Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
We have seen many elite talents get off to slow starts during the first two weeks of fantasy play. BC’s Jonathon Jennings ($11,513) has just one touchdown pass, while his favorite receiver, Emmanuel Arceneaux ($7,650) has a total of eight catches for 107 yards. Toronto running back Brandon Whitaker ($6,293), who missed Week 2 with an ankle injury, was still a fantasy non-factor in the regular season opener, managing 21 yards on nine carries.
Week 3 is the time to start asking serious questions about who makes your lineup and who sits. At this point, cost shouldn’t be an object, especially if the numbers from the first two weeks have you lagging behind the pack.
BC at Montreal
Thursday | 7:30 p.m. ET
Emmanuel Arceneaux has not gotten off to a hot start in 2017 for the Lions (BCLions.com)
Start: The Alouette defence ($4,890) trails the Stampeders ($5,509) and Blue Bombers ($5,168) in cost, yet it’s Montreal who leads the league in fewest points allowed per game (19.5) and is second in average yards allowed per play (5.8). Where the Als’ value lies is in a pass defence that has given up a mere 7.1 yards per completion, tops in the league.
Jennings is eighth in pass efficiency (89.3 per cent) and is in the bottom half in completion percentage. Look at how Montreal kept Mike Reilly from using the deep ball in Week 2. After averaging 11.8 yards per completion against BC in Week 1, the Eskimos gunslinger managed 7.9 yards against the Alouettes last Friday night. While there is no question Jennings will eventually break out of his early malaise, the numbers strongly suggest it won’t be against Montreal.
Sit: Darian Durant’s ($9,521) struggles make it hard to put receiver Ernest Jackson ($5,958) into a fantasy lineup. The free agent acquisition from Ottawa has been quiet in the first two weeks, pulling down three catches for 19 yards and one touchdown. To put that into perspective, Edmonton fullback Calvin McCarty has 32 yards on three receptions.
BC’s defence is sixth in opponents’ yards per pass (8.8), yet Durant has averaged 199.5 yards per outing thus far. Montreal is seventh in total offence, which makes not only Jackson – but the rest of the Alouettes – a risky venture for fantasy players.
Calgary at Winnipeg
Friday | 8:30 p.m. ET
According to RotoExperts, Matt Nichols is a must-start at quarterback in Week 3 (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
Start: Pay for Matt Nichols ($10,726) and do so with a smile. Nichols played like an all-star in the Blue Bombers’ overtime win over the Argonauts last week, throwing for 331 yards and four touchdowns. He faces a Stampeders defence that has shown its vulnerability to the pass, allowing a 74.1 per cent completion rate in the two games against Ottawa’s Trevor Harris. The Calgary secondary has allowed a league-high seven passes of 30-plus yards, making Nichols more tempting.
Not only will the Stamps’ D have to contend with receivers Darvin Adams ($7,236) and Weston Dressler ($6,157), the threat of running back Andrew Harris ($7,325) also adds to the upside that will come from playing Nichols.
Sit: Harris. While he does have the value of being one of the league’s best all-purpose runners, Harris (as astutely pointed out by fellow fantasy football guru Billy Harrell) has struggled against the Calgary defence, which held him to 41 yards on 18 carries (2.3 yards per carry) and no touchdowns in two games last season.
Harris did have 13 catches for 114 yards, but his production as a receiver would not justify the cost of starting him. Winnipeg may also activate shifty running back Timothy Flanders ($3,372) after placing him on the inactive list last week.
Toronto at Ottawa
Saturday | 7:00 p.m. ET
DeVier Posey could be the Argos receiver to start in Saturday’s tilt with Ottawa (Johany Jutras/Argonauts.ca)
Start: While S.J. Green ($4,090) is the big name among the Toronto pass-catchers, it’s been Posey and Armanti Edwards ($3,939) who have become the targets of choice for pivot Ricky Ray. Posey is a big reason why Ray is an impressive 61.9 per cent on passes of more than 15 yards (league average is 47 per cent) and while he’s shown the reliable hands, keep in mind that Posey did have a 79-yard touchdown catch in Week 1, a clear reminder that Ray will look to go up top to Posey. Ottawa’s secondary has allowed 8.5 yards per opponents’ pass play and has given up five plays of more than 30 yards.
Sit: Whitaker ($6,293) is in an offence that has thrown the ball 79.9 per cent of the time in the first two games, and Ray has been efficient, so there’s little reason to suggest the Argos are going to a ball control style. He hasn’t been fully effective against the REDBLACKS’ defence in recent memory as Whitaker had just 113 yards and no touchdowns on 25 carries against the Ottawa D last season (although he had 19 catches for 149 yards and a touchdown in the three games against them).
Hamilton at Saskatchewan
Saturday | 10:00 p.m. ET
Taking C.J. Gable might be an unnecessary gamble in a Week 3 matchup with the Riders (David Chidley/CFL.ca)
Start: Roughriders pivot Kevin Glenn ($8,968) is eighth in salary, yet deserves strong consideration to start as Saskatchewan leads the league in attempts (95) and completions (67) while ranking third in yards per game (337.5). Glenn’s receiving corps is starting to take shape, and while the Riders may not have the league’s best unit, the grouping of Demski, Naaman Roosevelt ($6,493), Bakari Grant ($5,603), Duron Carter ($4,112) and Caleb Holley ($3,321) have each been targeted at least 12 times thus far.
Hamilton gave up 506 yards to Toronto’s Ray in Week 1 and will be challenged to contain a passing game that spreads the ball around like Glenn has thus far.
Sit: Until proven otherwise, it’s best to keep Ticats back C.J. Gable ($5,434) on the bench. Gable had just five carries for nine yards in Hamilton’s season-opening loss to Toronto, and although his pass-catching skills are valuable in the wake of losing receiver Terrence Toliver, fantasy players who do play Gable would probably need him to hit the 100-yard barrier to justify him on their roster.
