CFL Fantasy Projections: Bombers’ passing game taking off?

Week 16 of CFL fantasy play means time is beginning to run short for those pursuing to capture league crowns. Positional strength this week is at running back where even those who didn’t crack the top six have the potential to make us look silly by Saturday night.

Without further ado, here are the Week 16 player rankings.

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QUARTERBACKS

1. Trevor Harris, Saskatchewan, $12,600 Salary (19.6 Projected Fantasy Points): Harris has thrown multiple majors in all but one of his starts and is one of only two pivots (Montreal’s Davis Alexander) to sport a completion percentage of at least 50 percent of his attempts of over 20 yards in depth.

2. Bo Levi Mitchell, Hamilton, $12,200 Salary (14.1 PFP): The Ticats visit an Argonauts pass defence that has allowed 23 completions of better than 30 yards while yielding 21 touchdown passes. Mitchell has thrown a pair of majors in the last two games while putting up 40.5 FP.

3. Zach Collaros, Winnipeg, $12,200 Salary (11.6 PFP): Risky move here, as Collaros has yet to score more than 17 FP in a game this season. Facing an Elks pass defence allowing a league-high 309.5 passing yards per game and 22 touchdown passes sets the stage for a vintage performance from Collaros.

4. Cody Fajardo, Montreal, $12,100 Salary (16.5 PFP): Fajardo scored a season-high 36.9 FP against Ottawa in Week 3. He’s had just one game over 20 FP since, and the REDBLACKS aren’t the same defence from mid-June, so there is some risk here.

5. Jake Maier, Calgary, $11,000 Salary (13.2 PFP): Saskatchewan’s top-ranked run defence is offset by a pass defence that gives up 296.8 yards per game. Maier has not been fantasy-friendly over his last three starts, but his accuracy should open up opportunities for big plays from a receiving corps that has not produced too many this season (14 plays of 30+ yards).

RUNNING BACKS

1. Greg Bell, Hamilton, $6,500 Salary (21.2 PFP): He’s averaged 21.2 FP since becoming the lead back for the Ticats. It might be too much to ask Bell for a third straight 100-yard day considering how the Argos defend the run, but Bell remains a value play and a must-start. The tailback showed up in the Ticats injury report on Tuesday though, so his situation is worth monitoring.

2. Brady Oliveira, Winnipeg, $12,200 Salary (13.9 PFP): Oliveira hasn’t scored a regular season major since October 21, 2023. Think of all that’s happened in the world since then. We’ll go on a limb and predict Oliveira’s scoring drought ends on Saturday while also adding the 106 yards needed for a third straight 1,000-yard season.

3. Walter Fletcher, Montreal, $12,100 Salary (15.7 PFP): At this point of the season, fantasy players know they’ll get solid production from Fletcher, who has scored at least 13.5 FP in four straight games after a Week 10 hiccup.

4. Frankie Hickson, Saskatchewan, $5,200 Salary (8.4 PFP): A sneaky good pick this week, Hickson faces a Calgary run defence allowing 116.8 yards per game and 6.5 yards per carry. A 20 FP performance is not excluded.

5. Kevin Brown, Edmonton, $9,500 Salary (7.7 PFP): An improved Winnipeg run defence shouldn’t scare off fantasy players from using Brown, who should get the bulk of the load that is the Elks’ league-best ground attack.

6. Khalan Laborn, Ottawa, $4,500 Salary (11.9 PFP): An unsung commodity, Laborn is an intriguing X-factor in the REDBLACKS critical home tilt against the Alouettes.

RECEIVERS

1. Reggie Begelton, Calgary, $13,000 Salary (13.8 PFP): He’s scored at least 13.2 FP in six straight games and seven of his last eight. There is no more dependable receiver in CFL fantasy play these days than Begelton.

2. Dominique Rhymes, Ottawa, $10,000 Salary (12.8 PFP): Rhymes has carried fantasy teams over the past two games, scoring 23.8 FP in Week 14 before following up with 28.9 FP in Week 15. The Alouettes pass defence presents a challenge, but Rhymes is playing too darn well not to start him.

3. Tim White, Hamilton, $12,500 Salary (15.4 PFP): Expect a rebound after White finished with 3.1 FP in Week 15. He torched the Argos (36 FP) on OK Tire Labour Day Weekend and is a strong bet to exceed his projection.

4. Justin Hardy, Ottawa, $11,200 Salary (14.6 PFP): The league leader with 76 receptions, Hardy is second in yardage and third in targets. That’s a trifecta fantasy players can get down with.

5. Kaion Julien-Grant, Montreal, $8,000 Salary (13.4 PFP): Julien-Grant racked up 15.1 FP in Week 15, his first game since Week 6. With Tyson Philpot out for the season, the budding star is positioned to become Fajardo’s new best friend.

6. Makai Polk, Toronto, $5,000 Salary (11.7 PFP): Our latest graduate from the weekly sleepers column, Polk has scored 41.1 FP in the last two games and has become the downfield target of choice for the Argos’ passing attack.

Makai Polk (left) and Damonte Coxie (right) have been a dangerous duo for the Toronto Argonauts over the last few weeks (Bailey McLean/CFL.ca)

7. Samuel Emilus, Saskatchewan, $10,900 Salary (13.3 PFP): Tied for the league lead with 106 targets, Emilus has scored at least double-digit fantasy points in nine of his last 11 games. Emilus has been targeted at least nine times in four straight, so do know he’ll be heavily involved.

8. Tevin Jones, Edmonton, $8,500 Salary (16.8 PFP): You know the production will be there. The question is how much volume Jones receives from Tre Ford, making the explosive playmaker a slight risk, but, oh, when Jones gets the ball…

9. Cole Spieker, Montreal, $9,600 Salary (12.6 PFP): Despite scoring 2.4 FP in Week 15, Spieker’s fantasy numbers should rebound to the standard he set in Weeks 11-12 and 14.

10. Nic Demski, Winnipeg, $10,400 Salary (12.5 PFP): Demski has scored at least 11.6 FP in three of the last four games, a positive sign that the Blue Bombers passing game is finding its stride.

11. KeeSean Johnson, Saskatchewan, $2,500 Salary (14 PFP): Stop waiting on Johnson to regress. He’s a huge part of the Roughriders offence and will score at least 11 FP for a fifth straight game.

12. Kenny Lawler, Edmonton, $7,100 Salary (10.3 PFP): Coming off a season-best 18.1 FP in Week 15, Lawler could generate big numbers on an Elks secondary that has allowed 23 completions of better than 30 yards.

DEFENCES

1. Winnipeg, $10,000 Salary (8.1 PFP): If the Blue Bombers force the Elks to abandon the run, the potential to cause turnovers will increase.

2. Ottawa, $7,000 Salary (7.3 PFP): The Alouettes are not going to score 47 points again on the REDBLACKS.

3. Toronto, $7,800 Salary (6.5 PFP): We can assume the Tiger-Cats will throw far north of 30 times on Friday, and the Argos have the ballhawks to pluck an errant pass or two.

4. Saskatchewan, $7,100 Salary (9.4 PFP): The Riders have recorded 31 sacks and will make life uncomfortable for the Stamps passing game.