We were treated to yet another entertaining week of Canadian football last weekend. This week, some new fantasy football heroes emerged. On the other hand, some of last week’s top performers fell on hard times. Hopefully you had one or more of these players on either your DraftKings, or your CFL Fantasy rosters. As always, be sure to check in every week for our suggestions and favourite plays from each week’s slate.
Week 2 started off with a surprising low scoring tussle between the Lions and the Stamps. It ended with a lot of pushing and shoving and another Roughriders victory. It also saw the return of the Montreal Alouettes to the field of play. Their high powered offence made many fantasy players happy at the end of the day. Below is a recap of the best of the best from week 2 in CFL Fantasy Football.
Cody Fajardo, Saskatchewan Roughriders
17-25, 222 yards, 2 TD’s; 7 car, 66 yards, 1 TD (DK: 29.48; CFL Fantasy 29.5)
It took a quarter for Cody Fajardo and his Saskatchewan Roughriders to get warmed up against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Once they did though, they did not let off the throttle. Early in the second quarter, Fajardo took to his feet from 14 yards out to notch the game’s first major. He put a bow on the first half by tossing a touchdown. Mitchell Picton snagged a quick slant at the goal line for the score. The game got chippy in the second half, but Fajardo still kept his cool. He went on to throw his second touchdown pass to Kyran Moore late in the third quarter.
The Green Riders pivot was able to impress with his arm for sure. What put him over the top for fantasy was his ground game. On top of his 14 yard romp to the endzone, Fajardo added a 22-yard glide among a few shorter carries. All told, he finished only 23 yards behind William Powell for the most Roughriders rushing yards on the night. He’ll be tested this week against an improved Ottawa Redblacks defence so keep that in mind as you build your week 3 lineups.
Nic Demski, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
8 rec, 68 yards, 1 TD; 1 car, 6 yards (DK: 21.4; CFL Fantasy 21.4)
Building off of a solid outing on opening night, Nic Demski proved his worth again this week. With Darvin Adams missing again against the Argos, Demski saw nine targets. Last week, Demski accumulated 70 receiving yards. This week he managed two less yards. The biggest difference in his week two output was that one of his catches was for a touchdown. His clutch 15-yard grad in the fourth quarter made it a two score game.
Despite the loss of offensive coordinator Paul LaPolice, the Bombers showed a glimpse of Demski as a running back. In 2019, Demski was utilized out of the back field on several occasions. This always added to his overall fantasy value as he ended that season with 225 yards and three touchdowns. If Adams continues to miss time, Demski is primed for more fantasy relevant days. His price continues to stay low, which makes him a steal in the week 3 rematch with Toronto.
John White IV, Toronto Argonauts
12 car, 111 yards, 1 TD; 3 rec, 8 yards (DK: 22.9; CFL Fantasy 20.9)
If you rostered John White IV in your fantasy lineups last week, you were among the very few. The Argos lead back turned in a lackluster opening week performance that saw him carry the ball nine times for 28 yards. Whatever rust he had from the long offseason must have been shook off in that game. He came back strong in Toronto’s losing effort against the defending Grey Cup Champions with over 100-yards and a touchdown. White busted loose for a 30-yard major that cut the Winnipeg lead to three in the closing minutes of the third quarter.
Helping White earn top fantasy honors were his three receptions. Granted, he was only able to gain eight total yards with them. Of course, in the end, in a points per reception league, one catch is just as good as ten rushing yards. McLeod Bethel-Thompson and Nick Arbuckle both made appearances in this game. Both struggled. The one constant was White and his ability to move the ball on the ground against the Bombers. He’ll get another crack at it this week at home as Winnipeg travels to The Six for a back-to-back rematch.
Roughriders Defence
6 sacks, 2 INT, 2 fum rec, 8 points allowed (DK: 18; CFL Fantasy 18)
Over the last two seasons, not many teams have manhandled the Hamilton Tiger-Cats as easily as Saskatchewan did last week. Their secondary had Jeremiah Masoli’s number all night forcing bad throws and two interceptions due to their outstanding coverage. Respect also needs to be given to the defensive line for putting constant pressure on the Ticats offensive line. Jonathan Woodward and A.C. Leonard combined for five of the six Riders sacks.
This defence was responsible for allowing only 201 total offensive yards out of one of the league’s most potent offences. Masoli had only thrown for 135 yards and two interceptions late in the third quarter. This led to Dane Evans coming in to attempt to find a spark. He too was unable to produce adding 21 passing yards completing only three of his ten attempts. Saskatchewan hosts Ottawa in week 3, so a return to them in fantasy might be worth the price.
