What an opening week it was in the Canadian Football League! After 620 days (we know, you’ve heard enough of that number, too), the league did not disappoint. After surrendering the opening touchdown, Winnipeg dominated Hamilton. Saskatchewan took a 33-9 lead into the locker room against BC and nearly surrendered it. Lastly, Ottawa and Toronto both took opening week upsets against the Alberta franchises in Edmonton and Calgary. CFL Fantasy in Week 1, personally, was alright. Like in any other fantasy football formats, there will be overachievers and disappointments. Who do I have lined up this week?

Quarterback: Jeremiah Masoli (HAM – $10,807).

In his first start in nearly two years, Masoli had a flawless first drive, including a fantastic touchdown throw to teammate Jaelon Acklin. After that, Masoli was contained by the Winnipeg defense as he threw two interceptions. This week, the Tiger-Cats will travel to Regina to face the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The Riders had a great first half, but then nearly surrendered the entire lead back. Though they forced two interceptions and sacked BC’s quarterbacks twice, they gave up nearly 400 yards on offense. Both are looking for bounce-back games, and I think Masoli is due for one going into Hamiton’s bye.

Running Backs: Brady Oliveira (WPG – $4,500); Ka’deem Carey (CGY – $5,270).

Last week’s value pick for me was Brady Oliveira. With the announcement that all-Canadian back Andrew Harris would be out, I expected Oliveira to get much of the workload. He did not disappoint: 22 carries for 126 yards and one reception for 21 yards. Because of the uncertainty of Harris’ status (he has not practiced at all this week according to reports), I’m willing to take another chance on Oliveira. Carey, meanwhile, contributed 75 yards on the ground in Calgary’s loss to Toronto. He’ll face a BC Lions team that surrendered 75 yards and a touchdown on the ground to Saskatchewan in Week 1. Carey is the Stampeders’ feature back, so expect him to get many of the carries against BC.

Wide Receivers: Lucky Whitehead (BC – $6,126), Jaelon Acklin (HAM – $5,005).

Last week, I selected Whitehead as my flex player. The gamble paid off as he finished with five receptions for 136 yards and a touchdown. Two of those receptions went for 30+ yards, including a 75-yard touchdown catch. His value shot up nearly $1,400 on the CFL Fantasy website. Regardless of which quarterback starts in Week 2 – Michael Reilly or Nathan Rourke – he has a shot at duplicating those numbers. In Hamilton, the receiver who benefited the most from Masoli’s effort last week was Acklin. The second-season receiver finished with seven receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown. With Bralon Addison and DeVier Posey out for another five games, Acklin will remain Masoli’s secondary target after Brandon Banks.

Flex: Nic Demski (WPG – $4,977)

Demski is one of Winnipeg’s biggest threats on offense, but he has incredible value in CFL Fantasy. The receiver, in his sixth season out of the University of Manitoba, started the season strong in Week 1. Demski caught five receptions for 70 yards, including a 49-yard reception that kept an early drive alive. He has also shown past glimpses of running ability and it’ll be handy against Toronto, who surrendered 101 yards on the ground in Week 1. Take Demski for the value.

Defense: Montreal ($3,200)

The Alouettes were perhaps the luckiest team in the Canadian Football League: they were the only team not to play in Week 1. This meant they got a look at their first opponent of the season, the Edmonton Elks. Edmonton was upset by the visiting Ottawa RedBlacks, who forced three interceptions out of and sacked Elks quarterback Trevor Harris five times. Ottawa’s blueprint could certainly help the Alouettes get a grasp on how to stop the Elks’ high-powered offense. Their first game in Edmonton will be a big test and I’m willing to take a gamble on them this week in CFL Fantasy.

Cap Space Remaining: $115

Happy fantasying, everyone!

I’m Ryan McCarthy and I’m the three-headed Hydra for Belly Up Sports (writer, podcast host, and live stream host). I hope you enjoyed my analysis. Want to talk CFL, sports, or life in general? Hit me up on Twitter by searching for my handle, @whoisryanmcc.