Change has come to CFL fantasy as Week 11 offers a vastly different look across the board. The past two weeks have altered projections as a near-tectonic shift at pivot has resulted in several players, once sure bets, down the pecking order.
Perhaps the biggest Week 11 surprise won’t take long for fantasy coaches to see.
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Quarterbacks
1. Taylor Powell, Hamilton, $5,000 Salary (7 Projected Fantasy Points): As bold a projection we’ve made this season, we’re confident Powell will exceed his projection. His running skills make him a strong bet to flirt with 20+ fantasy points against an Elks defence that’s allowed 27 offensive majors.
2. Tre Ford, Edmonton, $8,500 Salary (9.7 PFP): There’s a chance the Elks will go with McLeod Bethel-Thompson ($8,000) to give Ford’s upper-body injury an extra week of rest. Either way, starting an Elks quarterback should result in strong fantasy numbers against the Tiger-Cats, who allow a league-high 30.2 points per game.
3. Davis Alexander, Montreal, $7,500 Salary (13.2 PFP): Alexander’s numbers have increased with each start. He tallied 19.7 FP in Week 10 and will put up solid numbers in his last start before Cody Fajardo ($13,800) returns to the lineup.
4. Trevor Harris, Saskatchewan, $13,200 Salary (14.9 PFP): The Alouettes have a way of making opposing quarterbacks struggle, and while we’ll see Harris have his moments, temper expectations as he returns to the Riders lineup.
Running Backs
1. Brady Oliveira, Winnipeg, $12,100 Salary (16.8 PFP): Oliveira has scored at least 18.2 FP in four of his last five games. He’s done this without scoring a major. He’s long overdue for a visit to the end zone, which should end against BC on Sunday.
2. Javon Leake, Edmonton, $5,500 Salary (13.7 PFP): He’s no longer a sleeper, although Saskatchewan and BC wished he had stayed in slumber. Leake leads the league with 7.0 yards per carry and is tied for third with 13 rushes of at least 10 yards. Start. Him.
3. James Butler, Hamilton, $11,700 Salary (17.1 PFP): The change at quarterback might help Butler, who has been steady yet unspectacular the last three games. Oddly, he hasn’t scored since Week 7, but a matchup against the Elks could end his drought.
4. William Stanback, BC, $11,100 Salary (13.1 PFP): Stanback has seen his fantasy numbers falter, having failed to score more than 12.6 FP in four straight games. He hasn’t scored a major since Week 5 and is averaging a career-low 4.7 yards per carry.
5. Walter Fletcher, Montreal, $9,200 Salary (15.4 PFP): We’re underestimating Fletcher, who will see more touches with Tyson Philpot ($10,000) unlikely to play against the Roughriders.
Receivers
1. Shemar Bridges, Hamilton, $5,000 Salary (13.9 PFP): Bridges scored over 18 FP against the Alouettes in the past two games. Taylor Powell will continue the trend when the two pair up against the Elks in what should be a fantasy-friendly contest.
2. Justin McInnis, BC, $12,600 Salary (22.2 PFP): Like the rest of the Lions offence, McInnis has been sluggish recently. He leads the league with 18 receptions of at least 20 yards in depth despite seeing his average depth yards per route decline to 16.1.
3. Ontaria Wilson, Winnipeg, $7,000 Salary (16 PFP): He’s caught at least seven passes in three of his last four games and is tied for second with five catches of at least 30 yards. Wilson scored 18.6 FP in his previous matchup against BC and is a strong bet for a third game of at least 20 FP.
4. Charleston Rambo, Montreal, $3,500 Salary (13.4 PFP): Rambo has replaced Jevon Leake as the best fantasy value play. The Alouettes will stretch the ball downfield without Tyson Philpot now that Rambo is emerging as a legit big-play threat.
5. Justin Hardy, Ottawa, $10,900 Salary (15 PFP): Jeremiah Masoli’s return to action will be eased each time he throws in the direction of Hardy, one of only three receivers averaging at least 80 receiving yards per game.
6. Tim White, Hamilton, $11,000 Salary (12.9 PFP): Powell will throw north of 35 times on Saturday, more than enough for White to restart his streak of at least 10.5 FP after his five-game stretch ended in Week 10.
7. Keon Hatcher, BC, $7,000 Salary (5.6 PFP): The rust is off Hatcher, who will team up with McInnis to return the Lions’ deep passing game after they failed to get a completion of at least 30 yards in two straight games.
8. Reggie Begelton, Calgary, $10,000 Salary (13.1 PFP): Despite being a Week 11 Sit, Begelton’s recent run makes it hard to keep him out of the projections.
9. Shawn Bane Jr., Saskatchewan, $10,000 Salary (11.5 PFP): Bane snapped out of a lengthy fantasy skid by scoring 23 FP in Week 10, his first double-digit effort since Week 1. Having Harris back will help him do so in consecutive games.
10. Kalil Pimpleton, Ottawa, $5,000 Salary (13.8 PFP): He came down from the clouds, scoring 4.6 FP in Week 10. The encouraging number is the nine targets he had in Week 10, and we know Jeremiah Masoli ($8,500) will give him a deep shot or two.
11. Alexander Hollins, BC, $12,000 Salary (12.8 PFP): The slump is real, and with Hatcher’s return, Hollins will go back to being an intermediate option rather than the deep threat he was before Hatcher came back.
12. Samuel Emilus, Saskatchewan, $10,500 Salary (14.3 PFP): Emilus has scored double-digit FP in six of his last seven games and will see his numbers continue to thrive with Harris returning to throw to him.
Defences
1. Montreal, $9,900 Salary (5.3 PFP): The Alouettes have allowed only four completions of better than 30 yards while holding opposing pivots to an average efficiency of 83.1.
2. Edmonton, $7,500 Salary (3.5 PFP): A bit of a surprise here, but the Elks are facing a Hamilton team with a -8 turnover margin.
3. Winnipeg, $8,500 Salary (6.9 PFP): The Blue Bombers aren’t going to toss consecutive shutouts against the Lions. However, they will continue their return to form.
4. Saskatchewan, $9,000 Salary (7.1 PFP): The Riders have had at least one interception in all but one game this season.