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Week 13 of CFL fantasy play brings us to OK Tire Labour Day Weekend. There is still plenty of time for fantasy players to rally in their respective leagues and this week’s edition of Start vs. Sit sets the foundation for creating a successful lineup.
Remember, there is no Thursday or Friday action. Yes, we know it will be difficult to cope, but the reward is a long weekend filled with football.
OK TIRE LABOUR DAY WEEKEND
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Ottawa (7-2-1) vs. BC (5-6-0), Saturday, 7:00 PM (Eastern)
Line: BC (-3.5)
O/U: 50.5 (-122)
Start: William Stanback, RB, BC, $11,800 Salary
The one Lions player whose production hasn’t dropped in the team’s five-game losing streak, Stanback comes into the Touchdown Pacific contest scoring at least 12.2 fantasy points in five of his last seven games, including the past three.
Stanback’s numbers would be higher if he could somehow find his way into the end zone, a challenge his teammates have faced. He has consecutive 100-yard games and has 310 rushing yards in the last three games. Starting BC players have been brutally unkind to fantasy players over the past month, but Stanback, the league’s third-leading rusher with 618 yards, is a safe bet.
Sit: Nathan Rourke, QB, BC, $9,000 Salary
As expected, Rourke’s numbers improved in his second start, going from 3.7 FP to 13.3 FP, but the explosive plays that made him a national sensation in 2022 have been few. Rourke has yet to generate a major while throwing three interceptions and completing only 53.6 per cent of his attempts.
Rourke is averaging 6.4 yards per pass. Much of his Week 12 fantasy total came from his 63 rushing yards on four carries, numbers he’ll find hard to maintain. Don’t expect Rourke to return to form Saturday as the REDBLACKS defence gets another opportunity to fluster him and the BC offence.
Winnipeg (5-6-0) at Saskatchewan (5-5-1), Sunday, 7:00 PM
Line: Saskatchewan -2.5
O/U: 47.5 (-115)
Start: Kenny Lawler, WR, Blue Bombers, $7,100 Salary
Friday’s game-winning touchdown reception was only Lawler’s second catch on seven targets. Yet consider his 9.7 FP total a warmup act for what he’ll do for the Blue Bombers now that they’ve found themselves right back into the West Division race.
Quarterback Zach Collaros ($12,000) knows where to find Lawler, having targeted him 14 times in Lawler’s return from the injured list. Double-digit targets will be in the offing as the Bombers attack a Roughriders defence allowing 305.7 passing yards per contest. This feels like the week Lawler returns as the featured threat of the Winnipeg passing game.
Sit: Frankie Hickson, RB, Roughriders, $4,000 Salary
With AJ Ouellette ($11,000) placed on the six-game injured list, Hickson becomes the focus of the Saskatchewan ground attack. He’s average 5.5 yards per carry and has a 100-yard game this season in relief of Ouellette, and, on the surface, Hickson looks like a bargain going against Winnipeg’s defence.
The Blue Bombers entered Week 12 allowing nearly 110 rushing yards per game but held the Tiger-Cats to 52 yards, 31 of those coming on a Tim White jet sweep. Ouellette’s injury means the Riders go back to throwing the ball nearly 70 per cent of the time, meaning Hickson’s volume of touches will be limited.
Toronto (6-4-0) at Hamilton (2-9-0), Monday, 2:30 PM
Line: Toronto -5
O/U: 52.5 (-122)
Start: Damonte Coxie, WR, Argonauts, $11,000 Salary
Toronto’s passing game came to life in Week 12, and Coxie did the most thriving among Argos receivers, catching five passes for 112 yards on eight targets. Coxie’s 16.2 FP was his best performance of the season and just his fifth game of double-digit fantasy numbers.
Expect the trend to continue on Labour Day as Coxie faces a Ticats defence allowing a league-high 34 offensive majors. Coxie is a strong bet to snap a five-game drought of not scoring a major and should be considered a staple in Week 13 fantasy lineups.
Sit: Kiondre Smith, WR, Tiger-Cats, $9,700 Salary
Smith was an early-season fantasy sensation, scoring touchdowns in his first three games while averaging 17.6 FP per outing. Those days feel distant as Smith’s fantasy totals have become erratic.
After scoring 17.6 FP in the Week 11 loss to Edmonton, Smith scored just 2.9 FP in Hamilton’s Week 12 loss at Winnipeg, the second time he has been held under 10 FP in the last three games. There is some hope in knowing that Bo Levi Mitchell ($10,300), who connected frequently with Smith during his opening burst, is the starting pivot now that Taylor Powell ($10,000) is on the six-game injured list. Tim White ($13,000) is the clear WR1 for the Ticats, leaving Smith and the rest of the receiving corps fighting for targets.
Edmonton (3-8-0) at Calgary (4-6-0), Monday, 6:00 PM
Line: Calgary -2.5
O/U: 50.5 (-110)
Start: Tevin Jones, WR, Edmonton, $6,500 Salary
The Elks’ ground game continues to be the focus of the offence. Kevin Brown ($8,500) returned from the injured list and ran for 105 yards on 16 carries in Sunday’s loss to the Alouettes, while Jones led Edmonton’s receivers with five catches for 67 yards. He has caught 14 of his 17 targets since joining the starting lineup in Week 9, scoring at least 11.7 FP in three of his four games.
Even if Tre Ford ($8,500) returns to the lineup, Jones will continue to be the featured target for the Elks. Bigger numbers are likely if Edmonton throws more often considering Calgary’s defence is seventh with a 70.9 per cent completion rate.
Sit: Kylin Hill, RB, Stampeders, $2,500 Salary
Dedrick Mills remains away from the team, forcing the Stamps to rely on Peyton Logan ($7,000) as featured back rather than the all-purpose threat he is. Logan had just five touches in Week 11 as Hill rushed for a team-high 38 yards on nine carries in his Calgary debut.
Hill will see more touches on Labour Day, yet he’s not likely to be the fantasy bargain his salary suggests. Past Labour Day Elks-Stampeders games have become a game of “Can You Top This?” between starting pivots, and Ford or McLeod Bethel-Thompson ($9,000) will be ready to match Calgary’s Jake Maier ($12,400) with explosive plays.
