Week 13 Fantasy Locks: One for the birds

TORONTO — With the struggling BC Lions making the long trip east, the Montreal Alouettes’ passing attack could be worth targeting in TSN CFL Fantasy this week.

Montreal players make up two thirds of this week’s locks, as Pat Steinberg, Hannah Nordman and Jeff Krever lock in their must-starts for Week 13.

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For Nordman, it starts with Alouettes quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., who’s got his team on track to return to the post-season with his strong play of late.

“One guy that I trust a lot,” she said. “Enough to put him and a bunch of his receivers in my lineup. His price tag is just up over $10,000 so he’s not cheap anymore, but I think he’s going to be worth it this week.”

Adams has plenty of targets to work with this week, including DeVier Posey, Eugene Lewis and Quan Bray. But the latter could make a splash based on his affordable salary.

“He’s a great receiver,” said Krever. “He’s got the skill-set to be dominant in this league, he gets open and he’s got the rapport with Vernon Adams. It’s a good matchup against the BC Lions — look for Bray to lead that team in receiving.”

While Steinberg also likes the Alouettes this week, he’s looking for Argos receiver Derel Walker to build on a career game against Hamilton that saw him rack up 200-plus receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Ottawa’s defence currently ranks third-last in the CFL in both yards and points allowed per game.

“I think Walker is in line for another really big game against a suspect Ottawa defence,” said Steinberg. “McLeod Bethel-Thompson trusts him, he’s targeting him, he’s throwing for yards. Is it going to be as big as what he did against Hamilton on Labour Day? That’s tough to repeat. Is it going to be enough to justify a $9,000 salary? I think so.”

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Every week, the podcast trio also submits money picks — $3,500 or less — to help you break the cap. This week’s top value choices are Duron Carter, Christion Jones and Kenny Lawler.

For Steinberg, Duron Carter could be entering ‘last chance’ territory after an unproductive first half of the season. With just 38 catches and 329 yards on 64 targets, the free agent signing has failed to live up to high expectations this season.

“I think you’re still talking about a guy who’s got raw talent, and we are starting to talk about him in BC as knocking on the door to last chance territory,” said Steinberg. “I think with the way Montreal plays defensively, Carter might be in line for a couple of touches just in the PPR game. He’s a nice possession option as my money pick this week.”

While the Bombers’ offence has struggled recently from a Fantasy perspective, one player who’s flashed potential all season is Kenny Lawler. The $2,500 option found the end zone last weekend and could emerge as a bigger threat moving forward.

“I know we’ve picked him before, but he was actually the Bombers’ leading receiver last week with 15 points,” said Nordman. “He’s been around and over 15 twice this year. If Streveler likes something about Lawler there might be something there going forward.”

Rounding out this week’s money picks is Christion Jones. The Eskimos have yet to break a big one on special teams, but Jones could be ready to break out and provide a much-needed boost for a team that needs a win.

“I think the Eskimos need to get that secondary option involved in the ground game,” said Krever. “They need to get Jones some touches offensively. He’s an elite returner, he’s due for a big one. It’s time for Christion Jones to make a really big play in a game where the Eskimos need someone to step up and make a big play.”

A summary of this week’s locks and money picks is provided below.

Projections below powered by DailyRoto.

CFL Fantasy Podcast Week 13 Locks

CFL Fantasy Podcast Week 13 Money Picks