DailyRoto: Week 10 fantasy rankings

Back where he belongs, Brandon Banks is one of the sure bets entering Week 10 of TSN CFL Fantasy Football Presented by Leo Vegas. The Hamilton receiver returned to the lineup after missing a game and delivered a season-high 34.7 Fantasy points from his passing catching, including a pair of majors in the Tiger-Cats’ remarkable comeback win over the Lions.

If Banks is where he belongs — atop the receiver rankings at $14,000 — then pivot Dane Evans must be doing something right. Rebounding after a lacklustre Week 8, the replacement for injured Jeremiah Masoli started finding his groove upon the return of Banks. With two starts under his belt, Evans ($5,897) finds himself atop the quarterback rankings heading into Saturday afternoon’s clash against an Ottawa ($3,311) defence that is last in passing yards allowed per game (305.3) and tied for the league lead with Toronto with 12 completions allowed of 30 yards or better.

The interesting choice of Evans is only one of a few changes in the position rankings, especially the abundance of participants in the Year of the Return Specialist.

PLAY CFL TSN FANTASY
» Sign up and set your lineup for Week 10!
» The latest from the CFL Fantasy Podcast
» Report: Mitchell, Jackson, Carey participate in Stamps practice
» Report: Adams returns to practice; Cunningham to 6-game

QUARTERBACKS

By all rights, Trevor Harris ($10,034) should be ranked ahead of Evans, but Harris has failed to throw a touchdown in three of the last four games, leaving his yardage totals feeling hollow. He could be more aggressive against the Argos, considering Harris is the only starting pivot in the league who has yet to throw an interception on passes of 20+ yards downfield. Signs of vintage Mike Reilly ($10,155) were discovered last week, but how much trust will Fantasy users have in him on Thursday when he faces a Blue Bombers defence that intercepted him twice and held him to 13.5 Fantasy points in Week 1? He’ll need someone other Bryan Burnham ($8,568) to step up in the receiving corps. Bo Levi Mitchell ($9,069) returns for the Stampeders, and while the passing game should be more steady with his return, the obvious question will be whether he’ll the arm strength to take full advantage of his receiving corps.

Matt Nichols ($7,791) really misses Darvin Adams ($6,712); he’s failed to reach 200 passing yards the last two weeks with only two passing majors.  Vernon Adams Jr. ($7,315) returned to practice on Tuesday and ran with the first-teamers, which means Antonio Pipkin ($6,420) may be heading back to the bench. As long as the turnovers plague him, Dominique Davis ($6,257) won’t be taken seriously by Fantasy users.

RUNNING BACKS

Andrew Harris’ ($10,980) MOP-calibre season will continue unimpeded against a Lions defence he carved up for 148 yards in Week 1. Fantasy users can save salary and get perhaps bigger numbers from C.J. Gable ($8,051), who gets to run through Toronto’s league-worst run defence (145.6 yards allowed). Calgary and its fourth-ranked run D may have to contend with Als’ do-all William Stanback ($8,275); if both Stanback and Adams are back, Fantasy users of both could reap solid ground production. RedBlacks rookie John Crockett ($4,642) is the one constant in an otherwise underachieving offence. He’s due for a rushing major and should cash in against the Tiger-Cats, who give a league-high 13 rushing TDs.

John White’s ($8,154) reward for scoring 27 Fantasy points last week? A date at Winnipeg and it’s league-best run defence (66.4 yards allowed per game). James Wilder Jr. ($8,781) comes back to the Toronto roster and will likely remain more valuable as a receiver than as a runner.

Cameron Marshall ($4,922) probably won’t get a huge workload in his second game off the IL. Look for Ticats receiver Bralon Addison ($6,192) to get his share of touches, making him a potential sleeper at Flex. The health of Romar Morris ($2,716) will determine if the Stampeders will have to rely on Terry Williams ($5,553) or if Ante Milanovic-Litre ($2,500) will see more touches.

RECEIVERS

Burnham comes off his best game of the season but will have to get a deep shot or two against a stingy Bombers pass defence that tops the league with a mere 6.9 yards per pass and 73.5 QB efficiency. Reggie Begelton ($7,111) and Eric Rogers ($7,205) won’t be the only Stamps receivers benefiting from a possible return of Mitchell; look for Markeith Ambles ($4,361) to get a few vertical routes in his direction after spending much of the season as an underneath specialist. Edmonton should be balanced enough to give Ricky Collins ($6,723) and Greg Ellingson ($7,924) their share of targets at the expense of the Argos, who are last in opponents average pass (8.9 yards) while also allowing 13 touchdown passes.

Derel Walker ($7,822) and S.J. Green ($6,394) should get at least 10-12 targets in what should be another game of playing from behind. Look for DeVier Posey ($5,785) to become a focal point of the Montreal passing attack now that B.J. Cunningham ($5,759) is on the 6-game Injured List. This also could be a good time for Quan Bray ($4,132) to emerge as a speculative bargain play for the Als.

The back end of the position is filled with possible gold in the return game, with Montreal’s Shakeir Ryan ($2,500) facing a Stampeders special teams unit that has allowed four returns for touchdowns this season. BC ranks near the bottom in both yards allowed on punts and kickoffs, making Winnipeg’s speedster Janarion Grant ($2,500) another bargain play that is a threat to go the distance. Ottawa’s DeVonte Dedmon ($2,500) will see his share of users as well.

DEFENCES 

Regardless of who’s under center for the Alouettes, the Stampeders ($5,836) are the top play this week. Turnover-prone Toronto will have to contend with Edmonton ($4,693) and its pass rush, which leads the league with 26 sacks recorded. If the Bombers apply pressure early, then Winnipeg’s ($5,373) disruptive band of game-altering defenders can rack up Fantasy points.