Jimmy Jeong/CFL.ca
Neither of our Week 11 sleepers struck gold for CFL fantasy fans, so we learn from our mistakes and take a fresh look at Week 12 in hopes of mining fantasy points from the unexpected.
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Quarterback
Jake Maier, Calgary, $13,000 Salary (at Toronto, Friday)
We know Maier can carry a fantasy team, evidenced by his 31 FP during Week 7. He’s also had two other games of at least 17.5 FP, yet that feels distant considering his recent play. Maier has scored less than 6.3 fantasy points in each of his last four games, and it has shown in the play of the Stampeders offence, which has just one major in their last three contests. The Argonauts allow 296.4 passing yards per game along with a league-high 73.6 percent completion rate, numbers that provide optimism of a Maier rebound. He’s projected for 12.3 FP this week, but he’s got the tools at receiver to exceed this modest total.
Running Back
Kevin Brown, Edmonton, $13,000 Salary (vs. Ottawa, Sunday)
The addition of Tre Ford ($9,000) to the Elks lineup has resulted in a revival of sorts for Brown, who has scored 15.8 FP and 10.5 FP in Ford’s two starts at pivot. However, adding Brown this week is a bold play as he will face the REDBLACKS league-leading run defence that has allowed just 69.4 yards and 3.7 yards per carry. At the same time, the Elks are second with 5.4 yards per carry due in part to Brown, who leads the league with five carries of at least 20 yards. He’s proved to be a quick strike presence of late, so if you’re up to the task of playing Brown, there’s a strong chance he can do much better than the 10.6 fantasy points he’s projected for this week.
Receivers
Damonte Coxie, Argonauts, $9,000 Salary (vs. Calgary, Friday)
Coxie has been out of action since an ankle injury against the Roughriders in Week 8 but has returned as a full participant to practice this week. Coxie has been streaky yet has popped with games of 19.1 FP in Week 2 and 17.2 FP in Week 6 as he also ranks among league leaders with 18.1 yards per catch. As has been the case this season, Toronto has had several receivers deliver big fantasy weeks, so it’s almost like dart throwing when projecting them. Coxie is projected for 10.3 FP this week, yet it feels like Chad Kelly ($15,000) won’t waste time getting Coxie’s big play potential back into play.
Duke Williams, Hamilton, $10,500 Salary (at BC, Saturday)
Despite the struggles at quarterback, Williams still ranks among the league’s receivers in both yardage (461) and depth yards (807). The former All-Star has just one major this season and has become something of a forgotten player in the Tiger-Cats offence of late, having been targeted just six times the past two games. Leaving BC Place with a win will require a huge lift from an offence that has managed just 10 pass plays of better than 30 yards, but this feels like a game where Taylor Powell ($6,000) will look frequently for Williams as he goes against a Lions pass defence that allows a league-low 7.3 yards per pass. We think they’ll connect at least once on a deep throw that will go a long way toward Williams topping his projected total of 9.6 FP.
Luther Hakunavanhu, Calgary, $8,000 Salary (at Toronto, Friday)
The Argonauts are eighth in passing yards allowed yet have not yielded too many big plays, having allowed just nine completions of better than 30 yards. Although they’ve faltered of late, the Stampeders are third with 17 such completions, two of which have come from Hakunavanhu. The big receiver has been targeted just 29 times this season, quite a dwindling number for a player who has flashed his potential throughout his brief career. Adding him to your lineup is a deep dive, but Hakunavanhu can easily top his 7.0 FP if Jake Maier gets him involved.
Bralon Addison, Ottawa, $7,000 Salary (vs. Edmonton, Sunday)
Hopes of an Addison return in Week 11 were dashed when the REDBLACKS kept him off the active roster for another week. He’s going to play eventually, so we’re leaning on the sooner side, like Sunday evening. The 2019 All-Star has gone through a lot since he and Brandon Banks helped the Tiger-Cats advance to the Grey Cup Final and can still be a viable option to an Ottawa offence that is last in passing yards per game. If he’s on the depth chart come Saturday, feel free to risk adding Addison.
