CFL Week 5 Rewind
Another thrilling week of CFL football is in the books! It was a pretty fun slate (if you were in the green) and it seems like we are getting a good idea of how teams are utilizing different players and which guys are better fits for GPPs and others for cash games.
Below is the optimal lineup from this past weekend.
Here is the link to my Week 5 article: https://fulltimefantasy.com/cfl-week-5-dfs-picks-and-analysis/
Week 5 Player Pool (Giving a variety of options to help with your build)
QB- T. Harris (25.94), Davis (23.82), Masoli (19.28)
RB- Harris (26.3), Gable (12.1), Madu (7.4), Carey (8.7), Coombs (0)
WR1(8k+)- Banks (43.25), Ellingson (12.6), Rogers (12)
WR2(7.9k-6k)- Durant (1.5), RJ Harris (19.8), D. Daniels (15.3), Cunningham (12.4),RCJ (2.4), Edwards (15.1), Demski (16.3), Ambles (4.9), Whitehead (25.2)
WR3 (Sub 6k)- Noel (4.9), Rhymes (2.5), Holley (9.9), T. Smith (1.6), Bray (27.4) D/ST- WPG (18), EDM (18)
Overall Review of the Week 5 Slate:
In the opening game of the week, we had the Reilly vs. Harris showdown and it seemed to be another lopsided win for the Eskimos. It was a sluggish 1st half for both teams but the Eskimos really turned it on in the 2nd half with back to back passing TDs. Adjei took a WR screen and housed it for 77 yards while Daniels then followed it up with an impressive 28 yard TD grab. The Eskimos pressured Reilly all game long which led to 5 total sacks. Needless to say, EDM vs Reilly is a thing. Harris did a great job spreading the ball around the field, completing passes to 9 different targets. CJ Gable struggled to really get anything going on the ground and it seemed as if the Lions were committed to stopping the ground game and force Harris to beat them with his arm.
Winnipeg came out and thumped Toronto just like we all expected. Lucky Whitehead kicked things off with a 104-yard opening kickoff return for a TD and that set the tone for the game. Matt Nichols had a Matt Nichols game, completing 75% of passes and throwing for 3 TDs while only get 20 DK points in the process. Andrew Harris had a very good game, rushing for 116 yards while catching 5 passes and a TD. Toronto was down all game long but they finally found some rhythm and shockingly, it involved throwing to Derel Walker! Walker reminded us why he is one of the best pure receivers in the game, getting 9 catches for 188 yards and 2 TDs. Armanti Edwards continued to be a staple in this offence, getting 2 catches for 63 yards and a TD as well. The Blue Bombers did a great job bottling up the Args running game and they ended causing 5 turnovers altogether.
Ottawa and Montreal got off to a very slow start and it was 9-9 going into halftime. The 2nd half is where things opened up and fantasy points were starting to accrue. Vernon Adams Jr. ended up throwing for 327 yards and 2 TDs while also rushing for 2 TDs as well. The Reblacks defence struggled containing the Als receivers as 4 receivers averaged over 10+ yards per catch (Bray, Cunningham, Weineke, Lewis). Adams Jr. has struggled this year with his accuracy but he ended up completing 76.7% of his passes which tells me that this offence is finally shaping around the skill set that Adams Jr. possesses. Dom Davis and the Redblack offence struggled through the air and the only consistent option for them has been RJ Harris. Montreal seems to have taken a turn as a team while Ottawa is still trying to find their identity.
The Calgary vs. Hamilton matchup was a perfect way to end the week. After the end of the first quarter, we saw the ever popular 1-0 score. In the 2nd quarter, 31 points were scored and that is what we were expecting from these teams. Brandon Banks put on a show and finished the game getting 9 catches for 86 yards and 2 TDs while also housing a missed field goal back for a TD. He is the most dangerous weapon in the CFL and is almost a must play every week. We heard there would be a RB by committee throughout the week in Hamilton but it ended up being Maleek Irons taking all of the carries while Anthony Coombs barely saw any playing time. This will be something to watch in the coming weeks. For the Calgary side of things, Nick Arbuckle continues to show why he is the best backup QB in the league. He did not find the end zone but threw for over 350 yards in a solid effort. Ka’Deem Carey did not do much on the ground while Terry WIlliams ended up getting more carries so this is something we will also have to watch for. Reggie Begelton is emerging as a top target for Nick Arbuckle and they do have some chemistry. In just the 2 games Arbuckle has played, Begelton has seen 13 targets while catching 12 of those for 221 yards. I will definitely have an eye on Begelton moving forward!
Review of my Main Plays/ Player Pool for Week 5:
QB: Trevor Harris had another solid outing and we got lucky with a few things from that game. The first was CJ Gable losing his contact lenses on the goal line. If he did not lose them, I am pretty sure they would have handed it off instead of doing a QB sneak with Harris. Also, Harris took an awkward hit around the knee and he looked like he was in pain so there was concern if he would play in the 2nd half as they headed into halftime. Luckily for Harris owners, he was back and was in rhythm. Dom Davis had some late scoring drama and a solid outing with 23 points but he still remains to be more of a GPP kind of play depending on the matchup. Masoli was finally able to find the end zone against the Stamps but still had an average game, throwing for 192 yards and 2 passing TDs while throwing 1 INT.
RB: This was the first week where I was really on Andrew Harris and it was a prime spot for him. Harris had 26 fantasy points which doubled the #2 RB in fantasy this week. CJ Gable had an okay game but did not meet value due to his price. Maleek Irons had a solid game and saw the full workload which phased Anthony Coombs out of the game. Madu and Carey did not do much and quiet games so this week was not one for the RBs.
WR: Speedy B led all WR in fantasy and he is one that is just hard to fade. He is involved in all facets of the Hamilton game plan and can break one at anytime. My other high priced WR in Ellingson and Rogers did not perform well due to the prices they were at but I do feel like they will have some bounce back games coming up soon.
Once again, some middle tier guys really helped our lines. Davaris Daniels had a nice first game with Trevor Harris, catching 4 passes and grabbing a TD. Lucky “GPP” Whitehead continues to be a guy that is tough to nail but offers some massive upside when he is fully involved in the Blue Bombers game plan. RJ Harris is the most consistent target for the Redblacks and he is someone that I will lock in my cash game lineups. Some other solid performances came from Nic Demski, BJ Cunningham and Armanti Edwards who all hit double digit fantasy points as well. Lemar Durant and Ricky Collins Jr. were the big let downs in this tier and definitely killed some great GPP lines out there.
In the value tier, Quan Bray had another big game and he seems to be emerging as a big time target for Vernon Adams Jr. With Posey as the deep threat and Cunningham always working the middle, Quan is seeing some great looks so make sure to look at him when making Montreal stacks moving forward. Caleb Holley had a decent game while Dominique Rhymes left the game right after halftime with an injury. He was another one that really killed some GPP lines out there so we will have to monitor the status of his injury.
Defence: This was the week for defences. Both WPG and Edmonton had 18 DK points which was great if you played them. One of the bigger things to take away is that Edmonton really knows how to put pressure on Mike Reilly. They have sacked Reilly 12 times in just 2 games!
What we learned from Week 5:
- Picking the right EDM target is going to be tough to do, playing Harris naked might be one of the better routes to go
- EDM and WPG D are the top D’s in the league as of right now
- Lucky Whitehead is your ideal gpp candidate…..can cause heartache or happiness
- Derel Walker finally got some looks his way
- Nichols might not break 25 DK points all year but he might also never go under 15 DK points as well
- Lions still struggle pass blocking for Reilly
- Quan Bray is a baller
- RB by committee is a lie in Hamilton
- Arbuckle to Begelton is a thing!
Feel free to reach out to me on Twitter if you have any questions! @rdr1634
