Minas Panagiotakis/CFL.ca
Ah, normalcy returns with a four-game docket for Week 5 that sees the league’s sole undefeated team (and your defending Grey Cup champs) enjoying an open week. The week also will give us answers to some questions neither Week 4 action nor a week off could resolve.
It is under this backdrop that we present our weekly edition of Start/Sit.
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Edmonton (0-4-0) at Saskatchewan (2-1-0), Thursday, 9:00pm (Eastern)
Line: Saskatchewan (-7.5)
O/U: 43.0
Start: Jamal Morrow, RB, Roughriders, $11,400 Salary
Everyone else has run through the Elks defence this season, so why not Morrow, who is long overdue for a stellar fantasy performance. Averaging just 9.5 fantasy points in his first three games, Morrow gets to face an Edmonton run defence that is last in the league in yards allowed per game and comes off a Week 4 loss that saw De’Montre Tuggle ($6,200) rack up 126 rushing yards and a major. Morrow did have 15.9 FP in the Week 3 win over Calgary, and with a week of rest behind his sails, he’s in line for a huge night.
Sit: Elks Pivots
Regardless of who gets the start this week, Edmonton’s offensive struggles will continue until someone steps up and shows consistency. The Elks managed just 253 total yards in Week 4, with all but 25 coming from the passing game. Both Taylor Cornelius ($14,400) and Jarret Doege ($8,500) are averaging less than 11.0 FP per game, and when an offence can’t generate much more than that, the domino effect on the rest of the team is pretty obvious despite the level of talent the backs and receivers offer.
Calgary (1-2-0) at Winnipeg (3-1-0), Friday, 8:30pm
Line: Winnipeg (-8)
O/U: 46.5
Start: Brady Oliveira, RB, Blue Bombers, $15,000 Salary
For all the firepower that Winnipeg’s offence possesses, it feels more at ease when the ball is given to Oliveira frequently. The banging tailback recorded his second 100-yard game of the season in the Week 4 win over Montreal with a 120-yard effort, and only a lack of a major kept his 13.0 FP performance from going higher. The Bombers will have Nic Demski ($15,000) back in the lineup this week, suggesting the passing attack will be more prominent, yet it appears Winnipeg is committed to getting the ball in the hands of Oliveira, which means you should be committed to having him in your lineup.
Sit: Dedrick Mills, RB, Stampeders, $11,700 Salary
Calgary’s receiving corps has been hammered with injuries to the point where the Stamps signed former standout Marken Michel to bolster depth. With Jake Maier ($15,000) having to adjust to a revamped group of pass catchers, expect the Winnipeg defence to lock in on Mills, who has averaged 17.1 FP in his last two games. The Blue Bombers clamped down on Montreal’s William Stanback ($14,500), holding him to 42 yards in Week 4 and will be zeroed in on containing Mills. the Stamps’ most potent offensive threat.
RB Brady Oliveira had his second 100-yard game of the season in the Week 4 win over Montreal (Jonathan Kozub/CFL.ca)
Ottawa (1-2-0) at Hamilton (0-3-0), Saturday, 7:00pm
Line: Ottawa (+2.5)
O/U: 43.5
Start: Jaelon Acklin, WR, REDBLACKS, $9,000 Salary
What better time to get out of a slump than against your former teammates whose pass defence ranks near the bottom of the league? Acklin isn’t sure whether Jeremiah Masoli ($13,000) makes his 2023 debut or Tyrie Adams ($5,200) gets a second start, but whoever is at pivot faces a Tiger-Cats pass D that allows 294.7 yards per game along with a league-worse 128.4 opponents pass efficiency. The East Division All-Star has averaged just 4.9 fantasy points per game in the early going, but he’s too good to lie dormant much longer.
Sit: Matthew Shiltz, QB, Tiger-Cats, $8,800 Salary
Only the REDBLACKS have a lower average yards per pass than the Tiger-Cats, who manage just 7.0 per attempt. Shiltz remains the starter in Hamilton and while Ottawa’s defence is near the bottom in yards allowed and number of 30-yard completions allowed, Shiltz can’t be trusted to continue harassing the REDBLACKS secondary as other pivots have. Hamilton’s best bet to generate a passing game will come if RB James Butler ($15,000) gets going early and allows Shiltz time to get downfield.
Montreal (2-1-0) at BC (3-1-0), Sunday, 7:00pm
Line: BC (-7.5)
O/U: 44.5
Start: Kaion Julien-Grant, WR, Alouettes, $10,300 Salary
Despite the loss to Winnipeg, Julien-Grant showed the Alouettes have two quality receivers. The third-year pro caught all six of his targets for 129 yards and has at least 62 receiving yards in each of his three games. Austin Mack ($8,400) has been a breakout performer who also had 115 yards in Week 4, yet Julien-Grant has emerged as a reliable fantasy threat who has averaged 17.1 FP over the past two games. BC won’t allow a 79.3 per cent completion rate as it did in Monday’s loss to Toronto yet will have their hands full containing Julien-Grant’s big play potential.
Sit:Taquan Mizzell, RB, Lions, $13,500 Salary
A knee injury limited Mizzell to just 22 yards on six carries in Monday night’s loss to the Argonauts, marking the second straight game he has been cooled down. His status for Sunday has yet to be determined and if Mizzell is sidelined, the start will likely go to veteran Kienan LaFrance ($2,500). The Alouettes won’t get six interceptions of Vernon Adams, Jr. ($15,000) like the Argos did in Week 4 yet will also be locked in to contain BC’s ground game after Winnipeg pounded them for 185 yards on a 6.9 yards per carry clip last week.
