Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
Optimism runs high in Hamilton after the Tiger-Cats finished the 2017 season with a flurry of offence that led them to six wins in their last 10 games. With coach June Jones and quarterback Jeremiah Masoli entrenched for a full season, the Hamilton O is brimming with top-end Fantasy production that will eventually include the return of receiver Terrance Toliver, who was lost for the season with a knee injury in Week 1.
QUARTERBACKS
Only Edmonton’s Mike Reilly was as prolific as Masoli over the last five games of the regular season. Along with throwing for at least 300 yards in each game in that span, Masoli threw nine touchdowns and added two more on the ground to lead an attack that averaged 32.2 points per game.
Extended during the off-season, Masoli has the potential to score at least 30 Fantasy points every night. He has become wiser entering his sixth season in Hamilton, having cut his interception total from 12 in 2016 to just five last year while throwing 59 more times. With a full winter to further digest Jones’ offence, Masoli could be in line to throw for at least 4,500 yards and 25 touchdowns while adding another 4-6 on the ground. He is a clear starting option for Fantasy players, especially those who remember how Masoli carried their teams to victory once the Ticats’ offence got into gear in late September.
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The arrival of Johnny Manziel provides a pleasant problem for Jones, who will look to find a way to get the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner from Texas A&M into the fray. With his well-documented off-field issues past him, Manziel’s explosive style of play leads some to believe his skills are better suited for the Canadian style of football rather than the NFL. Don’t expect much from Manziel early in the season, but if Masoli is sidelined for some reason, Fantasy players will be excited to see what Johnny Football can do.
Vernon Adams Jr., who spent last season with the Alouettes and Roughriders, was traded for defensive standout Charleston Hughes in February. Serving mostly as a short yardage specialist, Adams has scored five rushing touchdowns in two seasons but could have a hard time getting on the field with Masoli and Manziel in front of him on the depth chart. How long Adams remains in Hamilton is another question, as Jones has indicated a trade is in the works.
Outside of Masoli and Manziel, the Ticats also have Dane Evans on the roster, who is expected to stick as the Ticats look to carry four quarterbacks into the regular season.
RUNNING BACKS
Alex Green started his 2017 season being cut by Hamilton before ending it as the Ticats’ undisputed lead runner. Brought back to the team following the trade of C.J. Gable to Edmonton, Green rushed for 140 yards on just 13 carries in his CFL debut against BC in Week 14 and followed it up with a 97-yard effort against Winnipeg that led to his first rushing major. He finished with 447 yards on 79 carries and scored five touchdowns, but his Fantasy value is curtailed by the fact he only caught eight passes.
Green makes for a solid RB2 and his 233-pound frame is built for the red zone but he could see some of his scoring opportunities vultured by both Masoli and Manziel.
Alex Green’s role as the starting running back in Hamilton is uncontested (The Canadian Press)
Jones likes his backs big, which is why all four backs on the training camp roster are at least 217 pounds. Mercer Timmis (220 pounds) has flashed potential, yet injuries have kept him off the field in his first two seasons. Sean Thomas Erlington, the “lighest” member of the running back corps (217), had just one carry last season. However, he’s being tested as a slotback throughout pre-season.
Despite Green’s late season production, the Ticats finished eighth in the league in rushing (89.3 yards per game). Don’t expect that number to go higher.
RECEIVERS
Ticats fans can claim their receiving corps ranks among the best in the league and as strong as they finished last season, 2018 could be even better.
Banks’ season — and possibly his career — was saved once Jones got him more involved in the offence. Beginning in Week 15, Banks had five straight 100-yard games that included a 193-yard, two-touchdown effort in a Week 19 shootout against Ottawa. He scored five of his eight touchdowns between Weeks 13-19 and finished with 1,011 yards receiving. He and Masoli will be one of the best QB-WR pairings in Fantasy this year as both appear primed to top their late season magic. Banks also remains one of the league’s top return specialists, putting up 1,039 combined return yards and a touchdown while adding two scores on the ground.
Rookie Jalen Saunders opened eyes with a 147-yard outing against BC in Week 4 but, like Banks, thrived once Masoli took the reins at quarterback. Saunders caught at least five passes in each of his last seven games and led the team with 1,170 yards on 76 receptions. He won’t fly under the radar of Fantasy players this season.
Steady Luke Tasker broke Andy Fantuz’s year-old franchise record by pulling in 104 catches, finishing the year with 19 catches for 241 yards and two scores in the final two games. Only twice did Tasker not have at least four catches in a contest, making him a great play as either a WR2 or flex option. He fell just three yards short of surpassing Saunders for the team lead in yardage but, like Banks, earned an East Division All-Star nod.
Jalen Saunders and Luke Tasker fly under the radar as likely 1,000-yard receivers this year (The Canadian Press)
A healthy Toliver could give the Ticats a fourth 1,000-yard receiver. Big things were expected out of him after his 1,058-yard, nine-TD campaign in 2016 but he suffered his knee injury after pulling in his only catch of the season in the opener. Toliver is a wait and see for Fantasy players but if his big-play potential returns, stacking Hamilton receivers might become an interesting trend.
Shamawd Chambers caught 28 of his 32 passes with the Tiger-Cats after being traded from the Eskimos in mid-season, but won’t play this year after reportedly suffering a season-ending knee injury. Mike Jones, who was suspended for two games, had 28 receptions for 285 yards and a score, while 5-foot-5 Willie Quinn offers intrigue both as a receiver and a kickoff return specialist. Felix Faubert-Lussier appeared in 14 games but only pulled in three passes for 29 yards.
DEFENCE
The unit hit rock bottom during a 60-1 loss to Calgary on July 29. Although they slowly improved as the season continued, the Ticats were eighth in points allowed per game (30.2), touchdowns allowed (56) and tied for last with 33 touchdown passes conceded.
However, Hamilton showed it could bring the heat on opposing quarterbacks, finishing third in the league with 48 sacks, a surprise considering they were last with 93 QB pressures. Defensive end Adrian Tracy led the unit with nine sacks and was part of the reason the Ticats were fourth in the league with 35 forced turnovers, including 19 fumble recoveries.
Whether their all-or-nothing approach works again makes for a risky play for Fantasy competitors, especially if the Ticats are unable to trim their points allowed per game.
