TORONTO — Bo Levi Mitchell or Mike Reilly?
That seems to be the question this week, as the long-anticipated heavyweight bout between the Edmonton Eskimos and Calgary Stampeders is finally here.
Fall is in the air as Mark’s Labour Day Weekend arrives in full force across the Canadian Football League. And while Pat Steinberg, Jeff Krever and Hannah Nordman take their rivalry to new heights on this week’s CFL Fantasy Podcast, Week 12 offers an abundance storylines, and with them their heroes and villains.
For the podcast trio, the Reilly-Mitchell dilemma is an interesting one. Should you pick Bo or Reilly on your Fantasy team…or neither?
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For Steinberg, Reilly should be avoided this week despite being the Fantasy MVP through the first half of the season.
“The best defence in the CFL, no questions asked, belongs to Calgary,” said Steinberg. “I see a price tag of $14,000 price tag from Mike Reilly… if you’re ever not going to put Reilly in your lineup, this is the time. This might be the week you go away from him.”
Nordman, meanwhile, likes the matchup for the Stamps’ pivot in Mitchell, who’s had season-high production in Fantasy in back-to-back weeks, including 31 points in a win over the Bombers.
“I feel really good about Bo and I feel good about this matchup as well,” said Nordman. “Calgary is finally starting to let points on the board. The past two weeks they’ve allowed more than 25 points, and it’s really brought the score up. These Labour Day Classics have been high-scoring affairs, the Stamps have won six in a row and eight of the last nine Labour Day Classics.
“Bo’s going to be pumped up and I think the Esks will score some points, so it’s going to be back-and-forth. At $9,500 I think Bo’s still a pretty good buy there.”
While Pat and Hannah are writing off Mike Reilly, Jeff Krever says that could be a mistake, pointing out that the Eskimos’ pivot has ranked in the top-three among Fantasy pivots every single week this season.
Reilly’s numbers on Labour Day have not stood out in the past, but he’s in the midst of an historic season, on pace for 54 total touchdowns.
“I don’t know if it’s fair to expect the same production Bo Levi Mitchell has had either,” added Krever. “To me, those last two games were anomalies. Those games were the Calgary Stampeders not playing Calgary Stampeders football. Calgary throwing the ball 43 times, 75 per cent of their plays — Calgary’s rushing attack hasn’t quite been the same, they’re leaning on Bo’s arm. I’m not sure we can bank on that on Labour Day.”
The podcast crew also talked about the quarterback situation in Montreal, the rise of Alex Green and the enigma that is James Wilder Jr. All of that and this week’s bargain buys and locks of the week in the CFL Fantasy Podcast for Week 12.
