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If you are in a season-long CFL fantasy league, I imagine by the time you read this you have already completed your draft. How did it go by the way? Do you still have the smell that only comes from a four-hour in-person draft? I hope you properly undermined the confidence of everyone else involved.
If you are engaging in daily fantasy, I wish you all the best and urge you to remember the golden rule: check the gameday depth charts, those things are gold!
I want to tackle the fantasy conversation from a different angle beyond analyzing projections and sleepers. My question is, what is the best-case scenario for the season from a fantasy perspective? For the individual it’s obvious, for all their picks to be healthy and produce on a consistent basis with a couple late-round selections surprising the league. But what about simply from an enjoyment factor for the entire 2022 season?
With that theme in mind here is what I am hoping will happen this year not because I have these players on my roster but rather if these specific players lead the league in their respective statistical category, it will mean a damn fun season for everyone.
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Sacks: Willie Jefferson
If any player is deserving of leading the league in their most important statistical category it’s Jefferson, who has put together the best five-year run among any and all CFL defensive players regardless of position. While there is no way to properly measure this, Jefferson’s sacks just look different. The four-time All-Star and 2019 Most Outstanding Defensive Player award winner swoops around tackles like a pterodactyl trying to eat Chris Pratt or Jeff Goldblum.
Interceptions: Delvin Breaux
Hey look everyone the Breaux Show is back in town! When Breaux retired after the 2019 season, he took with him the belt of best coverage defender in the league. The reason I want him to lead the league in picks is it would mean CFL quarterbacks would actually start testing him.
The man has as many interceptions (two) as All-Star awards because quarterbacks are too smart/afraid to throw a ball anywhere near him. My message to all CFL passers: stop being such cowards and challenge the man. I understand the idea that his ability to cut off a large chunk of the field from quarterbacks is important for the BC Lions’ defence but what about us the fans? I want to see him pick off Bo Levi Mitchell. I want my TV screen filled with shots of him weaving through a helpless Edmonton offensive line on his way to the end zone.
Rushing touchdowns: Andrew Harris
I know that there’s a contingent of fans out there that don’t think this will work out. They question just how effective Harris will be now that he is no longer running behind the Blue Bombers’ offensive line. They’re waiting for the inevitable drop-off from a 35-year-old running back. They’re sitting there ready to cackle at the Toronto Argonauts for making all these splashy moves hoping it backfires. I get it, I would be doing the same thing if I didn’t grow up here. But a dominant Harris makes the league more interesting.
Football is littered with stories of aging running backs hitting that wall so why not cheer for the opposite side? If Harris is great that will surely anger up the Winnipeg fan base and considering they’ve experienced back-to-back Grey Cup wins I think the rest of Canada is allowed to cheer for at least a little sports disappointment for a city that has done a ton of winning on the football field these past couple years.
Receiving touchdowns: Jake Wieneke
I’m all for Wieneke defending his touchdown title after leading the league with 11 in 2021. We always hear that scoring touchdowns is a high variance act and is often quite random. Well as an old school sports fan that likes outdated ideas like momentum, I want Wieneke to prove that last year was not a fluke and that finding the end zone is a skill. Last year he had at least one touchdown in nine of Montreal’s 14 regular-season games and has 19 in his first two years with the Alouettes. Also, a high total would point to a better year for Vernon Adams Jr.
Rushing yards: William Stanback
As a good teammate I’m rooting for Stanback to lead in rushing as it would prove fellow writer Jamie Nye correct about his 2022 MOP pick. OK, I am not actually a good teammate for CFL.ca and I desperately want to reclaim my crown as the picks champion but another Stanback rushing title would mean we would get to witness something special.
If you projected what Stanback did last year into an entire healthy 18-game season you are looking at a running back that would be getting close to 1,800 yards. We have more than enough proof that Stanback is capable of elite level seasons, so just how high a number could he obtain? Who doesn’t love a good late season “will he get to 2,000 yards rushing” narrative? Stanback dominating would also mean random Mike Pringle highlights from back in the day, which is always fun.
Receiving yards: Shaq Evans
Much like with my Jake Wieneke argument, a dominant Shaq Evans season should translate into Cody Fajardo, who is in a contract year, lighting it up as well. My favourite thing about Evans isn’t the actual receiving yards; it’s the average behind each of his receptions.
His last full season back in 2019 saw Evans finish fourth in yards but was the clear-cut leader in average yards per reception. A receiver hauling in three passes for 60 yards is fun. A receiver collecting all 60 yards on one glorious deep ball is rocketing down a roller coaster fun. We have not seen a 1,000-yard receiver with Evans’ average of 18.5 yard a catch since the great Fred Stamps back in 2013. I respect the volume receiver, but I love me the deep threat.
Passing touchdowns: Jeremiah Masoli
Ottawa hasn’t had high end quarterback play since Henry Burris and Hamilton chose Dane Evans over Masoli, so I think both the city and the quarterback deserve an All-Star performance in 2022. A wheeling and dealing Masoli means we’re getting great years from All-Stars like Jaelon Acklin and Darvin Adams, with other lesser-known players breaking out as well. A prime season from Masoli would certainly lead to some epic REDBLACKS versus Tiger-Cats games and I am all for some blood feud contests with both quarterbacks saying it’s “just another game” but where we all know that deep down this one means a bit more.
Passing yards: Nathan Rourke
This is the easiest of all my picks and is consistent with my ultimate hopes and dreams. A Canadian quarterback dominating Canadian football. Just think of how much better the offensive landscape is if we have Rourke and Fajardo battling Bo Levi Mitchell and Zach Collaros for Western quarterback supremacy. Rourke has the weapons to help him with Bryan Burnham and Lucky Whitehead. Now we just need to see if he is ready to take the hardest step in football, from promising rookie to a legitimate starting quarterback.
Let the regular season begin!
