Johany Jutras, CFL.ca
Thursday officially kicks off the second half of the regular season, offering hope for those looking to gain ground in their TSN CFL Fantasy football leagues. The final 10 weeks will also deliver an in-depth view as to whether several recent risers in the Fantasy rankings are more than one-week wonders while giving ample time for those first-half disappointments to erase their early season woes.
Thursday Night Football is back with a potential shootout while Saturday’s double dip is highlighted by a West Division clash between two teams attempting to shrug off losses in Week 10. Don’t sleep on Friday’s matchup, as the defending Grey Cup champs look to continue their recent surge.
Who starts? Who sits? Those answers will be solved…. now.
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Edmonton (6-3-0) at Hamilton (3-5-0)
Thursday | 7:30 p.m. ET
Start: C.J. Gable, RB, Eskimos, $7,237 Salary
Scheduled to return after missing last week with an injury, Gable gets an opportunity to redeem himself after rushing for just 36 yards on nine carries against his former teammates in a Week 2 loss against the Tiger-Cats. Hamilton is last in the league in run defence, allowing 128.4 yards per game and just over six yards per carry. Gable has yet to produce an explosive outing since his 165-yard effort against BC in Week 3, rushing for over 70 yards just once since then while scoring only one rushing major. With the Ticats and their top-ranked pass defence focused on containing Mike Reilly ($14,000) and his fleet of receivers, Thursday is a great chance to plug Gable in the lineup in hopes of him exploiting the holes that will be available.
Sit: Terrence Toliver, WR, Tiger-Cats, $5,484 Salary
Sure, it’s hard to gather targets when Brandon Banks ($9,243), Jalen Saunders ($7,356) and Luke Tasker ($5,922) are getting the attention of Jeremiah Masoli ($10,007), but Toliver has almost become an afterthought. Hamilton hasn’t used Toliver’s game-altering skills of late, as he has just eight catches for 75 yards in his last three games and has yet to reel in a reception of better than 30 yards. Edmonton is third in the league in passing yards allowing (239.6) per game, yet no team in the league has given up more completions of 30-plus yards than the 19 the Eskimos have given up. Toliver is due for a big game but it’s hard for Fantasy users to commit to a player who has just 21 catches and one touchdown.
Toronto (3-5-0) at Montreal (1-8-0)
Friday | 7:30 p.m. ET
Start: William Stanback, RB, Alouettes, $4,000 Salary
Tyrell Sutton ($6,342) was carted off the field late in Saturday’s loss at Edmonton with a lower-body injury and appears headed for the injured list. This opens the door for Stanback to get his first taste of extensive touches against an Argonauts defence allowing 406.6 yards per game (eighth) and a league-worst 7.2 yards per play. Stanback has just 10 touches from scrimmage this season but has averaged 11.9 yards each time he has touched the ball. At 6’0, 233 pounds, Stanback also runs a 4.5 in the 40 and shows explosive traits like the starting running back he’ll oppose on Friday, Toronto’s James Wilder Jr. ($9,125). With the Alouettes heading toward another difficult season, the time is now to see whether Stanback can be a key piece in a potential Montreal revival.
Sit: Armanti Edwards, WR, Argonauts, $4,208 Salary
The return of Anthony Coombs ($3,030) last week may have knocked Edwards down in the pecking order of Toronto pass catchers. S.J. Green ($6,790) and Wilder have been the top options for McLeod Bethel-Thompson ($6,000) and the versatility of Coombs adds another dimension to a resurgent Argos offence. Outside of his game-winning touchdown against Ottawa in Week 8, Edwards has been silent all season, having failed to produce more than 55 receiving yards in a single game. Even against an Alouettes defence that has allowed 22 passing majors and 339.7 yards per game, slotting Edwards in is too risky.
Winnipeg (5-4-0) at Calgary (7-1-0)
Saturday | 3:30 p.m. ET
Start: DaVaris Daniels, WR, Stampeders, $5,916 Salary
Daniels reminded everyone of his elite talent in Sunday’s loss at Saskatchewan, catching five passes for 89 yards and two of Bo Levi Mitchell’s ($8,828) four touchdown tosses. The Bombers have been solid against the pass for most of the season but come off a loss against Ottawa that saw Trevor Harris touch them up for 361 yards. With the running game possibly without Don Jackson ($6,140) for another week, expect Mitchell to challenge an aggressive Winnipeg secondary that has a league-best 11 interceptions. Daniels has three of Calgary’s league-high 22 receptions of over 30 yards and will be targeted frequently, making him a good play.
Sit: Matt Nichols, QB, Blue Bombers, $8,583 Salary
Although Nichols has four straight games with two touchdown passes, he has yet to record a 300-yard outing and has eclipsed 20 Fantasy points just once since his return to the starting lineup. Passing against the Stampeders defence is a monstrous task, as they have allowed just three majors via the airways this season while allowing just eight completions of better than 30 yards. With Darvin Adams ($6,974) the only reliable receiver available to Nichols, expect Calgary to contain Adams and dare another Winnipeg receiver to defy the odds.
Saskatchewan (4-4-0) at BC (4-5-0)
Saturday | 10:00 p.m. ET
Start: Jordan Williams-Lambert, WR, Roughriders, $3,496 Salary
Saskatchewan may have unearthed a gem in Williams-Lambert, who caught 10 passes for 152 yards in Sunday’s win over the Stampeders. The rookie will seek to follow his breakout performance at the expense of a Lions pass defence that is seventh in yards allowed per game (292.4) and opponent’s average pass (8.5). He’s the needed jolt for the Riders, who are eighth in passing yards per game (209.6) and dead last with just five passing majors. Pivot Zach Collaros ($5,472) is due for a break-out effort and will do so if he gets Williams-Lambert involved early.
Sit: Marcus Thigpen, RB, Roughriders, $5,286 Salary
Tre Mason ($4,064) has been used more frequently in the last two games, as Thigpen has managed only 11 carries in that span. While it’s possible the Riders will go with a running back by committee, Mason appears to be the chairman of said committee, leaving Thigpen in more of a change of pace role. BC has done an average job of defending the run yet have allowed 12 rushing touchdowns this season. Making matters worse for Thigpen (and Mason, to an extent) is that Saskatchewan won’t hesitate to call pivot Brandon Bridge ($5,584) for goal line touches, snatching carries away in the process.
