Start vs. Sit: Call on Carter

Brandon C. Williams

CFL.ca

With only a ripple of impact, Wednesday’s trade deadline came and went, leaving Week 18 of TSN CFL Fantasy Football Presented by Leo Vegas intact when it came to potentially having new faces in new places.

Injuries and another quarterback change in Toronto does impact our Start/Sit, which will include a familiar name returning in a prominent role.

Ottawa at Toronto

Friday | 7:00 p.m. ET

Line: Toronto (-2)
O/U: 49

Start: McLeod Bethel-Thompson, QB, Argonauts, $8,353 Salary

Bethel-Thompson took the bulk of first-team snaps on Wednesday. If he’s indeed atop the depth chart when it’s unveiled on Thursday, he’ll get another look at a REDBLACKS defence that he lit up for 411 yards in a Week 13 victory. Two of the three interceptions Bethel-Thompson has thrown since Week 8 did come in that game, but so did three of the 13 touchdowns he’s thrown in the same span. Having Bethel-Thompson back in the lineup will enhance the value of receivers Derel Walker ($8,949) and S.J. Green ($6,195), both of whom saw their production tumble with James Franklin ($4,905) at pivot.

Sit: James Wilder Jr., RB, Argonauts, $8,086 Salary

The Argos’ lead back has all of 67 carries this season. To put it in perspective, three quarterbacks — Winnipeg’s Chris Streveler ($9,276), Cody Fajardo of the Roughriders ($10,268) and Montreal’s Vernon Adams Jr. ($11,345) — have more carries than Wilder. He’s had only two games of at least 10 carries and has yet to record a run of longer than 19 yards. Wilder’s pass-catching skills have boosted his Fantasy value, but his ever-falling salary is still too high to invest in. We’d love for Wilder to prove us wrong. However, it’s unlikely given the state of the ground game.

Saskatchewan at Calgary

Friday | 9:30 p.m. ET

Line: Calgary (-3)
O/U: 47.5

Start: Saskatchewan Defence, $5,973 Salary

As the weather cools down, it looks like the Riders’ defence is warming up. Saskatchewan has allowed just 22 points in the past two games, recording nine sacks, four interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Saskatchewan’s 294.7 yards allowed per game is second only to Edmonton and while they don’t record turnovers at a steady clip, the Roughriders make up for it with 45 sacks and 82 points off of turnovers.

Sit: Bo Levi Mitchell, QB, Stampeders, $9,285 Salary

The passing majors aren’t showing up for Mitchell, who has just nine in seven games this season. Although he’s averaging 384 yards per game over the past three outings, Mitchell has also been saddled with a 3:3 TD:INT margin in the same span. With Calgary’s run game ranked eighth overall, the need for Mitchell to bring his game to his usual Most Outstanding Player level is vital to not only the hopes of Fantasy users but to a Stampeders squad looking to snap Saskatchewan’s three-game win streak.

Montreal at Winnipeg

Saturday | 4:00 p.m. ET

Line: Winnipeg (-4)
O/U: 50

Start: Kenny Lawler, WR, Blue Bombers, $3,621 Salary

Obviously, Lawler’s value depends on an accurate Chris Streveler, but if the Bombers continue to find themselves playing catch-up, then Lawler — who has 19 receptions in the last four games — is an affordable WR2/Flex option. The Alouettes allow 9.1 yards per pass and have given up 22 passes of better than 30 yards, so it stands to reason that Streveler will look at Lawler for a downfield shot or two. Should Fantasy users get a repeat of the Week 15 Instant Classic between the two teams, then Lawler’s numbers could take a hike toward bigger totals.

Sit: DeVier Posey, WR, Alouettes, $6,628 Salary

Posey has just two touchdowns this season and while he did have seven catches for 132 yards and a touchdown in the previous meeting against the Blue Bombers in Week 15, he’s followed up with six total catches for 63 yards in the last two games. Don’t count on this game being a high-scoring affair, as a normal game flow means Vernon Adams Jr. throws 25-28 times with the majority of the targets going to Eugene Lewis ($7,990) while running back William Stanback ($7,275) is certain to get his share.

BC at Edmonton

Saturday | 7:00 p.m. ET

Line: BC (-2.5)
O/U: 45

Start: Duron Carter, WR, Lions, $5,444 Salary

There’s a resurgence of sorts from Carter, who should also get more looks from Mike Reilly ($10,247) now that Lemar Durant ($5,315) is lost for the season with a foot injury. Carter has 14 receptions for 143 yards in his last two games and has touchdowns in three of his last four outings. Last week’s 90-yard effort against the Argonauts was his best total of the season, one that could be eclipsed if Carter can make the Eskimos pay dearly for putting too much attention on a red-hot Bryan Burnham ($11,121).

Sit: DaVaris Daniels, WR, Eskimos, $7,402 Salary

Since tagging the Bombers for 207 yards in Week 11, Daniels has seen his production decline. The loss of Trevor Harris has been the primary reason, yet the Stampeders secondary did its part by holding Daniels to nine receptions for 80 yards in Weeks 12-13 while the struggles of new pivot Logan Kilgore ($6,099) has kept Daniels under 72 receiving yards since Kilgore came into the lineup. The Lions have given up 21 touchdown passes this season, yet are third overall in pass defence. Fantasy users would be wise to spend elsewhere

Follow CFL