Johany Jutras, CFL.ca
Most of the Chase for the Grey Cup picture is developed. The same cannot be said of many a TSN CFL Fantasy football league, as the final two weeks offers ample time for a spirited rally to the top, while a late-season collapse or two awaits many an unfortunate soul.
Avoiding an unwanted fate will require putting together the best Week 20 lineup possible. That means blending a variety of proven talent with the right player or two who is finishing the season strong.
The penultimate week of the regular season has questions, of which a few can be answered here:
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The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are coming off of a week of rest after they shutout the Roughriders 31-0 the week prior. Can they contiue their defensive dominance after a week off? (The Canadian Press)
Calgary (12-4-0) at Winnipeg (9-7-0)
Friday | 8:30 p.m. ET
Start: Blue Bombers Defence, $6,281 Salary
Winnipeg’s secondary will have a long memory of the last time they faced Stampeders quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell ($9,088), who carved them up for 452 yards and three touchdowns in a 39-26 loss at Calgary on August 25. In the past four games, the Bombers’ D has recorded 17 sacks and forced 12 turnovers while adding a pair of touchdowns. They tallied 28 Fantasy points in their last game, a 31-0 shutout of Saskatchewan two weeks ago, and put up 29 FP in a 30-3 thumping of Edmonton in Week 16. The Bombers have allowed a league-low 17 completions of better than 30 yards, which will work well against Calgary’s league-high 38 completions of 30-plus. Only the Stamps (nine) have given up fewer passing majors than Winnipeg’s 13, and if the Bombers can continue to impose their defensive will as they have most of the past month, this will be money well spent.
Sit: Don Jackson, RB, Stampeders, $6,690 Salary
No longer the dominant runner he was early in the season, Jackson has been in the depths of a run that has seen him rush for fewer than 54 yards in five of his last six games. Not only has the lack of production extended to his yardage totals, but Jackson has also failed to deliver a scoring punch for his Fantasy users, as he has not scored a rushing major since crossing the goal line in a Week 4 win over Ottawa. With the Bombers looking to slow down the Stamps’ injury-riddled passing game, Calgary needs Jackson to step up and bring some life back into a running game that has fallen to sixth in the league with 99.1 yards per game. There’s little reason for Fantasy users to plug him into their lineups in the hopes that he can.
Ottawa (9-7-0) at Hamilton (8-8-0)
Saturday | 4:00 p.m. ET
Start: Mike Jones, WR, Tiger-Cats, $4,087 Salary
Brandon Banks ($12,471) is out for the rest of the season and with the REDBLACKS turning their focus toward Luke Tasker ($9,179), Jones is in the best position to put up solid Fantasy numbers. Although he has had just a combined six receptions in the last three weeks, Jones has averaged nearly 21 yards per catch and has turned in seven catches of better than 30 yards among the 37 passes he’s pulled in this season. Ottawa has allowed 27 passes of better than 30 yards and must contend with the deep ball touch of Ticats pivot Jeremiah Masoli ($11,659), who leads the league with a 48.5 per cent completion rate on passes longer than 20 yards. Jones doesn’t need many targets to be effective; both of his 100-yard games this season came on a combined seven receptions.
Sit: R.J. Harris, WR, REDBLACKS, $4,274 Salary
There will be a temptation to use Harris as a bargain play to load up at another position. Don’t. Harris comes off a season-best 19.1 Fantasy points in last week’s win over Hamilton, but that would require Trevor Harris ($8,835) efficiency to be over 10 yards per completion – like where he was last Friday night. It also means bucking the odds for a second straight week and getting over on the Ticats’ pass defence, which allows a league-low 239.2 passing yards per game. With the East Division on the line, Harris will be hard-pressed to get targets over the trio of Diontae Spencer ($9,228), Brad Sinopoli ($7,831) and Greg Ellingson ($6,806).
BC (9-7-0) at Saskatchewan (11-6-0)
Saturday | 7:00 p.m. ET
Start: Cameron Marshall, RB, Roughriders, $5,355 Salary
Marshall was third on the depth chart last week. That won’t be the case this week. Marshall put up 157 all-purpose yards in the win over Calgary, including 11 carries for 76 yards. At this point of the season, Marshall, who has played in just two games this season, is not only the best back on the Saskatchewan roster but the freshest. That will count for a lot as he will see a Lions run defence ranked sixth in the league in rushing yards per game (106.1). Tre Mason ($4,482) and Marcus Thigpen ($6,471) will have to take a back seat to Marshall, whose receiving skills only enhance his value.
Sit: Travis Lulay, QB, Lions, $6,792
Yes, Lulay comes off a four-TD performance in last week’s playoff-clinching win over Edmonton, but that total accounts for a third of his passing majors this season. It was also only the second time this year he has thrown multiple touchdowns in a game. Having time to throw will be a challenge, as Lulay will have to contend with a Saskatchewan pass rush that is third in the league with 43 sacks and is the spearhead of a defence that has produced 33 turnovers and nine defensive majors. Lulay was held to just 240 yards and one touchdown the previous time he faced the Riders in Week 11. In short, the risk far outweighs the reward with the Lions gunslinger.
Toronto (4-12-0) at Montreal (3-13-0)
Sunday | 1:00 p.m. ET
Start: William Stanback, RB, Alouettes, $5,262 Salary
Stanback put the league on notice in last week’s loss to the Argonauts, rushing for 118 yards on only 10 carries. He had a 72-yard run, the third-longest in the league this season and will get the opportunity for a potential encore performance against Toronto’s league-worst run defence (124.1 yards allowed per game). Stanback is averaging 6.8 yards per carry and could put up bigger numbers should he finally record his first career touchdown – a strong possibility versus a defence that has given up a league-worst 44 offensive majors.
Sit: Duron Carter, WR, Argonauts, $3,075 Salary
The hope was that Carter would finally break out at the expense of his former Als teammates last week, but he managed just two catches for 20 yards. With S.J. Green ($7,092) and Armanti Edwards ($6,014) getting the bulk of the targets from James Franklin ($8,713), Carter’s inability to establish himself as the Argos’ third receiver should not lead Fantasy users into the false hope that he will be able to do so on Sunday afternoon.
