Jamie Douglas/CFL.ca
Week 18 is a West Division-centric slate as Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto enjoy their final open date of the regular season. This means CFL fantasy players will have a bevy of players on hot streaks during the three-game schedule.
The time is now for fantasy players looking for a late-season run to begin building accurate rosters in hopes of capturing league glory. As always, we’re here to help with this week’s edition of Start vs. Sit.
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Winnipeg (9-6-0) at Hamilton (6-9-0), Friday, 7:00 PM (Eastern)
Line: Winnipeg -5.5
O/U: 49.5 (-110)
Start: Nic Demski, WR, Winnipeg, $10,300 Salary
The one constant in the Blue Bombers passing game, Demski delivered a season-best 27.7 fantasy points in the Week 17 win over the Elks, catching a pair of majors while finishing with 117 yards on four receptions. It’s the third time in the last four games Demski has scored at least 11.6 FP, and with pivot Zach Collaros ($12,200) finding his groove, the West Division All-Star will continue being an asset for fantasy players.
Winnipeg faces a Hamilton defence that has allowed 26 passing majors but comes off a win over BC where they kept the Lions’ passing game out of the end zone. Don’t expect the good fortune to continue for the Ticats as Demski will thrive and bid for a third 100-yard game of the season.
Sit: Bo Levi Mitchell, QB, Hamilton, $13,200 Salary
Hamilton’s “Operation .500” still has hope in part of Mitchell, who has averaged 329.5 yards per game in the Ticats’ current four-game winning streak. He’s thrown seven touchdown passes while averaging 20.5 FP and is on pace to eclipse the 5,000-yard barrier for the third time in his Hall of Fame-bound career.
However, the Blue Bombers represent kryptonite to Mitchell, holding him to eight FP in their previous meeting in Week 12. Winnipeg also held Mitchell without a passing major and enters the week leading the league with a mere 233.6 passing yards per game. Even with a limited schedule, gambling on Mitchell to keep his hot hand is risky.
Calgary (4-9-1) at BC (7-8-0), Friday 10:00 PM
Line: BC -7.5
O/U: 53.5 (-110)
Start: William Stanback, RB, BC, $13,000 Salary
When we last saw the Stampeders run defence, Riders running back Ryquell Armstead ($8,000) rushed for 207 yards while averaging 8.8 yards per carry as Saskatchewan finished with 244 rushing yards in a Week 16 win that seriously crippled Calgary’s postseason aspirations.
Count on Stanback to keep the good times rolling for fantasy players who invest in the league’s second-leading rusher (1,062 yards) behind Winnipeg’s Brady Oliveira (1,107). He bounced back from a rough Week 16 (4.8 FP) with a solid 13.4 FP effort in the loss to Hamilton in Week 17. Stanback has rushed for over 100 yards in five of his last six games and could very well surpass his career-best 1,162 yards by late Friday evening. No one on the BC roster gives fantasy players a sense of security like Stanback, and he’ll continue to display that faith this week.
Sit: Jake Maier, QB, Calgary, $10,500 Salary
Maier has been unfriendly to fantasy players since peaking with 24.2 FP in Week 7. He has gone five straight games with 16 FP or fewer and has four games of one or no passing majors. Maier has averaged just 216.5 passing yards in his last two starts, further dampening his reliability.
The Stampeders will likely focus on feeding running back Dedrick Mills ($11,500) against the Lions, who are last in opponents’ time of possession at 31:26 per game. Keeping the BC offence off the field is paramount for Calgary’s dimming postseason hopes, meaning that Maier will be more of a game manager rather than the accurate gunslinger he has shown himself to be at times.
Saskatchewan (7-7-1) at Edmonton (5-10-0), Saturday, 7:00 PM
Line: Saskatchewan -2.5
O/U: 50.5 (-120)
Start: Dhel Duncan-Busby, WR, Saskatchewan, $2,500 Salary
A third-round pick of the Roughriders in the 2024 CFL Draft, Duncan-Busby broke into the spotlight in Week 17, catching all seven of his targets for 92 yards in the win over the REDBLACKS. Duncan-Busby finished with 16.2 FP in just his second game as a pro as he gained the trust of quarterback Trevor Harris ($12,600), which is always a good thing for a receiver.
Whether Duncan has another impressive outing in him is subject to debate, but one thing we have seen this season is how Saskatchewan has turned unproven pass-catchers like KeeSean Johnson ($5,000) and the currently injured Dohnte Meyers ($4,000) into fantasy staples. At six-foot-three, 210 pounds, Duncan-Busby will be a matchup problem for an Edmonton pass defence still reeling after allowing six touchdown passes in the loss to Winnipeg in Week 17. At such a low salary, Shepard will generate high-end numbers while freeing your fantasy roster for performers at a higher cost.
Sit: Kevin Brown, RB, Edmonton, $9,000 Salary
The regime change in the Elks backfield was more apparent in Week 17 as Justin Rankin ($5,000) rushed for 109 yards, his second straight game over the century mark while putting up 14.1 FP, the fourth time Rankin has tallied at least that number.
Brown, who rushed for 1,141 yards last season, is now more of a change of pace back, yet did manage 44 yards on just five carries in the loss to Winnipeg. He has yet to score a major and has recorded less than 10 carries in four of his last six games. With the Elks set to begin looking ahead to 2025, the continuation of Brown’s diminishing role makes him a fantasy option not worth pursuing.
