Kevin Sousa/CFL.ca
Winnipeg’s offensive outburst against BC’s rugged defence set a very high bar that the rest of Week 9 of CFL fantasy play wasn’t quite able to top as no other team scored more than 27 points. Montreal’s Cody Fajardo was the only other pivot besides Zach Collaros to eclipse 300 passing yards.
Week 10 kicks off with the Blue Bombers looking to maintain their explosive capabilities at the Elks along with three other games that will offer interesting decisions as we kick off the weekly edition of Start vs. Sit.
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» Power Rankings: The Bombers strike back
» Landry’s five takeaways from Week 9
Winnipeg (6-2-0) at Edmonton (0-8-0), Thursday, 9:00pm (Eastern)
Start: Kenny Lawler, WR, Winnipeg, $8,000 Salary
After scoring 16.3 fantasy points in Week 7, Lawler doubled his production with 33 FP in last week’s win over the Lions after catching seven of his eight targets for 200 yards and a major. The pair of Lawler and Dalton Schoen ($14,700) combined for 63.7 FP in Week 9 and although it would be too much to expect similar production against Edmonton on Thursday, there’s no reason to step off the gas and not add Lawler to your lineup. His presence makes what is already a very good Blue Bombers offence into a frightening unit capable of approaching the 576 total yards from scrimmage in Week 9 any given week. The Elks allow 9.6 yards per pass, making the addition of Lawler more of a must.
Sit: Tre Ford, QB, Edmonton, $5,000 Salary
The Elks will finally give their 2022 first round pick the opportunity to hit the field for the first time this season after going with Taylor Cornelius ($13,000) and Jarret Doege ($10,900) in the first eight games. Ford should bring some juice to an offence that’s averaging a league-low 12.4 points per game along with being shut out twice this season. Yet athleticism is well-documented, yet don’t expect miracles (fantasy or reality) against a Blue Bombers defence that may have regained its edge after dismantling the Lions in Week 9. Expect a handful of promises from Ford but wait a few games to see if he can spark the Edmonton offence.
Saskatchewan (4-4-0) at Montreal (4-3-0), Friday, 7:30pm
Start: Shawn Bane, Jr., WR, Roughriders, $13,900 Salary
Bane has established himself as Saskatchewan’s top fantasy option, solidifying his status with 20.8 FP in the Week 9 thriller over the REDBLACKS. Sunday was Bane’s third straight game with at least 17.4 FP as he and pivot Mason Fine ($8,000) continue to build a strong rapport. Outside of Weeks 5 and 6 where he managed a combined 12.6 fantasy points, Bane scored in double digits in each game. More encouraging is that he’s scored majors in each of the past two games, and with Fine getting his first career win under him, the momentum between the two should continue to grow.
Sit: Jamal Morrow, RB, Roughriders, $12,700 Salary
Morrow’s 10.7 FP outing in Week 9 would have been much worse had he not scored a touchdown. For the third straight game, Morrow was held to under 50 rushing yards and was a nonfactor in the passing game as he failed to catch the only target in his direction. He did manage 13 carries, offering a sense of hope that Morrow will eventually break out of his slump, yet he is facing an Alouettes run defence that allows just 94 yards per game, so fantasy users might want to look elsewhere considering Morrow has scored 10.7 or fewer FP in four of his last five games.
Calgary (3-5-0) at BC (6-2-0), Saturday, 7:00pm
Start: Vernon Adams Jr., QB, Lions, $13,500 Salary
Adams was available for emergency purposes during Thursday’s loss at Winnipeg, but if he’s atop the depth chart on Friday, count on the BC offence to make up for lost time. Granted, we have yet to see just how efficient Adams can be with this offence, but one gets the sense that the best is yet to come. Adams started the season with 25.5 fantasy points in Week 1 yet topped 20 FP just one other time before being injured early in Week 7. The Lions were held without an offensive major last week and finished with 230 total yards, so motivation will be driving them all week. Again, this is just a hunch, yet it’s one that could see a huge return for fantasy users if Adams is indeed the starter.
Sit: Jake Maier, QB, Stampeders, $14,000 Salary
Since peaking at 31 fantasy points in Week 7, Maier has tallied weeks of 6.2 FP and 5.8 FP. That trend likely continues now that the Stampeders have gotten RB Dedrick Mills ($13,000) back as the focal point of the offence. We aren’t counting on Mills to get 31 touches from scrimmage as he did during the Week 9 shocker over the previously undefeated Argonauts, but we also aren’t counting on Maier to throw the ball 35-plus times. BC Place will have a hungry den of sour Lions looking to shake off the memories of Winnipeg touchdown celebrations, and considering they held Maier to just 9.1 fantasy points in Week 1, all signs point to finding another pivot for quality fantasy production.
Ottawa (3-5-0) at Toronto (6-1-0), Sunday, 7:00pm
Start: AJ Ouellette, RB, Argonauts, $12,300 Salary
Ouellette had four straight games of at least 11.6 FP before faltering with 9.7 FP and 5.4 FP the past two weeks. It’s hard to see him go three straight games under projection, so look for him to revert to the level of scoring that made him one of the more consistent fantasy producers in the league.
Sit: Dustin Crum, QB, REDBLACKS, $8,500 Salary
Has Crum’s fantasy potential crumbled? His numbers have fallen the past three games since his memorable 30.3 fantasy point outburst against Winnipeg in Week 6, going from 26.3 FP to 12.2 FP to last week’s 8.1 FP total. It may be that the defenses have figured out the Ottawa offence, which continues to lack big play potential (league-low six completions of better than 30 yards). Crum averaged 8.0 yards per pass in Week 9 and did attempt to stretch the field more than usual but did not find the mark on any of his deep tosses. Toronto remains last in the league in opponents’ completion percentage and is eighth in passing yards allowed per game; however, the Argos’ pass defence issues may not matter much here as Crum and Ottawa continue to sputter when it comes to quick strikes.
