DailyRoto: Week 6 Fantasy Rankings

Week 6 of TSN CFL Fantasy presented by Leo Vegas is about trust, especially at quarterback, where the recent performances of Calgary’s Nick Arbuckle ($6,145) and Montreal’s Vernon Adams Jr. ($7,775) have either made believers or skeptics out of Fantasy users.

Lack of trust is certainly in play at the position, where Saskatchewan’s Cody Fajardo ($5,747) must prove his Week 4 dud against the Stampeders was a blip, while Ottawa’s Dominique Davis ($6,272) appears to be feeling the presence of Jonathon Jennings ($6,993) as the REDBLACKS’ offence continues to sputter.

Without further ado, here’s this week’s breakdown.

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QUARTERBACKS

There is little debate on Trevor Harris ($11,761) taking the top spot as he and an Eskimos offence averaging 447 yards per game get an Alouettes secondary that is still allowing 383 passing yards per game despite a two-game win streak. Arbuckle didn’t throw a touchdown in last week’s loss to Hamilton, but should make up for that at the expense of Toronto’s defence, which has given up 10 passing majors and allows 10.7 yards per completion. That translates into a potential stack on Stamps receivers considering how the running game disappeared last week. The now weekly question with Matt Nichols ($8,589) is whether Fantasy users are willing to trade yardage for his touchdowns. Nichols has 10 touchdowns in four games after throwing 18 majors last season. He’s on a roll.

BC has given up a league-high 12 touchdown passes, making Fajardo a good rebound candidate. If Adams wants to make believers out of Fantasy users, he must do so against an Edmonton secondary allowing just 174.3 yards per game and a paltry 57.4 per cent completion rate. Calgary has yet to allow a completion of longer than 26 yards, so exercise caution if considering McLeod Bethel-Thompson ($6,338).

RUNNING BACKS

Andrew Harris ($9,674) averages 19 touches per game and is overdue for a rushing major. Ottawa allows 111 yards per game on the ground and has given up eight rushing touchdowns, so consider Harris worth his steep price. C.J. Gable ($8,435) is averaging over 100 yards per game from scrimmage, and with the Eskimos focused on attacking the Alouettes via the skies, Gable will have a lot of open space when he has the ball.

Edmonton has the second-best run defence in the league yet allows 5.5 yards per carry, but it’s still worth the play with William Stanback ($8,691), who could be in for a huge outing if the Als continue their recent trend of controlling the ball. William Powell ($8,152) and James Wilder Jr. ($8,780) are both high end performers who have to contend with solid run defences. Both are boom-bust this week.

Terry Williams ($5,009) is a value play against the Argos, who are last in rushing yards allowed per game (153.3) while giving up 6.1 yards per carry. The return potential could lead to huge numbers. It’s too early to tell if John Crockett ($3,500) will overtake Mossis Madu ($5,995) in Ottawa; neither is worth a roster spot going against Winnipeg and its airtight run defence.

After last week’s breakout of return majors, Marcus Thigpen ($5,404) and Martese Jackson ($3,429) are under the radar gambles worth taking.

RECEIVERS

Greg Ellingson ($9,083) has caught at least six passes in each of his four games and will be able to extend that against the Alouettes. However, it would help his cause if he can find the end zone after being held scoreless the past two games. The return of DaVaris Daniels ($7,902) adds more firepower to the Eskimos and will impact the value of Kenny Stafford ($5,393) and Ricky Collins ($5,302). A combo of Arbuckle and Reginald Begelton ($6,834) could net big results for those Fantasy users looking to run with the Stamps’ pass-catch duo against the Argonauts.

Toronto has given up 11 completions of better than 30 yards along with 662 yards after the catch. Those numbers put Eric Rogers ($7,823) and Markeith Ambles ($4,950) in play as well. Darvin Adams ($7,516) appears out of an early season skid but will have to share targets with Nic Demski ($6,708), who has recorded majors of 82 and 67 yards the past two weeks. The Bombers aren’t throwing at a high volume, which puts a premium on those targets. Derel Walker ($7,977) finally broke out in last week’s loss to the Bombers as he and Llevi Noel ($5,538) have overtaken S.J. Green ($6,154) and Armanti Edwards ($7,206) as the go-to targets in Toronto.

There’s not much separation with Shaquelle Evans ($5,124) and Kyran Moore ($5,702), yet both have big play potential against the Lions. There’s hope that Naaman Roosevelt ($5,481) can reassert himself in the Roughriders’ passing attack. B.J. Cunningham ($6,091) remains a steady play for the revived Als, but both he and Week 5 breakout Quan Bray ($3,500) will be hard-pressed to crack Edmonton’s pass defence.

Although R.J. Harris ($6,469) has been a revelation for the REDBLACKS, Ottawa’s struggles have come at the expense of Brad Sinopoli ($7,611), who is averaging less than 10 yards per catch and has yet to find the end zone. BC receiver Lemar Durant ($5,948) had just one catch last week; both he and Bryan Burnham ($7,409) will be looking to make plays against a Saskatchewan defence that has shown signs of being exploited in the passing game. There’s strong upside with each provided the Lions can keep Mike Reilly ($10,708) upright, something they failed miserably against the Eskimos.

DEFENCES

Calgary ($5,289) is an almost easy play against Toronto, who has averaged just 11.8 points per game, both league-worst. The Lions’ inability to keep Reilly from being pounded is a big reason to consider the Roughriders ($4,580) and their pass rush. The Eskimos ($4,024) offer some value against the Alouettes, especially if they can quash Montreal’s run game and force the Als to test Edmonton’s pass defence.