The Canadian Press
Fun With Fantasy Numbers looks back at Labour Day Weekend that featured the Ticats Invitational, Nick Marshall’s latest push to be added to the TSN CFL Fantasy football game roster and the continuing disappointment that comes with hoping a pair of stars can revert to 2017 form.
The Roar of Four: Hamilton receiver Brandon Banks recorded the best total in Week 12, scoring 37.3 Fantasy points in Monday’s 42-28 win over Toronto. He was followed by Ticats running back Alex Green’s 31.3 FP, fellow receiver Luke Tasker’s 28.3 FP and pivot Jeremiah Masoli’s 27.6 FP, marking the first time this season the four highest scoring players were on the same team. Of the quartet, Green finished second in usage with 6,832, while Tasker’s 4,108 users ranked him 10th. Banks (2,165) and Masoli (1,865) finished 20th and 22nd, respectively.
Fantasy Analysis: Green is the hottest back in Fantasy football, as he has scored seven majors in his first four games since coming off the injured list. Banks has four 100-yard outings in his last five games, while Masoli has racked up 804 passing yards in the last two games. Oh, yeah: Tasker has 17 catches for 299 yards and two majors in his last two. Each will be among the top 20 in usage when they visit Toronto on Saturday.
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He’s yet to get his name among the list of playable quarterbacks in CFL Fantasy, but DB Nick Marshall certainly has it under consideration following his short-yardage performance on Sunday. (Matt Smith, CFL.ca)
Next Stamp Up: Calgary receiver DaVaris Daniels took the mantle of go-to receiver in the wake of Kamar Jorden’s injury early in the Labour Day Classic, catching seven passes for 116 yards and a touchdown to help the Stampeders to a 23-20 thriller over the Eskimos, not bad for a player who was 10th in usage at 3,812, just ahead of Jorden’s 3,628 users.
Fantasy Analysis: If Jorden is unable to go for Saturday’s rematch at Edmonton, bank on Daniels to grab his share of Jorden’s delegates, especially since Daniels has scored four touchdowns in his last three games while averaging 23.2 Fantasy points in that span. Those are the type of numbers that should make Daniels a top 5 receiver in the Week 13 rankings.
Saskatchewan’s Marshall Plan: Roughriders defensive back Nick Marshall has four rushing touchdowns since being installed as Saskatchewan’s short-yardage pivot. The former Auburn quarterback had 12.3 FP in Sunday’s win over Winnipeg after racking up a pair of majors.
Fantasy Analysis: Marshall, at least for this week, is not among the quarterbacks listed in Week 13. However, another multiple-major game or two might swing the powers that be to add him.
3 Wide Outs: Calgary’s Jorden, Edmonton’s Derel Walker and Hamilton’s Jalen Saunders each exited early on Labour Day, costing Fantasy users three of the most productive pass catchers in the league.
Fantasy Analysis: It’s very unlikely that Saunders will be available for Saturday’s game at Toronto, while Fantasy users will need to monitor the status of Jorden and Walker.
If They Could Turn Back Time: Both Toronto running back James Wilder Jr. and Winnipeg quarterback Matt Nichols turned in disappointing performances in Week 12, with Wilder finishing with just 11.9 FP and Nichols producing a mere 8.2 FP as the magic that made them reliable Fantasy standouts last season has been in short supply this year.
Fantasy Analysis: Wilder has yet to rip off a run longer than 18 yards and has just a single 100-yard game to his credit as the loss of Ricky Ray continues to haunt the Argonauts offence. Nichols has scored more than 20 FP just once this season and has a 2-4 touchdown to interception rate in his last two games. Although Wilder will continue to have enough users who will keep the faith, Nichols — who was 45th in usage in Week 12 — is going to continue to freefall until he can string together a solid game or two.
Oh, Trevor: Ottawa quarterback Trevor Harris was the most used player in Week 12, as 6,832 fans picked the REDBLACKS star to thrive against the Alouettes. Oops. Harris failed to lead Ottawa to a major in the 21-11 loss on Friday, finishing 28th overall with 9.6 Fantasy points.
Fantasy Analysis: Harris, who threw for 30 touchdowns last season, has just 10 passing majors this year. Friday marked the fourth time in 2018 that Harris finished a game without a scoring toss, which has also suppressed the value of receivers Greg Ellingson, Brad Sinopoli and Diontae Spencer. He’s no sure thing going into Friday’s game at BC.
At Least They Saw It Coming: Edmonton’s Mike Reilly had just 800 users for his game against Calgary in the Labour Day Classic, as most Fantasy users were unwilling to invest $14,000 of their salary cap on Reilly facing the Stampeders’ defence. Reilly finished with a modest 16 Fantasy points, ranking 14th overall.
Fantasy Analysis: By far, Monday was Reilly’s lowest Fantasy output of the season. He may get a small rise in Fantasy users for Saturday’s rematch against Calgary, but this will be another week to invest in a more efficient pivot.
Lord Franklin of House Red Zone: Argos quarterback James Franklin produced 16.9 Fantasy points in the loss to the Tiger-Cats, with all three of his touchdowns (two rush, one pass) coming in the red zone. He has produced 12 majors this season, with most of them coming deep in opponents’ territory.
Fantasy Analysis: Franklin may soon get an entire field to work with, as McLeod Bethel-Thompson continues to struggle. With playoff hopes beginning to slip away, Toronto may use the remainder of the season to determine if either pivot is worthy of replacing Ricky Ray should the future Hall of Famer decides to retire.
It Wouldn’t Be a Recap Without Him: Winnipeg running back Andrew Harris failed to score for a third straight game, but his 155 rushing yards against Saskatchewan helped him finish with 18.3 Fantasy points, the 12th-best effort of the week.
Fantasy Analysis: Even with his salary, it’s hard not to entrust the fate of a Fantasy team with Harris, who ranked 18th in usage (2,277) last week. He’s due for a major or two, which is why he will see a rise in usage going into Saturday’s rematch against the Roughriders.
Pip, Pip Hooray II: Shakedown in Ottawa: Alouettes quarterback Antonio Pipkin didn’t throw a touchdown pass in Friday’s win at the REDBLACKS, but his dual-threat skills earned his 1,011 users 19.2 Fantasy points, putting him eighth overall in Week 12.
Fantasy Analysis: It might be time to consider rolling the dice on Pipkin, who has hit the top 10 in scoring in consecutive weeks. He’s also reviving the Fantasy values of receivers B.J. Cunningham (18.7 FP) and Ernest Jackson (11 FP). The Als are off this week, but all three will be interesting plays when they return to action against the Lions on September 14.
