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Hamilton QB Taylor Powell ($10,000) shined for the 0.2 percent of CFL fantasy users who started him in Week 14 as he delivered them 27.7 fantasy points while leading the Tiger-Cats to a win over the REDBLACKS. No longer a sleeper, Powell’s performance offers hope that the following players can do the same in Week 15.
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Quarterback
Dustin Crum, Ottawa, $9,500 Salary (at BC, Saturday)
Crum heads into BC Place to face the league’s second stingiest defence (18.6 offensive points allowed per game), but the Lions will have to contend with a pivot who not only has completed nearly 70 percent of his attempts and is also the league’s tenth leading rusher with 521 yards. The presence of elite pass rusher Mathieu Betts will force Crum and the Ottawa offence to be more aggressive than the mere 20 big plays they have produced, and we think Crum is up to the task. Keep in mind that two of his three best fantasy outings this season have come against West Division teams (Winnipeg, 30.3, and Calgary, 26.3, respectively), so don’t think he won’t be up to the task of topping the 15.6 FP he’s projected for this week.
Running Back
Walter Fletcher, Montreal, $4,600 Salary (vs. Toronto, Friday)
Starter William Stanback ($9,000) did not practice on Tuesday, lending belief he could either be limited or end up on the 1-game Injured List. Fletcher has appeared in just four games this season, scoring 15.1 FP against the Roughriders in Week 10 and 11.2 FP in last week’s loss to the Argonauts. Keep in mind that Fletcher has shown himself to be a dangerous receiver out of the backfield, averaging 12.2 yards per catch last season. If Stanback is indeed out for Friday, Fletcher is an interesting value play who can provide much more than the 7.3 FP his Week 15 projection has for him.
Receivers
Lucky Whitehead, BC, $7,500 Salary (vs. Ottawa, Saturday)
His numbers aren’t too far off from his 1,011-yard season in 2022. However, Whitehead has been relatively quiet as Keon Hatcher ($12,000) and Alexander Hollins ($13,000) have become the featured targets for the league’s best passing offence. A player of Whitehead’s explosive potential can’t be silent for much longer, and a matchup against an Ottawa pass defence allowing a league-worst 33 completions of better than 30 yards offers fantasy users an excellent opportunity for Whitehead to snap out of a two-game funk and breeze past his 11.3 FP projection.
Tyler Snead, Montreal, $6,000 Salary (vs. Toronto, Friday)
Snead has replaced the injured Kaion Julien-Grant as the WR2 in Montreal, and his 136.7 efficiency rate and 73.8 percent catch rate assures fantasy users that Cody Fajardo ($13,000) will target him frequently. To no shock, most fantasy users will turn toward Austin Mack ($12,100), but the smart move for those looking for Als receivers who can exploit the Argos’ eighth-ranked pass defence (304.2 yards per game) should look in the direction of Snead and watch him breeze past his Week 15 projection of 11.3 FP.
Dillon Mitchell, Edmonton, $7,500 Salary (at Saskatchewan, Friday)
With his game-altering skills, Mitchell can exceed his 7.4 FP on one pass from Tre Ford ($10,000). The Elks have averaged less than three attempts per game of better than 20 yards since Ford took over the starting lineup, a trend that should snap considering the Roughriders have yielded 24 completions of better than 30 yards. Mitchell had just two receptions in Week 14 but his 44 yards and a major resulted in 12.4 fantasy points. He’s a sleeper waiting to use his deep speed to not only topple the Riders but also enhance fantasy lineups.
Kurleigh Gittens Jr., Argonauts, $8,000 Salary (at Montreal, Friday)
If it feels like a receiver in double blue shows up here this week, well, you’d be right. The Argos’ receiving corps is so deep that Gittens, who was an All-Star last season, is fourth among the six Boatmen ranked in the top 40 in receiving yardage. He’s only projected for 8.0 fantasy points this week, but his numbers appear to be trending upward as the weather gets cooler. Gittens has consecutive games of double-digit fantasy points and has caught nine of his past 10 targets for 120 yards. Here’s betting Gittens continues his recent production, reasserting himself as one of the league’s best National receivers.
