The Canadian Press
Week 21 of CFL Fantasy play means our whimsical journey is coming to an end. Those who have clinched league titles can begin the bragging that will warm many a cool night, yet, under the backdrop of the final three regular season games, many a league title chase will present its share of drama.
This week’s projections are centered around how each team will use this weekend. With the postseason picture already taken, figuring out who plays and who sits is something of a dart throw, albeit one we will gladly attempt.
Two trains of thought before we dive:
1.Don’t stress spending all of your $70,000 salary this week. You won’t need it.
2.Many of the faces you’ve seen here during the previous 20 weeks will not be appearing, so get used to a lot of first timers in our projection rankings.
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Quarterbacks
1. Cameron Dukes, Toronto, $7,500 Salary (8.6 Projected Fantasy Points): There’s no need for the Argos to give Chad Kelly much, if any, playing time after the Most Outstanding Player contender suffered an injury in Week 20. Dukes has accounted for five touchdowns in his last four games and will produce around 16-18 FP if he goes the distance against the REDBLACKS.
2. Dru Brown, Winnipeg, $7,500 Salary (9.4): We’ll likely see some Zach Collaros; however, Brown will get the overwhelming majority of the snaps on Friday. Brown scored 11 FP in limited action last week and would be a sure bet to approach 20 FP if he gets the keys for the entire ride.
3. Caleb Evans, Montreal, $7,500 Salary (8.2): Expect to see a lot of Evans, who has shown how productive a fantasy performer he can be based off his time in Ottawa. He’ll get his share of touches near the goal line and is the one pivot ranked here most likely to pop off a highlight reel play.
Running Backs
1.Johnny Augustine, Winnipeg, $2,500 Salary (3.4): Brady Oliveira will be in long enough to get over the 1,500-yard mark, leaving Augustine as the trustee of the Bombers ground game. Calgary allows 122 rushing yards per game, an encouraging fact considering that Augustine averages a healthy six yards per carry.
2.Daniel Adeboboye, Toronto, $2,500 Salary (7.9): The REDBLACKS are second in run defence, yet it shouldn’t dampen interest in seeing if Adeboboye can come close to repeating the 23.5 FP he scored last week. We’d be very intrigued to see what Adeboboye could do with 15-18 touches from scrimmage.
3.Dedrick Mills, Calgary, $11,000 Salary (10.4): Mills returned to practice on Monday and will likely use the regular season finale to get back into the flow of things. Ka’Deem Carey may not see much action, and with Peyton Logan limited during Monday’s session, all signs point toward Mils getting a considerable workload.
Receivers
1.Reggie Begelton, Calgary, $12,000 Salary (17.5): Begelton needs eight receptions to top the league-leading 93 catches hauled in by Saskatchewan’s Shawn Bane, Jr. The Stamps may be the one team that doesn’t go heavy on reserves this week, making Begelton a solid play; if Calgary does choose not to play him, pivot in the direction of…
2.Tommy Nield, Toronto, $4,500 Salary (8.6): The Argos may give their regulars a cameo appearance against the REDBLACKS but look for Nield to be among the most active against an Ottawa pass defence that allows a league-high 310.2 yards per game.
3.Rasheed Bailey, Winnipeg, $7,000 Salary (9.4): Bailey scored a season-high 17.4 FP in Week 20 despite being targeted three times. With the Bombers bevy of All-Star calibre receivers expected to get a breather, the speedster could find himself as the featured target.
4.Justin Hardy, Ottawa, $8,000 Salary (12.8): One of the few players who have appeared here this season, Hardy scored 14.8 FP in the Week 19 loss to the Argos and will use the season finale as a springboard to be considered in Ottawa’s 2024 plans.
5.Drew Wolitarsky, Winnipeg, $8,500 Salary (7.9): Having scored double digits in two of his past three games, Wolitarsky could be in position to have an outing similar to his first two games of the season, which saw him score a combined 32.3 FP.
6.Cole Spieker, Montreal, $5,300 Salary (9.7): There shouldn’t be too much of a shock in seeing Spieker getting an uptick of production if the Alouettes plan on either giving Tyson Philpot and Austin Mack reduced playing time or a week off.
7.Kiondre Smith, Hamilton, $6,500 Salary (9.2): We have seen Smith’s upside several times in the second half, including a 24.6 FP effort against the Argos in Week 16 and his 13 FP performance in Week 19. Regardless of who is throwing him the ball, Smith should be a viable alternative if the Ticats plan to give Tim White and Terry Godwin a breather before the Eastern Semi-Final.
8.David Ungerer III, Toronto, $7,400 Salary (8.7): Ungerer scored 15.3 FP the last time he faced the REDBLACKS defense in Week 19. We feel good about adding him to our rankings this week.
9.Bralon Addison, Ottawa, $4,400 Salary (9.1): His late season stint with the REDBLACKS shows Addison can still perform at a prominent level. A strong finale would set him up for either another look from Ottawa or with a contender seeking a former All-Star who can anchor a slot next season.
10.Floyd Allen, Calgary, $2,500 Salary (5.1): Allen surprised with 12.7 FP in Week 19; if the Stampeders are focused on giving their starters a rest, Allen is the type of receiving option who can look like a featured threat at a bargain rate.
Defences
1.Montreal, $9,000 Salary (19.3): The Als have scored a defensive touchdown in each of their last three games and have tallied nine majors from the unit this season.
2.Toronto, $9,700 Salary (24.5): Yes, the projection is pretty high, but the Argos are playing a REDBLACKS offence that’s coming off a bye before ending their season.
3.Winnipeg, $9.700 Salary (18.1): There’s always the chance the Bombers will deal with a Stampeders offence that goes against expectations and goes heavy on backups. If so, they’re worth the play.
