Jason Halstead/CFL.ca
Week 14 offers the hope of a continued revival of Jeremiah Masoli ($11,158) and anticipation of Saskatchewan finally unleashing its passing attack. The week does guarantee a potential Grey Cup clash when Montreal visits Winnipeg on Saturday. However, the question of who lines up at pivot for the Alouettes could dictate how CFL Fantasy users build their lineups.
The week will also answer the question as to whether the Lions may have found a running game and if the Ticats’ running back by committee has come to a halt after Don Jackson ($6,075) surprised everyone with 120 yards and a touchdown in last week’s win over the Elks.
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BC (4-7-0) at Hamilton (6-5-0)
Friday, 7:00 p.m. ET
Line: Hamilton (-6.5)
Over/Under: 43.5
Start: Jeremiah Masoli, QB, Tiger-Cats, $11,158 salary
We weren’t quite on the Masoli bandwagon before last week, but following his third straight game with at least 22 fantasy points, make room for one more. Masoli has thrown for 1,038 yards and seven majors over the past three games while leading a Hamilton offence averaging 493.7 yards in the same span.
BC’s defence has wilted over the past month, as last Saturday’s overtime loss to Toronto marked the fifth straight game the Lions have yielded at least 30 points. A secondary that was once the toughest to pass against earlier in the season is now giving up a league-worst 278.2 yards per game in the skies while also ranking last in sacks (18). Even with Brandon Banks ($9,538) and Bralon Addison ($10,818) not at All-Star levels, expect Masoli to continue his vertical rampage as the Ticats look to stay in the hunt for the East Division title.
Sit: James Butler, RB, Lions, $4,956 salary
Yes, Virginia, they do run the ball in Vancouver. Butler was one of the pleasant surprises in Week 13 when he ran for a season-best 69 yards on 10 carries. Butler’s output easily exceeded the 62.4 yards per game BC has averaged on the ground this season. While he does offer some appeal as a value play, the sit label is because the Lions probably won’t be in a position to let Butler grind out yardage.
BC is eighth in time of possession (27:41), so if the Lions have any chance to win on Friday, it will mean more than a buffet of attempts from Michael Reilly ($9,834). If BC falls behind early, don’t count on Butler seeing anything close to double-digit touches.
Saskatchewan (6-5-0) at Edmonton (2-7-0)
Friday, 9:45 p.m. ET
Line: Saskatchewan (-6)
Over/Under: 46
Start: Duke Williams, WR, Roughriders, $9,058 salary
Williams may get a warm welcome from Edmonton fans who vividly remember his 2018 All-Star season with the franchise. Those will turn to boos by night’s end, as this should be the game the Riders show the rest of the league why they added Williams, who has six catches for 77 yards in his first two games.
Bank on Williams to exceed those numbers. Cody Fajardo ($11,644) will take several deep shots downfield to bring life to a Roughriders’ passing game that still ranks eighth in yards per game (233.9) and an offence averaging a tepid 21.7 points per game. The cure for its scoring malaise has arrived in an Elks’ defence that has allowed 33 points per game in their current six-game losing streak. A pairing of Fajardo and Williams is a stiff price, yet it’s one worth playing.
Sit: James Wilder, Jr., RB, Elks, $7,848 salary
No, we’re not picking on the Elks, but when an offence averages 17.3 points per game, the fantasy pickings are thin. Enter Wilder, who has managed just 116 yards on 30 carries over his past three games and was absent from practice on Monday with an ankle injury. The week is young, yet there’s reason to believe the Elks may choose to sit Wilder out.
Even if Wilder does play, his recent body of work doesn’t provide much optimism for fantasy users. One of the disappointing facets of Wilder’s season is how little he has been involved in the Edmonton passing game, catching just two passes for 31 yards over the last three weeks, a frustrating number for one of the league’s most dangerous catchers out of the backfield.
The prospects of a bounce back game look good for McLeod Bethel-Thompson, as the Argos head into Ottawa to face the REDBLACKS (Geoff Robins/CFL.ca)
Toronto (7-4-0) at Ottawa (2-10-0)
Saturday, 4:00 p.m. ET
Line: Toronto (-10.5)
Over/Under: 45.5
Start: McLeod Bethel-Thompson, QB, Argonauts, $9,490 salary
Let’s all forget Bethel-Thompson’s Week 13 clunker (9.7 fantasy points) and salivate at the prospects of letting him loose against a REDBLACKS defence that allows a league-high 28.9 points per game. Ottawa is also last in yards allowed (387.8) and comes in with a five-game losing streak, both positive signs pointing toward a rebound game for the Argos’ field general.
Bethel-Thompson threw for just 181 yards in a Week 10 win over the REDBLACKS, yet added two touchdown passes in the 35-16 victory. Toronto’s receiving corps doesn’t have a legit go-to target but does have several low-priced options for fantasy users to team up with Thompson, namely Kurleigh Gittens Jr. ($4,860).
Sit: D.J. Foster RB, Argonauts, $5,155 salary
Sharing may be caring, but it doesn’t apply in running back by committee situations. Foster was a fun, low-end sleeper who had been stringing out decent numbers before the return of John White ($5,709) came and spoiled Foster’s party. The duo showed they could be effective together in last week’s win over the Lions when Foster got the bulk of receiving targets while White’s 11 touches came on the ground.
Merged together, “D.J. White” would be a good CFL fantasy starter. Since that’s not happening, shy away from the Toronto backfield and let the Argos’ passing game rack up fantasy points.
Montreal (6-5-0) at Winnipeg (10-1-0)
Saturday, 7:00 p.m. ET
Line: Winnipeg (-12)
Over/Under: 45
Start: Winnipeg defence, $5,300 Salary
Rare is a team defence suggested to be the foundation of a fantasy lineup, but here we are. The Bombers have been overwhelming offences all season, along with giving its fantasy users a welcomed boost.
Winnipeg’s D has scored at least 10 fantasy points in all but two games while eclipsing 20 in three of its last five games. The Blue Bombers’ pass rush has been the anchor over the past month, recording 20 sacks while holding opponents to a mere 28 points in the same span.
Make no mistake: Montreal has plenty of firepower, including the addition of pivot Trevor Harris ($10,567) into the starting lineup along with running back William Stanback ($9,528), who is just 40 yards shy of crossing the 1,000-yard mark. Still, with the way the Bombers’ defence has played of late, starting an Alouettes player may not be the best way to a successful Week 14.
Sit: Jake Wieneke, WR, Alouettes, $8,650 salary
Two weeks ago, Wieneke was on the way toward All-Star honours. Now, Jake From Montreal is no longer the reliable insurance policy he’s been for much of the season, catching just one pass on six targets. Perhaps it’s just a mild speed bump, yet this is not the week to bet on the Als’ wide receiver breaking out of it.
The addition of Harris might be what Wieneke needs to get back into stride. He’s still dangerous and is capable of putting up 20-plus fantasy points, but just not this week. If going with a Montreal receiver is a must, play on the safe side and grab Eugene Lewis ($10,872), who should be good for double-digit targets.
