Week 9 Review:
I loved the Harris and Ellingson combo but unfortunately, so did everyone else that played CFL last weekend! That game was a lot closer than it should have been and kudos to whoever took the Alouettes defense as a punt play. Duke Williams underperformed while Derel Walker went off so that doesn’t help the case of figuring out which Edmonton receiver could go off this week. Lulay had a solid game but unfortunately it did not help us in the fantasy department and Manny Arceneaux let me down big time. Luckily, we have a nice 4 game slate to attack this week!
UPDATE for WEEK 10: Edmonton is in serious risk of cancelling the Eskimos vs. Als game due to wildfires and smoke that is occurring. Unfortunately, we are unsure if we will get any clarity by lock time on Friday. This is a huge thing to know since Edmonton is in the best spot of the entire year! Make sure to keep checking twitter and I will do my best to keep everyone updated in the slack channel.
Week 10
QB
Happy Mike Reilly chalk week! No seriously…..he will be heavily owned and for good reason. He draws up an awfulAlouettes defense this week and if you don’t remember what he did last time in this matchup, I’ll show you! Reilly completed 24/32 passes for 415 yards for 4 touchdowns while also running for a touchdown as well! He posted 44.2 DK points which is the highest this year for the quarterback position! Trevor Harris just threw for 487 yards against this defense last week, so Reilly is in play, even with the high price tag that he will draw this week. He will be my favorite qb to use for this slate!
This week is a little tough since Reilly is the best qb in the best spot, so I will have most of my exposure there. One guy that does intrigue me based on his matchup is Travis Lulay. The BC Lions passing offense disappointed last week and we were a few big plays (and dropped balls) away from hitting value with Lulay and Collins. Toronto is another team that has consistently failed to defend the pass well, allowing opposing teams to almost throw for 300 yards per game. If paying down, I think Lulay offers some good salary relief, especially since his price could drop a bit after last weeks performance.
For the punt play, I can see McLeod Bethel-Thompson being in play this week. His price is very low and draws arguably the 2ndbest matchup against the Lions. Looking at their last 3 games, they are dead last almost averaging 40 pass attempts against while allowing 350 yards passing per game. MBT really benefitted last game by Ottawa going to more of a prevent defense which allowed them to dink and dunk their way several times down the field, so they were able to rack up chunk yardage and fantasy points. I think with the week off, the practice reps will help, and it could be a 25+ fantasy point week for MBT.
RB
CFL Rule #1: When Andrew Harris is on the slate, he is alwaysin consideration. The Redblacks have been middle of the pack when it comes to stopping the run, so this isn’t a dream spot for Harris, but it isn’t the worst spot either. The Blue Bomber offense runs through Harris and for them to win, they will lean on him heavily! The only thing I can see making him a tough fit would be the price tag that he carries in relation to all the other high-priced studs in good matchups this weekend.
CJ Gable is in play this week. He has had 3 straight double-digit performances and this game plays into his favor. Edmonton should win so he will see an uptick in carries in the second half which bodes well from a fantasy perspective. He sat out of practice on Tuesday, so we are unsure if it was just to catch some rest or if there an injury that we should worry about. If he is unable to go, we can look to see is in his place and roll them out as a good value option. It looks like Gable is listed as doubtful, so we could either see Robinson or Cooper as the starting RB. Make sure to check the depth chart to see who is in!
I really like James Wilder this week and he has gotten double digits fantasy points every week so far! If you decide to fade Harris, this would be the guy to plug into your line since he has 20-point upside but a good fantasy floor. BC is tied for allowing the most rushing touchdowns this year, so maybe we will see them utilize Wilder’s abilities down when they get close to the goal line.
The BC Lions RB situation is kind of tricky just because of all the injuries that they have going on. I love the fact that DK priced all their guys around the same price point, so you can plug in Jeremiah Johnson and if he is unable to go, pivot down to the starter which will be either Van or Rainey. This could be a good salary relief spot since all the running backs are under 7k.
WR
This week is tough since you will have to pick your poison when it comes to the Eskimos receivers. DK did a really good job pricing both Walker and Williams up there, so they are making you decide which one to roster. When looking at the 3 most recent games, Walker has 348 receiving yards while Duke has 203 yards. What’s interesting is that Duke has more air yards (352) over that span compared to Walker who has seen 316 air yards. My best recommendation is to hedge the play and make two lines, one with Williams and one with Walker. If you are doing just a single-entry bullet, I would roll with Walker since he has the hot hand and the offense has been working through him.
Only priced at $7,600, I really like SJ Green this week. He is tied for 2nd in terms of total targets over the last 3 games with 28 and he has also had 17 catches within that timeframe as well. He is the main receiving threat in this Toronto Argonauts offense and is usually a receiver that should be over 8k. Use him at this price discount because we will not see him at this price for much longer!
For the Lions, I think a few guys are in play. Manny Arceneaux really let me down last week, but he is still the best receiver on this team. One thing that I fear is that Lulay is spreading the ball around too much which takes away his chances on a PPR basis. Over the last 3 games, Manny, Collins and Elliott are all averaging 6 targets per game, so this offense has become really spread out. When looking at total receptions over that time span, Collins leads the team in total receptions with 13. He also missed a huge bomb in last week’s game which hurt some of my lines. Kevin Elliott is worth a look, especially since of the price the production he has done when in the starting lineup.
Ottawa draws a tougher matchup and the main guy I will be looking at is Brad Sinopoli. Ellingson finally had a great game last weekend but it was all because Harris had time in the pocket to deliver those big throws. The Blue Bomber defense leads the league in total sacks and Harris really struggles when teams can pressure him and collapse the pocket. Sinopoli runs a lot of those crossing routes over the middle which serves as the ultimate bail out option, so I think this could be a nice spot for him. Dominic Rhymes could be the chalk of the week and for good reason. He had 7 receptions for 77 yards and a touchdownlast week and became a very frequent target for Harris. His price is only $3,900 so I am sure he will be heavily used in lineupsthis week. Another cheaper option will be RJ Harris. He has been consistent his last 4 games, accruing over 9 DK points in each game. He is another salary saver for this week
I’m not really on too many receivers from the SSK vs. Calgary game, just because these are 2 of the top 3 defenses in the league. Jorden will be seeing a lot of Ed Gainey and we know Gainey has shut down the main receiver for opposing defenses all year long. I think Daniels could be a good gpp play, especially at his price point and could see an increase in targets due to Jorden drawing a tougher matchup.
Def.
Saskatchewan– I liked this play several weeks back and it paid off! They are cheap and very solid defensively and they also create turnovers which is great from a fantasy perspective. The Stampeders are missing Eric Rogers so that is a huge offensive weapon that will be missed in this matchup. At the price tag of just $4,300, I will be plugging them into my lineups!
Edmonton draws the easiest matchup against Johnny Manziel and the Alouettes. Ottawa allowed Montreal to really hang in the game last week, but I do not see that being this case for this week. The Eskimos will put this game away rather early and it should be easy win for Edmonton.
Player Pool
QB- Reilly, Lulay, Bethel-Thompson
RB- Harris, Wilder, Gable, BC Lions RB (Whoever starts)
WR Tier 1- Walker, Williams, Sinopoli
WR Tier 2– Green, Arceneaux, Daniels, Ellingson
WR Tier 3-. Rhymes, Harris, Collins, Elliott
D- SSK, EDM
