Start vs. Sit: Can anybody stop Rambo?

Brandon C. Williams

CFL.ca

All we thought we knew about the West Division came tumbling down in Week 9 as Edmonton’s offence torched the vaunted Saskatchewan defence, Calgary rallied to perhaps save their season while, shock of all shocks, BC’s offence never got out of first gear in a shocking shutout loss at Winnipeg, who looks to have found its stride after a slow start.

Fantasy players who cashed in on Tre Ford ($7,500), Javon Leake ($4,500), or the Blue Bombers defence ($8,500) come into Week 10 feeling good. Here’s banking our latest edition of Start vs. Sit will keep those positive vibes flowing.

Saskatchewan (5-3-0) at Ottawa (5-2-0), Thursday, 7:30 PM ET

Line: Ottawa -1.5

O/U: 48.5 (-110)

Start: Kalil Pimpleton, WR/RS, REDBLACKS, $5,000 Salary

Lord Pimpleton has ruled over opposing defences and return units in his first three games in the league, averaging 19 fantasy points and 96.1 receiving yards per game. He has scored via pass reception and punt return while being the only player in the league with plays of at least 40 yards as a receiver, punt returner, and kickoff returner.

Pimpleton has averaged 19.6 yards every time he’s touched the ball, and there’s reason to bank on him maintaining those numbers against a Roughriders pass defence allowing a league-high 311.1 yards per game. Containing Justin Hardy ($10,900) will be challenging enough for Saskatchewan, so look for pivot Dru Brown ($11,000) to continue targeting Pimpleton at his current 8.1 times per game. That means Pimpleton will remain one of the best value plays in CFL fantasy, which means he’ll get your Week 10 lineup to a strong start.

Sit: Saskatchewan Defence, $9,000 Salary

Entering Week 9, the Roughriders’ D had scored at least eight FP in five of their first seven games. That drastically changed when the Elks lit them up for 515 net offensive yards, averaging 10.1 yards per play. Nowhere was it more pronounced than in their run defence, which gave up 276 yards on 28 carries (9.9 yards per attempt) after coming into Saturday allowing a combined 335 yards on the ground.

Don’t expect the REDBLACKS’ ground game to be that effective. However, the Riders continue to struggle to defend the deep ball as they’ve allowed 15 completions of over 30 yards. Ottawa’s passing game continues to develop, and they have the receiving corps to make Saskatchewan pay dearly.

Calgary (4-4-0) at Toronto (4-4-0), Friday, 7:30 PM ET

Line: Calgary -1.5

O/U: 49.5 (-115)

Start: Jake Maier, QB, Stampeders, $11,500 Salary

Sunday’s fourth-quarter rally helped Maier finish with 17 FP, a strong rebound after his brutal 6.1 FP effort at Ottawa in Week 8. Maier threw for multiple majors for the third time in his last four games and appears to have finally found a groove with Reggie Begelton ($9,000), who caught eight of his 10 targets for 97 yards while connecting with seven different receivers (well, eight if you add offensive lineman D’Antne Demery).

The return of running back Dedrick Mills ($9,500) will be a week-to-week issue. That means the Stampeders will lean on Maier as the offense’s focal point. He’s remained steady this season for fantasy users, and Week 10 should be no reason why Maier’s strong campaign won’t continue.

Sit: Argonauts Receivers

Toronto quarterback Cameron Dukes ($6,300) scored 24.5 FP in Week 9. Yet, most of his production came from his team-high 95 yards on 12 carries while making the Calgary defence pay for containing running back Ka’Deem Carey ($11,200), who was held to a season-low 31 rushing yards. However, Dukes finished with just 177 passing yards, the fifth time in seven games he has failed to reach at least 200 yards in the air.

The Argos receiving corps managed just its fifth completion of more than 30 yards in Sunday’s loss. Four of them come from Damonte Coxie ($9,000), who is the closest Toronto comes to having a fantasy-viable pass-catcher. The trend toward a conservative offence doesn’t appear to be altered soon, so it’s best to avoid Argos receivers until Dukes can stop avoiding them.

Hamilton (2-6-0) at Montreal (7-1-0), Saturday, 7:00 PM ET

Line: Montreal -7.5

O/U: 50.5 (-115)

Start: Charleston Rambo, WR, Alouettes, $2,500 Salary

Tyson Philpot ($10,000) is the unquestioned Alpha Dog of the Montreal receiving corps, but Rambo has recently made a case to be the second option. He’s scored at least 8.0 FP in his past four games, scoring 15.3 FP in Week 6 before tallying a season-best 18.6 FP in the Week 9 win over the Tiger-Cats.

Rambo has been targeted at least five times in four of his last five games, and there’s confidence in knowing those numbers will climb as the season continues. Even if the Alouettes give QB Davis Alexander ($7,500) another start to allow Cody Fajardo ($13,800) to heal another week, Rambo’s recent play is earning him more serious consideration not only with his pivots, but with fantasy players as well.

Sit: Bo Levi Mitchell, QB, Tiger-Cats, $12,000 Salary

To no surprise, Mitchell struggled against the Alouettes in Week 9, throwing a pair of interceptions while throwing for 240 yards and averaging a mere 5.7 yards per pass, both season-lows for a quarterback still in range for a 6,000-yard campaign.

Mitchell had just nine fantasy points (again, a season-low), and a second shot against that Montreal defence doesn’t offer optimism for a rebound performance. There will be better fantasy options at quarterback than Mitchell, who should return to normal after he no longer has to contend with the Als harassing him.

BC (5-3-0) at Edmonton (1-7-0), Sunday, 7:00 PM ET

Line: BC -6.5

O/U: 53.5 (-115)

Start: Keon Hatcher, WR, Lions, $8,000 Salary

For no other reason, Hatcher is here because, well, we miss Hatcher and know it won’t take long for him to torch secondaries in the manner he did the previous two seasons, catching 148 passes for 2,289 yards and 11 majors.

Hatcher made his season debut in the Week 9 debacle against Winnipeg, catching three passes for 28 yards (5.8 FP). With a game under him, Hatcher should be able to get his share of targets without impacting the numbers of Alexander Hollins ($12,000) and Justin McInnis ($13,600). Get in on Hatcher while he’s still a value to your fantasy roster.

Sit: Kevin Brown, RB, Elks, $8,000 Salary

Brown was sidelined for Saturday’s win over the Roughriders, opening the door for Javon Leake to rack up a ridiculous 40.5 FP. Brown is likely to return to the roster, but he won’t return as the RB1 for Edmonton.

The Elks had flirted with pairing Brown and Leake during Week 8, and with Tre Ford anchored at pivot, the Edmonton running game will be diverse. Expect a lot of RPO with this trio, which means Brown’s workload will be greatly altered. Brown’s chances of repeating his 1,141-yard campaign in 2023 are not looking great, making him unlikely to deliver for fantasy players.

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