We are now entering the back half of this condensed CFL season. The action is heating up as the weather outside is starting to cool down. There is still much up for grabs with the playoffs looming ever close. So far, only Winnipeg has secured a spot in the postseason. Everyone else is battling for their chance to play for the Grey Cup. This means teams still have to bring it each and every week and we are still in for some quality Canadian football. Of course, that also means a few more weeks of fantasy football fun still to be had.
The following players are suggestions for each position (except defence), that span across every slate. Feel free to mix and match to find a final roster that is best for you. As always, many of the players that work on the CFL’s official fantasy game also work for your DraftKings lineups. So because of that, player prices will be listed by their CFL value first, and their DK price next.
Note that Top Shelf Options do not necessarily indicate the highest priced player. Instead, it is a play based on the ability to finish the week with the best point total based on matchup. Hopefully, you have fun this season watching the CFL and of course, playing fantasy football along with it.
Quarterback
Top Shelf Option: McLeod Bethel-Thompson – Toronto Argonauts (CFL: $10,368; DK: $8,800)
Currently, the Argos sit atop the East Division with a slim two-point lead over the Alouettes. They are there in large part to the production of McLeod Bethel-Thompson. So far, in his six appearances this season, he’s thrown for over 1,300 yards and nine touchdowns. What’s more impressive is that he’s only thrown two interceptions in that span. Over the course of his starts, he’s tossed two touchdown passes four times. This includes his last three games. Bethel-Thompson has managed to keep Nick Arbuckle on the sidelines despite him being brought in to be the starter. It seems Toronto has seen fit to put their faith in MBT and so far it has been a solid return on their investment.
He and the Argonauts get to face the Alouettes for the second time this season. In their last meeting, Bethel-Thompson took the Als for 210 yards and two touchdowns. It was an efficient day for the Argos pivot as he did not turn the ball over to a stout Montreal defence. He’ll need to carry his momentum from his last outing though if he hopes to enjoy the same success this week. He’s facing an Alouette secondary that grabbed three interceptions from the arm of Ottawa’s Caleb Evans last week. Even still, MBT has shown to be able to produce in tough situations. With the quarterback situation the way it is not, he is the best option this week in fantasy by a mile.
House Options: Jeremiah Masoli (CFL: $9,655; DK: $10,100), Matthew Shiltz (CFL: $8,416, DK:$8,100)
Running Back
Top Shelf Option: William Stanback – Montreal Alouettes (CFL: $8,974; DK: $9,900)
After two weeks on the shelf, William Stanback is…back. One of the Als biggest weapons was forced to sit on the sidelines again last week with food poisoning. It marked his second consecutive week out of the game. Despite missing the last two weeks, Stanback still ranks at the top of the list of rushing yardage leaders in the league. In the seven games he has played in this season, he has only once failed to reach double digit fantasy points. He’s a rock solid start in fantasy any time he laces up his cleats. In fact in five of the seven games, he’s registered better than 14 fantasy points. What makes him even more appealing week to week is that Montreal is committed to their backs. Five times this year, Stanback has had 15 or more carries.
This was certainly the case the last time he faced the Toronto Argonauts. Stanback carried the ball 19 times in what stands as his best fantasy outing of the season. The Alouettes bruiser gained 133 yards and a touchdown by way of the ground game. He also added four receptions and 21 more yards to total 28.4 fantasy points on the day. That type of volume should continue as his replacement Cameron Artis-Payne saw 45 total touches in the Als last two games against the Redblacks. Giving Stanback that many opportunities to do damage to his opponent almost always leads to a highly productive fantasy day. It will happen again this week.
House Options: Brady Oliveira (CFL: $5,100; DK: $4,800), William Powell (CFL: $8,411; DK: $9,300)
Wide Receiver
Top Shelf Option: Jake Wieneke – Montreal (CFL: $10,378; DK: $8,500)
At this point the only thing that can keep Jake Wieneke from living up to his “TD Jake,” nickname is Wieneke himself. The league leader in touchdown receptions has proven to be quarterback proof. Last week, Wieneke caught his eighth major of the season from the arm of Matthew Shiltz. It wrapped up a seven catch day in which he gained 114 yards to go along with his trip to the end zone. It represented his fourth double digit fantasy point game in a row. Moreover, it was also his third outing with more than 17 points. He’s scored in each of his last four games. There is very little to suggest that his impressive streak should slow down any time soon.
It’s even harder to imagine his productivity suffering this week in his rematch with the Argos. When last he faced Toronto, Wieneke caught six passes for 117 yards and, you guessed it, a touchdown. However, he was paired with Vernon Adams Jr. for that game, which helped his cause. That said, it seems Shiltz has warmed up to TD Jake and Wieneke is all the better for it. You can expect the Argos secondary to continue to have trouble guarding him. Especially when you consider the last time Toronto hit the field, they surrendered 361 passing yards to Jeremiah Masoli. The CFL platform seems to be paying attention to his production whereas DraftKings has him severely underpriced. Jump on his value and ride the win.
House Options: Nic Demski (CFL: $7,445; DK: $7,600), Ryan Davis (CFL: $6,342; DK: $5,900)
