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CFL Week 4
The purpose of this article is to help break down the weekly CFL slate by offering insight into the players to help formulate the best lineup possible. It is imperative that you check on injury statuses before each game since it can change at any notice. I’ll list several players that I like at each position but then have my full player pool listed below.
Note: This week is a little unusual since we get the Ham vs MTL game on back to back slates. The chalk will definitely be on that game and for good reason. One thing that I have realized is that the chalk has been hitting more often than not in the first several weeks of the season. It is ok to have a very chalky look and maybe differentiate your lineup with one small pivot as opposed to going full contrarian and finding a low owned stack that goes off.
Matchups
HAM vs. MTL 56.5 O/U
WPG vs. OTT 54.5 O/U
BC vs. TOR 57 O/U
CGY vs. SSK 51 O/U
QB
Jeremiah Masoli (11k)- Masoli is by far the safest QB on the slate this week and it will be hard to look elsewhere in my opinion if looking for a safe floor at this position. He put up 40 DK points against Montreal last week and he could be in for a repeat performance against the Alouettes this week. He completed 80% of his passes while passing for over 400 yards so the Als defence had no real answer to stopping the Hamilton juggernaut offence.
Cody Fajardo (8.7k)- Fajardo has really emerged as a star and offers a great salary discount compared to the QBs listed above. Calgary has really struggled early on this year on the defensive side of the ball and they are not the same defence that they had last season. The Stamps are getting beat through the air and this is where Fajardo has really excelled, pushing the ball downfield. Saskatchewan looks like they are willing to throw the ball more with Fajardo leading the offence so he is certainly viable this week. The big decision will be taking Masoli against a team that he dominated or taking the salary saving and rolling with the hot hand of Fajardo!
Mike Reilly (10.2k)- The Lions took a big step forward last week against the Stampeders and they draw the most favorable matchup on the slate against a porous Toronto defence. Toronto has looked awful against opposing QBs, allowing them to throw for over 430 yards per game while also allowing 45 points per game as well. Reilly looked way more comfortable this past weekend and that was also partly due to them establishing a running attack as well. I do think Reilly will be under owned compared to the other QBs that are mentioned so he could be viewed as a GPP play.
Dominique Davis (9k)- Davis will come in lower owned and I have a feeling he could rack up some fantasy points this week. I don’t like targeting opposing QBs against Winnipeg since they do have a very stingy defence but Davis has the running element that can really gash this Blue Bombers defence. Winnipeg averages 334 yards allowed through the air which ranks the 3rd most in the CFL. They also allow 46.5 passing attempts per game to opposing offences which is the most in the league. Ottawa averages 41.5 passing attempts per game so this translates to plenty of opportunity for fantasy points! If you really wanted to get off of the more chalkier QB picks, Davis would be the guy to look at.
Cash- Masoli, Fajardo GPP- Masoli, Fajardo, Reilly, Davis
RB
Sean Thomas-Erlington (8.3k)- In my opinion, STE should be the highest scoring running back this week. I will be fading Harris and Powell and would much rather go to Erlington who is cheaper and has a higher ceiling in this matchup. Montreal is averaging 30 DK points to opposing running backs this season and we could see a heavier dose of STE if the Ti-Cats jump out to a bigger lead. One thing that makes this play even better is how involved STE has been as a receiver as well. He has at least 3 catches in all 3 games so far and has had 50+ receiving yards in his last 2 games.
John White IV (6.3k)- BC finally showed a commitment to running the football and it definitely helped their overall offence. White saw 14 carries but also had 9 catches in his most recent game which is definitely not sustainable but I do think it is a trend for this Lions offence. We saw how bad their offensive line looked in their first couple of games so I think Reilly is alleviating some of the pocket pressure by dumping it off to White. I think for his price and matchup, White could easily get over 15 DK points this week and helps in the value department.
James Wilder Jr. (6.6k) – JWJ is due for a breakout game and this could be the one. Wilder Jr. looked solid running the ball last week, totaling 10 attempts for 60 yards while adding in 4 catches as well. Toronto’s offence has been stagnant and I think the way they turn it around is by establishing the running game. We saw BC utilize their backs more a which in turn helped their passing game and I think the same could be done for Toronto. WHen looking at the matchup, The Lions defence has struggled in all facets so far this year so I wouldn’t be surprised if Wilder gets 15-17 DK points and finds the end zone.
Cash- STE, Powell, Stanback GPP- STE, Powell, Stanback, JWJ, JW4, Starting CGY RB (Don Jackson is out so it will either be Terry Williams or KaDeem Carey)
WR
Brandon Banks (10k)- Speedy B is a must play this week even at 10k. Hamilton is finding ways to get him the ball and just letting him go and do his thing. He has topped 30 DK points in back-to-back games and draws an extremely favorable matchup against Montreal for the 2nd straight week. I will say the only thing that I fear is if Hamilton jumps out to an early lead and then rests all of their guys, it could cap the upside for Banks. WIth that being said, he is an elite play and the most explosive player in the league so it is hard to look elsewhere.
R.J. Harris (6.6k)- Harris has been putting together a really nice season so far for Ottawa and I think he has emerged as one of the biggest targets for Dominique Davis. Harris is averaging 8 targets per game while also breaking 50+ receiving yards in both games as well. Winnipeg does a great job limiting passing TDs and since they focus on keeping receivers in front of them and not getting burnt by the deep ball, receivers like Harris will be able to run shorter routes and rack up the PPR points that DK has to offer.
Lucky Whitehead (6.2k)- Whitehead had a quiet week 1 but exploded onto the scene in week 3, grabbing 2 TDs and showing off the blazing speed which makes him so dangerous as an offensive weapon. Lucky has great hands so I feel like Winnipeg will utilize the combination of his hands and speed every game by getting him in space or having him do double moves to get down field behind the secondary. The downside to rolling with Lucky is that Winnipeg is not a heavy passing offence so his upside at times can be capped if he is not seeing consistent looks.
Lemar Durant (6k)- Durant has been a very consistent target for this BC offence in the first 3 weeks of the season, especially in the red zone. Toronto is averaging 2.3 receiving TDs per game over their last 3 games and Durant has caught a TD for BC in every single game so far. With Burnham trending downward in terms of not playing, I think Durant could make a big impact this week and make it 4 straight weeks with a TD.
D/ST
Hamilton (5.4k) – Hamilton D is by far the safest option this week. They put up 12 DK points last week and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a repeat performance from them. They Montreal to just 200 passing yards and recorded 6 sacks so there is definitely upside to rolling them this week.
Saskatchewan (4.8k)- SSK D finally showed up last week and with all of the injuries that have occurred to the Stamps recently, SSK is definitely viable this week. They have recorded 4 sacks per game in their last 2 games and the Stamps could be without Bo Levi MItchell in addition to Don Jackson and Juwan Brescacin.
Winnipeg (4.5k)- If looking for a cheaper defence, Winnipeg could be a GPP option. I do think Ottawa will move the ball against them but Winnipeg has held opponents to 22 points on
average, which is really solid. The one downside to the Blue Bombers is that they do not rack up the sacks, averaging just 1 per game so this is not a safe play at all.
Player Pool (Giving a variety of options to help with your build)
QB- Masoli, Reilly, Fajardo, Davis
RB- STE, JWJ, Powell, JW4, Williams/Carey WR1(8k+)- Banks, Burnham (Could be out), Rogers
WR2(6k to 7.9k)- Tasker,Carter, Whitehead, Harris, Cunningham, Durant, Ambles
WR3 (Sub 6k)- S. Johnson, Rhymes, Noel, Tucker, Lankford, Cannon, Cottoy
D/ST- Hamilton, SSK, WPG
Fav.Teams to Stack (In Order)
1) HAM
2) SSK
3) BC
4) OTT
