Kevin Sousa/CFL.ca
TORONTO — The time has arrived for James Franklin to become a CFL starting quarterback, but is it too early to start him in Fantasy?
Stepping in for the injured Ricky Ray, Franklin is regarded as somewhat of a prodigy among fans and media, honing his craft behind Mike Reilly before joining the Toronto Argonauts in the off-season.
In his first start as an Argo, against his former understudy in Mike Reilly, is James Franklin at $6,000 a viable play?
“Sometimes there are certain things that the numbers don’t tell you. With James Franklin, the things that I see on the field from him tell me he’s going to be a very good quarterback in this league,” said Jeff Krever, who joined Pat Steinberg and Hannah Nordman this week on the CFL Fantasy Podcast. “That, combined with the system that he’s in with Marc Trestman and the idea that this Edmonton-Toronto game is going to be a very high-scoring game, tells me he’s going to be successful right away.
The podcast can be heard in its entirety below:
You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or Google Play and Spotify right here, as well as access previous episodes.
Steinberg, Krever and Nordman debated some of the bargain picks at quarterback, from Jeff Mathews and Brandon Bridge to Franklin and rookie star Chris Streveler. But while Krever likes what he sees from some of the lower-priced options, Steinberg and Nordman are opting for some of the pricier, lower-risk options.
“This is a quarterback that’s been waiting a very long time to be a starter,” said Krever. “I’m going to get James Franklin right now at $6,000 before he becomes a star in this league and is going to cost more than $10,000.”
“I can not get my head around putting in a guy like Franklin or Bridge, even with the type of money they’re going to end up costing me,” said Steinberg. “Franklin is interesting to me. From a Fantasy perspective, I’m not super keen on putting him in, but I am fascinated to see what James Franklin is as he gets the start for Toronto. His numbers in this league are outstanding. Are we willing to put trust into that sample size?”
The Podcast crew also ranked the top Fantasy running backs and debated the merit of selecting both of the Eskimos’ league-leading duo of Derel Walker and D’haquille Williams.
You can set your lineup for Week 4 at CFLFantasy.TSN.ca.
