He had nine catches for 113 yards in a Week 7 meeting against Ottawa and will seek to at least duplicate that outing when the two teams square off on Friday night in a huge contest that will decide the East title.
Hi, My Name is Luke Tasker: Overshadowed by his teammate’s torrid run, Tasker has been nearly as effective as Banks this season. He torched Toronto with three touchdown catches on Friday, giving the Hamilton star a career-high nine majors along with seven straight games of double-digit Fantasy production.
Fantasy Analysis: Tasker wishes he could play the Argonauts each week. He caught 19 passes for 275 yards and scored five touchdowns in three games against Toronto. The Tiger-Cats will continue to feed him a healthy dose of targets in Friday’s game against Ottawa. Ranked 10th in usage in Week 18 (3,145), expect Tasker to maintain a high number of users in the first game of a home-and-home against the REDBLACKS.
Feeling Blue: Andrew Harris topped the Week 18 usage field with 4,989, but few felt good about the 6.7 Fantasy points the Blue Bombers star running back produced in Saturday’s 31-0 win over the Roughriders. Harris had only 36 yards on 10 carries and added a mere three yards on two catches. He did complete a 20-yard pass, one that helped bolster his already disappointing totals.
Fantasy Analysis: With the game all but over at intermission, there was little need for Winnipeg to give Harris a heavy workload, as Kienan LaFrance took the bulk of the second half carries. Still, Harris was a letdown in that Saturday marked the third time in the last five games he finished with 44 or fewer rushing yards. The league’s second-leading rusher will have Week 19 off but will have to solve a Calgary defence that held him to a season-low seven yards rushing in Week 11.
Calgary Calamity: Receiver Juwan Brescacin was the fifth-most used player in Week 18. However, the 3,803 who used him did not get a single point out of the Stampeders pass catcher in Saturday’s 26-21 loss to BC that kept Calgary from locking up the West title.
Fantasy Analysis: That was odd. Brescacin appeared set to have a good outing but couldn’t reel in a reception. That goose egg left him ranked 83rd out of 86 players for the week, yet Brescacin should be good for a rebound effort against Saskatchewan on Saturday. Still, expect plenty of Fantasy users to be hesitant about adding him.
Tyrell Sutton had himself a night as he made his debut with the BC Lions on Saturday night against the Stamps. (The Canadian Press)
Sutton Depth in BC: Lions running back Tyrell Sutton defied reality with a 106-yard effort in the win over the Stampeders that included a pair of touchdown runs, giving him 23.4 Fantasy points. Sutton, making his first start with BC since being traded from the Alouettes before the deadline, had modest usage (ranked 35th with 1,066 users) could be the X-factor in a very deep backfield that still has Jeremiah Johnson and Chris Rainey available.
Fantasy Analysis: Sutton gets a favourable matchup against an Eskimos defence that has allowed the most rushing majors in the league. What makes using Sutton on Friday more intriguing is that the Lions didn’t utilize him much in the passing game. He was a solid pass catcher in his time with Montreal and should get a few targets from Travis Lulay.
Finders Keepers: Toronto pivot James Franklin made a sparkling return to the starting lineup as he finished with 22.1 Fantasy points in the loss to Hamilton, throwing for 297 yards and a pair of touchdowns along with 44 rushing yards. The total was the week’s 10th best performance.
Fantasy Analysis: Franklin was 36th in usage (1,058) but the strong outing may have given him the chance to finish out the regular season as the Argos’ starter. He will come at a reasonable price for Saturday’s game against Montreal as he and a revived S.J. Green (25.7 FP) should put up good numbers again.
Spencer for Hire: Ottawa’s Diontae Spencer had 214 all-purpose yards in the loss to Edmonton, including a 61-yard touchdown reception. With 25.4 Fantasy points, Spencer recorded the seventh-best number in Week 18.
Fantasy Analysis: The scary part about Spencer’s numbers this year is that his return averages are off compared to last year, which means he’s capable of putting together a night of high-end production in the return game. It’s one reason why Fantasy users should strongly keep him in mind for Friday’s game against Hamilton.
