Start vs. Sit: Lewis to bounce back against Argos?

Week 18 of CFL Fantasy play falls on Thanksgiving Weekend presented by Purolator, and oh, how we should be thankful that the main feast on the schedule lands early with Winnipeg traveling to BC to battle for first place in the West Division.

With one playoff spot left, expect the intensity to rise, making this week’s Start vs. Sit even more exciting.

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» Landry’s 5 takeaways from Week 17
» Power Rankings: A fun Monday
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Edmonton (4-11-0) at Toronto (12-2-0), Friday, 7:00pm (Eastern)

Start: Eugene Lewis, WR, Elks, $9,200 Salary

The Elks still hold faint playoff hopes and will face an Argos pass defence that still allows over 300 yards per game. Lewis had a disappointing 5.8 FP in the Week 16 loss to BC, understandable considering how good the Lions have been against the pass this season. He did have four straight games of at least 10.5 fantasy points prior to meeting BC and should be able to be in the 12-15 FP range if pivot Tre Ford ($10,000) can give him more than the seven combined targets he’s had the past two games.

Sit: Kevin Brown, RB, Elks, $11,000 Salary

Things deteriorate for Brown, who was held to just 8.4 FP against BC in Week 16 after he had run wild against opposing defences the past six weeks. Brown finished with 44 rushing yards against the Lions and will now contend with the league’s best run defence that will have a chip on its shoulder after Winnipeg’s Brady Oliveira ($13,400) gouged them for 169 yards in Friday’s loss to the Bombers. This will be another week to avoid Brown considering the Argos will force Edmonton’s passing game to defeat them.

Winnipeg (11-4-0) at BC (11-4-0), Friday, 10:00pm

Start: Dalton Schoen, WR, Blue Bombers, $13,500 Salary

This will be a receiver-driven game, and while we could have selected the likes of Kenny Lawler ($9,000) or Dominique Rhymes ($12,000), we’re going with Schoen, who lit BC up for 30.7 fantasy points in the Week 9 win over the Lions. Schoen has scored double-digit FP in six of his last eight games including four games of at least 19 FP. The Lions will be hard-pressed to slow down Winnipeg’s ground game, and if Zach Collaros ($13,500) comes out of the gate and let the league’s most prolific deep passing attack loose early, then all signs will point to a huge Friday for Schoen.

Sit: Both Defences

There will be other defences to consider this week. This game is not going to be of the 17-13 kind since BC will have QB Vernon Adams ($14,000), who was not available in the Week 9 loss to Winnipeg. The Lions will also have Rhymes in the lineup, and when you add that with the firepower the Blue Bombers possess, having one of these units will not help your fantasy team.

Hamilton (7-8-0) at Saskatchewan (6-9-0), Saturday, 7:00pm

Start: Tim White, WR, Tiger-Cats, $11,000 Salary

Hamilton’s run to a postseason berth began when the Ticats renewed their focus on making White the featured receiver. Since Week 11, White has scored at least 15.7 fantasy points four times while scoring four majors in the process. Regardless of whether the Tiger-Cats go with Taylor Powell ($10,000) or Week 16 hero Matthew Shiltz ($10,000) at pivot, White is going to continue to torch secondaries as he leads the league in targets of 20 yards or longer. His 70-yard touchdown catch in Week 17 marked his 13th catch of better than 20 yards as White benefited from Shiltz averaging 11.4 yards per pass.

Sit: Tevin Jones, WR, Roughriders, $10,500 Salary

Jones was the odd receiver out during Jake Dolegala’s ($10,000) career-best 409-yard effort on Friday night, catching just three passes for 27 yards. After opening the season with seven straight games of at least 10 FP, Jones has been held to single digits in five of his last eight games. Much of his fall in production had to do with the offence not stretching the field but the return of Kian Schaffer-Baker ($6,000) has also resulted in Jones seeing his targets reduced. Don’t count on Dolegala attempting 45 passes as he did in Week 17 or Jones getting the same level of attention he had earlier in the season.

Ottawa (4-11-0) at Montreal (8-7-0), Monday, 1:00pm

Start: William Stanback, RB, Alouettes, $10,000 Salary

The Als have reaffirmed their commitment to the run game, which means Stanback’s fantasy value will continue to climb down the stretch. Saturday was the third time in his last four games that Stanback has produced at least 14.5 fantasy points and getting another opportunity against the league’s worst defence in yards allowed points toward him cracking over 100 yards from scrimmage. The REDBLACKS allow more than seven yards per play, and if Stanback can continue to get the same level of touches he’s had of late, then he needs to be a part of your lineup.

Sit: Justin Hardy, WR, REDBLACKS, $8,500 Salary

Overlooked in Saturday’s loss to the Alouettes is that Hardy’s status as Ottawa’s receiving go-to option was seized by Bralon Addison ($4,100). Hardy had four receptions for 45 yards while Addison scored 16.4 FP, his second straight game of at least 15.4 FP. Dustin Crum ($10,600) had his worst game of the season on Saturday and was replaced by Nick Arbuckle ($5,000), which is something to keep an eye on. Either way, the REDBLACKS’ WR1 belongs to Addison.