Timothy Atticus/CFL.ca
Our best Week 9 sleeper play turned out to be Saskatchewan pivot Mason Fine ($8,000), who scored 18.5 fantasy points for the 2.9 percent of CFL fantasy users who had him on their roster.
While Fine won’t appear this week, rest assured there will be at least one Roughriders player whose under-the-radar presence could result in exceptional fantasy production in Week 10.
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Quarterback
Dustin Crum, Ottawa, $8,500 Salary (at Toronto, Sunday)
CrumMania has waned since he delivered a combined 56.6 fantasy points in Weeks 6 & 7. Since then, he has scored a collective 20.3 FP as his penchant for running has decreased and defences have realized he’s not going to throw deep often, evidenced by the fact he has attempted just 11 passes of 20 or more yards. The REDBLACKS will have to score more than the 19.0 offensive points per game they’ve averaged if they want to pull off the upset at BMO Field, and that will require Crum stepping out of his comfort zone and attacking an Argos pass defence that allows 297 yards per game. We’ve seen Crum step up for fantasy users before, and there’s a decent chance he can revert to the dual threat that shocked Winnipeg and took Calgary to overtime last month while exceeding the 17.1 FP he’s projected to score.
Running Back
Kevin Brown, Edmonton, $14,000 Salary (vs. Winnipeg, Thursday)
Yes, Brown’s salary is quite high for a sleeper but hear us out. The Elks will have Tre Ford ($5,000) at pivot and will look for Brown to help settle their third starting quarterback this season. Despite being hampered by the inconsistency of the offence, Brown enters Week 10 as the league’s ninth-leading rusher with 342 yards and is tied for the league lead with three carries of at least 20 yards. Brown’s ability to get into the open field plays well against a Winnipeg run defence that is eighth with a 5.7 yards per carry average allowed, so it’s not too much of a stretch to envision Brown exceeding his 9.2 projected fantasy points on the strength of one sprint through the Blue Bombers D.
Receivers
Jerreth Sterns, Saskatchewan, $2,500 Salary (at Montreal, Friday)
Sterns, who had 370 collegiate receptions for both Houston Baptist (now Houston Christian) University and Western Kentucky University, made his CFL debut by catching all seven of his targets for 71 yards in the Week 9 win over Ottawa, translating that into 14.1 fantasy points. Obviously, Sterns must compete with Shawn Bane, Jr. ($14,200) and Tevin Jones ($13,900) for targets from Mason Fine, but he’s made enough of a first impression for fantasy users to consider Sterns’ bargain basement salary and see if he can top his 8.5 projected fantasy points.
Tyler Snead, Montreal, $7,600 Salary (vs. Saskatchewan, Friday)
Overshadowed by the breakouts of Austin Mack ($10,700) and Kaion Julien-Grant, ($11,500) Snead has been an effective fantasy receiver in three of the four games he’s appeared in, including last week’s 13.0 fantasy points in the win over Hamilton. Snead is projected to score 11.4 FP this week, making him a strong play even if Julien-Grant returns to the lineup after missing Week 9 with an injury. Another solid effort will lift Snead from sleeper status to a reliable option each week.
Dillon Mitchell, Edmonton, $10,700 Salary (vs. Winnipeg, Thursday)
We’ve seen flashes of the Mitchell who terrorized secondaries late last season as he’s scored at least 10.8 fantasy points in two of the past three games. Mitchell scored a season-best 21.5 FP in the Week 7 loss to Winnipeg by catching four passes for 115 yards and his first major of 2023 via an 80-yard pass from Taylor Cornelius ($13,000). With Tre Ford making his first start of the season, Mitchell should continue to see his share of downfield tosses since he ranks among league leaders with four catches of at least 30 yards. He’s projected with 8.9 FP, a reasonable total that Mitchell has an excellent chance to eclipse on one play.
Marken Michel, Calgary, $6,000 Salary (at BC, Saturday)
Michel is more of a boom or bust play considering he has just one game over 7.3 fantasy points (29.4 FP vs. Ottawa in Week 7). Still, he’s projected to finish with 9.5 fantasy points this week, and with the chance of the Stampeders being forced to throw more than they did in last week’s win over Toronto, count on Michel to be involved frequently. The Lions were torched by Winnipeg’s Zach Collaros ($15,000) last week, and we have seen Jake Maier ($14,000) flash big numbers this season, so keep Michel in mind when looking to fill out your Week 10 lineup.
