Minas Panagiotakis/CFL.ca
It’s that time of year when we’re talkin’ about playoffs.
Toronto has locked up the Eastern Final but that’s really the only clarity we have with six weeks left in the regular season.
And with all teams still in contention for a playoff spot, every game is extremely important (and exciting!).
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Edmonton and Ottawa, both at the bottom of their divisions, can’t be eliminated this week with a loss but you can be sure that every game feels like a must-win for them heading down the stretch.
Hamilton and Montreal are jockeying for position in the East, as they both have identical records (6-7). Calgary (4-9) is currently on the outside looking in on a playoff spot but they’re just behind Saskatchewan (6-7), who is in that third spot right now.
BC will want a win to tie Winnipeg in points as the Bombers sit on a bye this week, and a W this weekend secures a playoff spot for the Leos.
I don’t know about you, but I won’t be missing any games this weekend.
So, as John Lu once said, L F G.
KRISTINA’S CFL FANTASY TEAM
QB – Vernon Adams Jr. ($13,500) CAPTAIN
RB – Kevin Brown ($12,000)
RB – Deonta McMahon ($2,500)
WR – Austin Mack ($12,000)
WR – Tim White ($11,000)
Flex – Shawn Bane Jr. ($10,500)
Defence – Saskatchewan Roughriders ($5,900)
Five-straight 300+ yard games sounds good to me and is a big reason why I chose Vernon Adams Jr. as my quarterback this week. Not only has he been playing well as of late, but he is also going against an Edmonton Elks defence that allows 257.9 yards per game through the air.
At running back, I’m going with the hot-hand (legs?) of Kevin Brown. Brown’s two-game total of 318 rushing yards has earned him 21.8 and 25.7 FP, respectively, and he seems like an obvious choice this week, even if he is going against a tough BC defence.
I’m also going with running back Deonta McMahon. The Argos are sitting AJ Ouellette, who’s been listed as a healthy scratch on the team’s injury report and instead it’s McMahon starting in the backfield. I’m hoping he’ll get a ton of touches against a Hamilton defence that 123.4 yards on the ground per game. Plus, with a $2,500 price tag, he could be this week’s biggest sleeper.
At receiver I’m going with Austin Mack and Tim White. White didn’t have quite as big of a game last week as he’s been having over the last few, but against a stout Argonauts defence, I think Taylor Powell will be relying on the connection with his favourite target quite a bit in the contest. Speaking of favourite targets, Mack continues his sensational season as Cody Fajardo‘s go-to and I’m hoping for more of that against the Stampeders this weekend.
At FLEX, I’m rolling with Shawn Bane Jr. Bane Jr. has had some big fantasy point games this season (last week he had 22.7 and in Week 8 had 30.4 against Toronto.) In Week 9’s contest against the REDBLACKS, the same team he’s facing this week, he finished with 20.8 FP (six catches for 88 yards and a touchdown). I’m hoping the Riders receiver has another big game against Ottawa.
My defence this week is the Saskatchewan Roughriders. I wanted to make sure I didn’t take a defence that any of my players were playing against and since I didn’t take any Ottawa players, Saskatchewan was my choice.
KRISTINA’S PICKS
Saskatchewan at Ottawa
Friday, 7:00 p.m. ET
Ottawa is on quite the losing skid and while they will eventually snap it, I don’t know if it’ll be against the Riders this week. Jake Dolegala has been playing well and I think he leads Saskatchewan to a win in the nation’s capital this week.
PICK: Saskatchewan
BC at Edmonton
Friday, 9:30 p.m. ET
Yes, Edmonton has been a revitalized team with Tre Ford at the helm. Do I think it’s enough to defeat the BC Lions? No, I don’t think so. I do think the game will be closer than their previous two meetings where BC shut out Edmonton, though.
PICK: BC
Montreal at Calgary
Saturday, 4:00 p.m. ET
This game was hard for me to pick. I haven’t been able to figure out either of these teams through the first 15 weeks of the season. Both look great some weeks and then others they take a step back. I like both defences, each have playmakers at every level. This pick was a gut feeling, I think Montreal snaps their four-game losing skin in Calgary.
PICK: Montreal
Hamilton at Toronto
Saturday, 7:00 p.m. ET
Toronto already has the Eastern Final locked up but I don’t think they let their foot off the gas in this match against their rivals from down the QEW. Taylor Powell has been growing before our eyes, getting better every week. This will be one of his toughest tasks against an Argos defence that gets after the quarterback (they lead the league in sacks with 45).
PICK: Toronto
