The Canadian Press
As September turns into the October, the weather begins to cool down, yet the injuries continue to remain warm. Week 15 will see another new face at quarterback, as Montreal starts Drew Willy in favor of the injured Darian Durant. The biggest injury impacts a one-loss Stampeders team that will face the Alouettes without Jerome Messam, who will sit out Friday’s game on the brink of a 1,000-yard season.
No one is completely healthy, as the breakdown of each game indicates.
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Saskatchewan at Ottawa
Friday | 7:00 p.m. ET
After taking a hit last week, Naaman Roosevelt was placed on the six-game injured list (Matt Smith/CFL.ca)
The Roughriders will be without leading receiver Naaman Roosevelt ($6,995), who was placed on the six-game injured list on Thursday following the huge hit he sustained in last Sunday’s loss to the Stampeders. The team is also without receiver Devon Bailey ($2,692), who took a hard hit while holding on to the ball that accounted for Saskatchewan’s only major last week. Antwane Grant ($2,500) replaces Roosevelt in the lineup and while he should get a handful of targets, expect Duron Carter ($5,373) and Bakari Grant ($5,204) to get the bulk of the attempts from pivot Kevin Glenn ($9,836), whose right hand continues to heal three weeks after bruising it in the Banjo Bowl loss to the Blue Bombers.
Ryan Lindley ($5,000) gets his second start for the REDBLACKS and remains a major risk for Fantasy owners after he managed just 151 passing yards in last week’s loss at the Bombers. Drew Tate ($5,665) has made progress from the rib/shoulder injury combo he had in the Week 13 win over the Alouettes. Trevor Harris ($10,650) did some throwing earlier in the week, but will stay on the six-game injury list as his shoulder continues to heal. Receiver Juron Criner ($2,500) makes his first appearance since suffering a leg injury in Week 2. He offers some potential, but is too risky to consider adding to your Fantasy team. Joshua Stangby ($3,326) is sidelined for a second straight game.
Montreal at Calgary
Friday | 9:30 p.m. ET
It’s Drew Willy’s time to shine this week as he gets the start in place of Darian Durant (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
Both teams enter without key pieces. The Als chose to go with Drew Willy ($4,760) as the starter at pivot while giving Durant ($7,602) time to heal his injured hamstring. Willy’s presence may inject some life into the offence, yet it’s hard to envision him moving the ball with any consistency against the league’s stingiest scoring defence. Slot Nik Lewis ($2,957) is sidelined with a lower body injury. That could open things up for Samuel Giguere ($2,500) and Tiquan Underwood ($3,621) to compete for targets. Running back Brandon Rutley ($5,483) was not on the Montreal depth chart as he will miss his fifth straight game, while versatile Jean-Christophe Beauileu ($2,500) is healthy and set to start at fullback.
The loss of Messam ($6,972) is a huge hit for the Stamps, as he had just come off a 127-yard rushing effort in the win at Saskatchewan. He is, however, expected to miss just one game. Terry Williams ($2,500) gets the starting nod and while he has just one carry in his earlier two-game stint, he has caught four passes for 74 yards. Expect Roy Finch ($5,232) to see some carries, but his value could be limited by the fact that the Alouettes do a good job in covering both kickoffs and punts. Receiver DaVaris Daniels ($6,194) remains on the injured list as his knee did not make enough progress to take him off the one-game injured list. The team is also closer to getting Kamar Jorden ($6,012) off the six-game injured list, a reality that might be 2-3 games away from happening. In the meantime, Marken Michel ($4,218) remains the best play among the Calgary receivers, but do keep an eye on Reginald Begelton ($2,500), who has caught eight passes for 118 yards and a major over the last two weeks. Michel is a middle-tiered WR2, while Begelton is more of a gamble.
Toronto at Hamilton
Saturday | 6:30 p.m. ET
Will C.J. Gable slot back into the lineup this week or will it be Alex Green rushing the ball for Hamilton? (David Chidley/CFL.ca)
It will be interesting to see if the Argos activate running back Brandon Whitaker ($5,264) off the injured list. Considering the way James Wilder ($4424) has mauled defences the past two weeks, Toronto may keep Whitaker on the IL for at least another week. The team also has a similar issue with receiver Jeff Fuller ($2,500), who has not played since Week 11.
Hamilton coach June Jones said on Thursday he had his starting running back in place, yet did not disclose if it would be C.J. Gable ($5,776) or Alex Green ($3,500). Gable missed last week’s win at BC with a shoulder injury while Green rushed for 140 yards on 13 carries. Gable is the incumbent, so it stands to reason that’s the way the Tiger-Cats go. If so, Gable has good RB2 status. The Ticats will get receiver Andy Fantuz ($4,736) for the first time since he suffered a torn ACL in a game last October. Fantuz ran with the first team this week and should see his share of targets.
Winnipeg at Edmonton
Saturday | 9:30 p.m. ET
Ryan Lankford gets the start in place of Weston Dressler this week (CFL.ca)
Weston Dressler ($4,427) will miss at least two games with an upper body injury, giving Ryan Lankford ($3,624) the start in his place. Lankford’s big-play potential against a struggling Eskimos secondary presents a high-risk, high-reward proposition for Fantasy owners.
Edmonton is still without receiver Vidal Hazleton ($5,721), who remains on the six-game injured list, while running back LaDarius Perkins ($5,565) is still on the one-game injured list.
