Peter McCabe/CFL.ca
Those who gambled on Dustin Crum and Kevin Brown were rewarded as the Week 10 sleepers combo produced 43 fantasy points. Can our under the radar plays in Week 11 rise to deliver? Let’s find out.
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Quarterback
Taylor Powell, Hamilton, $8,000 Salary (vs. Edmonton, Thursday)
Powell flashed potential with 18.7 fantasy points in a Week 7 loss to Toronto before scoring just 6.9 FP during the Week 9 defeat to Montreal. With Bo Levi Mitchell ($8,100) still on the six-Game Injured List, the keys to the Ticats offence belong to Powell, and he gets a solid opportunity for smooth driving when he faces an Elks defence that’s allowing 400.3 yards per game and 104.3 opponents pass efficiency rate, both last in the CFL. This will be the best chance to gamble with Powell, who should be able to bring life to a passing game with just 10 completions of better than 30 yards, especially when you consider Edmonton has yielded 17 completions of that variety. It’s elevated risk, but we can see Powell doing much more than the 7.0 FP he’s projected for.
Running Back
Taquan Mizzell, BC, $13,000 Salary (at Saskatchewan, Sunday)
The Lions are eighth in rushing yards per game, yet Mizzell has quietly scored in double figures in each of his past three games, including a 22.7 FP showing against Edmonton in Week 8. BC will continue to put their offensive focus on throwing the ball, which is where Mizzell has shown to be dangerous when he’s involved. The rookie has recorded at least three receptions in four of the seven games he’s appeared in along with totaling at least 20 receiving yards four times. With the Roughriders defence locked in on stopping the Lions fleet of receivers, look for Mizzell to take advantage of the open field that will be available to him.
Receivers
Bralon Addison, Ottawa, $7,000 Salary (vs. Montreal, Saturday)
The 2019 All-Star has been a full participant in practice this week and appears set to make his return to action after an Achilles injury curtailed his 2022 campaign with the Tiger-Cats. Keep in mind that Addison has 164 receptions for 2,013 yards and eight majors in just 31 career games in the league and joins a receiving corps that already includes Justin Hardy ($10,000) and Jaelon Acklin ($8,500) along with the recent addition of former Elks pass catcher Maurice Ffrench ($8,200). If Addison is tapped for the starting lineup when depth charts come out on Friday, he’s a remarkably interesting fantasy option that could immediately pay dividends.
Dillon Mitchell, Edmonton, $10,000 Salary (at Hamilton, Thursday)
When two defences that have allowed a combined 52.4 offensive points come together, chances are you’re not going to get a defensive stalemate. That makes the addition of Mitchell a reasonable consideration seeing that he’s becoming more involved in the Elks passing game. Mitchell has scored at least 10.7 fantasy points in four of his last five games and has five receptions of at least 30 yards, numbers to ponder when facing a Tiger-Cats pass defence that has given up 19 receptions of over 30 yards. It’s not often we’re suggesting a Tre Ford ($8,500)-Mitchell pairing, but Thursday has a great chance for seeing that pairing come to fruition for fantasy users.
Jerreth Sterns, Saskatchewan, $4,500 Salary (vs. BC, Sunday)
Sterns is held over for another week due in part to the fact that he’s caught 11 of 13 targets in his first two games in the league. Starter Jake Dolegala ($8,000) is going to need that type of consistency in order to have a chance against a Lions pass defence that has recorded 26 sacks. Considering that Roughriders pivots have been sacked 30 times this season, the words “quick release” will be embedded in Dolegala, who should be able to keep Sterns as a vital part of a Saskatchewan passing game that has struggled to get Shawn Bane, Jr. ($14,300) and Tevin Jones ($14,100)flowing in the past two contests.
Clark Barnes, Calgary, $8,000 Salary (vs. Winnipeg, Friday)
With Jake Maier failing to total 300 combined passing yards the past two games, each of the Stampeders receivers could fall into the “sleeper” category, so let’s take a deep sleeper with Barnes, who has just one game of better than 8.4 fantasy points this season. Facing a Blue Bombers offence that averages 29.7 offensive points per game means the Stamps will have to be more aggressive in getting the ball downfield if they want to outlast Winnipeg. This is a very bold fantasy play – especially with Barnes missing practice on Tuesday -, but it’s one that we feel could result in a pleasant surprise.
