Holding on to the Grey Cup will be a daunting challenge for Toronto as they must contend with a tough East Division.
The group includes an Ottawa team on the rise, an ever-dangerous Montreal squad along with a Hamilton team hoping its defence can improve just enough to let an explosive offence help them return to post-season prominence.
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HAMILTON TIGER-CATS
2024: 7-11-0, Missed post-season
New Faces: WR Kenny Lawler, WR Drew Wolitarsky, HB DaShaun Amos, DE Julian Howsare, DT TyJuan Garbutt, RG Liam Dobson, RB Johnny Augustine
Quarterback: The revival of Bo Levi Mitchell was one of the season’s biggest stories as the former Stampeder rediscovered his stroke. Mitchell led the league with 5,451 passing yards and 32 passing majors while putting up a 101.2 efficiency rating. Plenty remains in the tank, hence his $14,000 fantasy salary. Mitchell is a fantasy anchor whose numbers will be elite most weeks, especially since the franchise added former All-CFL receiver Kenny Lawler to an already-loaded receiving corps. Backup Taylor Powell will eventually get his chance to shine as a starter, but if the Ticats need to turn to him in an emergency, his fantasy value would make a strong play.
Running Back: Greg Bell is positioned for a huge season after rushing for 625 yards in just eight games. Bell averaged 6.6 yards per carry and had five rushes of better than 20 yards. He’s also a valued piece in the passing game. His fantasy salary will continue to climb; even as it does, users would be wise to make space for him in their weekly lineups. Augustine comes to Hamilton after spending his career as a reliable backup to Andrew Harris and Brady Oliveira, giving the Ticats a safe place to land if needed.
Receivers: Adding Lawler and his career 16 yards per catch brings another lethal element to a group of pass catchers that include White, who has tallied at least 1,000 yards in the past three seasons, 2024 rookie breakout star Shemar Bridges, and Kiondré Smith, both of whom fell just short of 1,000 yards. This group could become the first team since the 2016 REDBLACKS to have four 1,000-yard receivers. The Ticats will find ways to get six-foot-five, 240-pounder Jevoni Robinson into the flow after he caught 19 passes and scored three times in seven appearances last season. Former Blue Bombers possession specialist Drew Wolitarsky further adds to the belief Hamilton has one of the best receiving corps in the league.
Defence: The Ticats allowed a league-high 557 points last season. In order to keep the offence from having to play from behind most weeks, Hamilton added Julian Howsare to help add juice to a pass rush ranked eighth in total sacks. DaShaun Amos was a key cog to Toronto’s Grey Cup title run and will mesh nicely in the secondary with veteran DB Stavros Katsantonis. Kyle Wilson and Ryan Baker are set to be the constants at linebacker, which will likely see several starting combinations in the early going.
Fantasy Nugget: Nearly 30 percent (29.7, to be exact) of Bell’s 94 rushes went for at least 10 yards.
MONTREAL ALOUETTES
2024 Record: 12-5-1, Lost in Eastern Final
New Faces: QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson, OG Cyrille Hogan-Saindon, DT Shawn Oakman
Quarterback: Davis Alexander’s time is now. The upside is such that the franchise let 110th Grey Cup-winning pivot Cody Fajardo move on and inked Alexander to a multi-year extension. Fantasy users may have a sneaky good dual threat on their hands as Alexander ran for three majors and passed for six while spelling a then-injured Fajardo last season. There might be some weeks of growing pains, but Alexander will end the campaign as a reliable fantasy option. McLeod Bethel-Thompson is there in case the growing pains become too much. Who wouldn’t want a Grey Cup-winning pivot as Plan B? Bethel-Thompson isn’t the running threat Alexander is, yet he’s shown he can carry a fantasy team.
Running Back: Impressive preseasons from Stevie Scott III and Travis Theis allowed the Alouettes to release the versatile Walter Fletcher in one of the more surprising moves on cutdown Sunday. At six-foot-two, 231 pounds, Scott is a banger who relishes inflicting pain on defenders and could emerge as a fantasy darling if the Als entrust him with touches near the goal line. Theis is no flyweight, either (five-foot-11, 215 pounds) but will be more of a change-of-pace runner in this new scenario. Montreal kept Sean Thomas Erlington on the roster as both a veteran presence and someone who can be inserted into the lineup if Plans A and B falter.
Receivers: On pace to be a Most Outstanding Player candidate, Tyson Philpot’s breakthrough season ended with a foot injury in August. His health — and the same can be said for Austin Mack — will be a difference-maker for both the Als and fantasy lineups, as both have shown they can generate fantasy points at will. Charleston Rambo had a brief run as Montreal’s WR1, while Cole Spieker and Tyler Snead are low-end flex options who have displayed the ability to rise and deliver solid fantasy totals when needed. James Letcher Jr. is one of the league’s most dangerous return specialists — a high-risk, high-reward roll of the fantasy dice.
Defence: Figuring out who starts both defensive end spots was one of the biggest questions facing the Alouettes entering training camp. Otherwise, this is still one of the best fantasy defences available. LBs Tyrice Beverette and Darnell Sankey are turnover-producing playmakers while the secondary includes HB Wesley Sutton and FS Marc-Antoine Dequoy. Adding Oakman, a former All-CFLer, to an interior that already has Mustafa Johnson, means opponents seeking to run up the middle do so at their own risk.
Fantasy Nugget: Scratching the surface of his potential, Alexander averaged 264.6 passing yards per game with a 5-1 TD:INT margin in Weeks 9-11 last season. That’s 30 passing majors over an 18-game slate.
OTTAWA REDBLACKS
2024 Record: 9-8-1, Lost in Eastern Semi-Final
New Faces: WR Eugene Lewis, RB William Stanback, CB Amari Henderson
Quarterback: The version of Dru Brown the REDBLACKS were waiting to appear did so in Weeks 20 and 21 as he passed for a combined 845 yards with a 7:1 margin. Brown torched the Argos for 487 yards and three majors in the Eastern Semi-Final loss, giving him a 1,332-10-3 line over his final three outings. He’s not going to offer much in the form of running the ball, but if Brown picks up where he left off, he will be a very popular name among fantasy users throughout the 2025 season. A Most Outstanding Player candidacy awaits him. Dustin Crumb returns as the primary backup now that Jeremiah Masoli is gone to BC; Crumb will be a steady source of rushing majors near the goal line as the REDBLACKS’ short yardage pivot.
Running Back: Ottawa can’t throw the ball every play, can they? No, which is why they inked veteran William Stanback to a deal. The three-time 1,000-yard rusher had a career resurgence with the Lions last season and his bruising style of running could lead to a fourth season over the 1,000-yard barrier. He’s been a solid receiver during his career, further justifying his status as one of the better fantasy options at the position.
Receivers: Losing promising second-year standout Nick Mardner for the season is indeed a setback, but the REDBLACKS have the talent to absorb it. Lewis, Justin Hardy, and Bralon Addison are each former All-CFL, and the dangerous Kalil Pimpleton has the potential to be awarded such honours as early as this season. The fantasy value is strong with this quartet and opens the door to a variety of pairings and/or stackings throughout the season. Replacing Mardner will fall to the likes of Andre Miller and Keelan White, with the winner being low-end fantasy value to watch.
Defence: The REDBLACKS possess the league’s best front with ends Lorenzo Mauldin IV and Bryce Carter teaming up with DTs Michael Wakefield and Cleyon Laing to make life miserable for offences. LBs Frankie Griffin and Jovan Santos-Knox should be healthy after missing considerable portions of 2024 with injuries. They’ll join Adarius Pickett to form a solid middle. The secondary will count on the likes of Henderson, HB Bennett Williams, and HB Deandre Lamont to serve as the last line of defence in a division filled with big play pivots.
Fantasy Nugget: Lewis enters the season having scored majors in eight straight games, tying him with Hall of Famer Milt Stegall (1997) for the second-longest stretch in league history. He’s just two games from tying Hall of Famer Terry Evanshen (1967-68) for the most prolific run of end zone visits in CFL annuals.
TORONTO ARGONAUTS
2024 Record: 10-8-0, Won 111th Grey Cup
New Faces: QB Jarrett Doege, FB Bruno Labelle, DT Anthony Lanier II, LB Cameron Judge, HB Darius Bratton
Quarterback: Chad Kelly will likely open the season on the injured list, leaving 111th Grey Cup Final Most Valuable Player Nick Arbuckle as a possible starter. His fantasy value hinges on how well his title game momentum carries over while also knowing Kelly’s eventual return shadows him. Former Elks pivot Doege and promising youngster Tucker Horn will be backups.
Running Back: The Argonauts surprisingly released a pair of 1,000-yard runners in Kevin Brown and Ka’Deem Carey. It means the team has turned to the elusive Deonta McMahon and Miyan Williams, whose explosive speed displayed throughout the preseason helped usher in the decision for a youth movement in the backfield. The fantasy impact here is tremendous, so let’s sit back and see how this change in direction impacts the backfield.
Receivers: This could be Kevin Mital’s breakout campaign. The 2024 first-round pick found the end zone in the Grey Cup victory and has been splendid throughout training camp. Damonte Coxie and DaVaris Daniels will continue to be steady options for a passing game that focuses on spreading around the ball rather than counting on one receiver. Dejon Brissett, the Grey Cup’s Most Outstanding Canadian, is another playmaker whose fantasy value will be a game-by-game study of which quarterback develops chemistry with which receiver.
Defence: Winning it all means other teams desire your talent. That showed during the off-season as the Argos took considerable hits on the line and in the secondary. Both positions will have its share of new starters, but the LB corps, anchored by Wynton McManis and Judge, will be enough to stabilize the D. This should be a very cohesive unit by mid-season.
Fantasy Nugget: The Argos managed just 21 completions over 30 yards last season. Eight of those belong to Makai Polk, who signed with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons. Neither of Toronto’s Week 1 starting receivers averaged over 10 yards per catch in 2024.
