It’s been a stinking hot week thus far in eastern Canada, and I, for one, am lucky that I’m not the one who has to be practising in this intense heat and humidity. For a lot of Americans, particularly those who grew up in the South, a high of 34 degrees Celsius (93 degrees Fahrenheit) may seem manageable, but considering that with the humidex it’s up to 39 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit), the average Canadian is truly not made for this weather. Thank God for A/C. I’ll be in my basement all week.

In league news this week:

• The CFL officially announced a partnership with FanDuel to see the company become the first official sportsbook of the league; with gambling on games legalized in Canada since 2021, and with many other places offering odds on the CFL, I’m curious to see how the “official” partnership will differentiate itself from other companies such as DraftKings.
• Calgary is bringing back WR Marken Michel, who spent the last four years in the NFL with Philadelphia, Washington, and Carolina; Michel was the West division’s nomination for Most Outstanding Rookie back in 2017, and with star Malik Henry done for the year with a ruptured Achilles, the Stamps really need the receiving depth Michel hopes to bring.
• Edmonton traded LB Kevin Francis to the Ottawa REDBLACKS in exchange for a fourth-round pick in next year’s Draft; Francis, a Canadian, is a useful special teamer, having recorded 22 tackles on ST last year, and can help with roster ratios as well. Francis played the 2019 CFL season as a REDBLACK.
• Edmonton signed OL Brett Boyko, who was most recently with the XFL’s Orlando Guardians. Boyko, a Canadian, last played in the CFL in 2021, where he played eight games in Saskatchewan. Boyko also spent four years in the NFL, spending time with Philadelphia and San Diego from 2015-2018.
• Hamilton signed QB Kai Locksley after his release from Edmonton; Locksley played one snap in Week 3 against Toronto, where he promptly fumbled the ball and then ripped into the coaching staff on the sideline. Strange meltdown, but the Ti-Cats need some QB depth with Bo Levi Mitchell still injured. To make room for Locksley, Hamilton released QB N’Kosi Perry, who signed with the team just two weeks ago and dressed as the #3 guy in their home loss to Montreal.

Onto the games!

WEEK 4 RECAPS

Edmonton 7 vs. Ottawa 26: In a battle of two winless teams, the REDBLACKS emerged victorious, and earned their first home victory since September 2021 – and in convincing fashion, to boot. In a showdown of two teams starting rookie QBs, Tyrie Adams emerged looking like the far superior option, making consistently excellent decisions all game long, protecting the football well, and even connecting with Marco Dubois for an absolutely 54-yard catch-and-run TD strike, the first of Dubois’ career. Ottawa RB De’Montre Tuggle also had a fantastic game, rushing 17 times for 126 yards and a score. The Elks couldn’t really get much of anything going – their one third-quarter TD drive was the high point of the game for the visitors – as rookie Jarrett Doege threw three interceptions on the night and the team had a lot of difficulty running the ball. I get there are injuries to this team, particularly on the offensive side of the ball, but HC/GM Chris Jones’ seat should feel absolutely scalding hot considering this poor start to the year.

PICK: Ottawa

RESULT: Ottawa

Winnipeg 17 vs. Montreal 3: The kickoff of this one was delayed two hours thanks to a wicked Canada Day thunderstorm in Montreal, and while the thunder and lightning subsided, the poor weather continued, to the benefit of the road team. The Alouettes now have their first blemish on their record in 2023, and were thoroughly shut down by the Bombers’ strong defence. Winnipeg QB Zach Collaros also rebounded nicely from last week’s rough outing against BC, finishing 15-23 for 193 yards and two TDs to Dalton Schoen and Drew Wolitarsky. Montreal really couldn’t get any points on the board though they had two receivers go over 100+ yards again (Austin Mack – quel surprise! – and Kaion Julien-Grant) – Mack also had a touchdown taken away on an overturned ruling on a contested catch in the end zone. A tidy bit of work for the Bombers, and a learning experience for Montreal, who still have some work to do despite sitting second in the East.

PICK: Winnipeg

RESULT: Winnipeg

BC 24 vs. Toronto 45: Hard to believe that a QB that throws for 388 yards and 3 TDs has an absolutely abominable, awful, wretched game, but Vernon Adams, Jr. truly had an absolutely abominable, awful, wretched game. The Lions QB threw SIX interceptions on the night – not even the NFL’s Nathan Peterman has ever reached such lofty heights of suckitude. The Argos’ D truly came to play, especially DB Robertson Daniel, who had three of those picks – but it was unquestionably a balanced team effort that helped put the home side into the win column once more. Chad Kelly went 23-29 for 249 yards and a score, returner Javon Leake had a 91-yard punt return TD, and the run game was engaged as well, with AJ Ouellette finding the end zone. Even with BC managing to get pressure on defence, including Mathieu Betts picking up his sixth sack of the season, it wasn’t enough – the Argos did a fantastic job of capitalizing on turnovers and putting points on the board.

PICK: BC

RESULT: Toronto

BYE: Calgary (1-2), Hamilton (0-3), Saskatchewan (2-1)

WEEK 5 PREVIEWS

Edmonton (0-4) vs. Saskatchewan (2-1), Thursday, July 6th, 9:00 PM EDT (TSN, CFL+): If the Elks lose here, their season is over. That seems silly to say in just Week 5, but they’ve been truly an abysmal team thus far this year, and something’s gotta give. Weird assholes on the internet will claim that the team’s lack of success is entirely due to the name change – but news flash – they were bad before the name change in 2021 as well. Lose another one – and, in particular, if they lose in decisive fashion in a manner similar to what we’ve seen through the start of the season – and heads will need to roll. I’ve never liked Chris Jones from a personnel management perspective, and I think his ego is getting the best of him here. Taylor Cornelius will also return to the starting QB job after being benched last week. Saskatchewan has so far rebounded from a tough end to 2022 – the offence looks much superior than last year – and while they’re playing at home in front of the league’s most fanatical fans, they also can’t afford to get complacent here. Nobody wants to be the team that gives Edmonton their first victory of the season, after all.

PICK: Saskatchewan

Calgary (1-2) vs. Winnipeg (3-1), Friday, July 7th, 8:30 PM EDT (TSN, CFL+): Calgary is a team with a lot of questions right now, particularly in regards to QB play. Nobody, myself included, is suggesting that Jake Maier needs to be replaced as the starter – but he does need to do a much better job of protecting the football compared to what we’ve seen over the last few weeks. So too does the D-line – obviously there have been a few key subtractions from free agency this past offseason, but there’s a lot more that they can do to be active and engaged at the line of scrimmage. Rest off a bye week helps, of course, but it’s hard to come into Winnipeg and win as a road. BC did it two weeks ago, in wildly convincing fashion, but compared to the last few years of play at IG Field, that end result was clearly an anomaly. Still no word on Kenny Lawler’s immigration status – but the way that the Bombers’ offence is playing, I still don’t think they’re especially fussed about the absence of their star receiver.

PICK: Winnipeg

Ottawa (1-2) vs. Hamilton (0-3), Saturday, July 8th, 7:00 PM EDT (TSN, CFL+): In two surprise announcements this week, the REDBLACKS announced Tuesday that Jeremiah Masoli will be ready to start at QB this week, and on Wednesday, they announced that rookie pivot Tyrie Adams tore his ACL last week and will miss the rest of the season – even though he stayed in and finished the game. It’ll be exactly one year to the day since Jeremiah Masoli was injured against the Saskatchewan Roughriders – and how fitting to see him return to game action for the first time since his injury against his former team, where he spent eight seasons. In this league, QB play is more important than ever – and while one good game from a rookie is nice, Ottawa truly has their entire season riding on whether or not Masoli can quickly return to form after such a devastating injury – because now that Adams is down and from what we’ve seen from Nick Arbuckle this year, there’s basically zero depth left in Ottawa’s quarterback room. If there’s solace for Ottawa in trying to ease their starter back into game reps, at least it’s coming up against a team that appears to be surprisingly inept this year – with Bo Levi Mitchell injured early on and with many key free agent signings underwhelming, the Ti-Cats are having a really brutal start to the year. They got booed off the field back in Week 3 when they hosted Montreal – if the boo-birds appear for two weeks in a row, I see significant shakeups happening, if only because the team is so desperate to both A) win a Grey Cup and B) accomplish the feat at home this year.

PICK: Ottawa

Montreal (2-1) vs. BC (3-1), Sunday, July 9th, 7:00 PM EDT (TSN, CFL+): It’s rare to pin a loss exclusively on one player, but Vernon Adams, Jr. is precisely the reason why the Lions lost last week’s game against Toronto. BC has been very good at home in recent history, and I think a friendly crowd will help them re-group after such a poor showing last week, but the good news here is that VA has typically rebounded well from bad games previously in his career. And it’s not like the rest of this team just up and vanished overnight. Montreal has seen their pass game very engaged thus far this year, but need to get the run going more effectively. That’s a tough call against a ferocious BC front seven, particularly with league leader in sacks Mathieu Betts at the helm. The Leos generate pressure on QBs extremely effectively – so long as they can avoid any more stupid turnovers, they’ll easily be able to get themselves back on track.

PICK: BC

STANDINGS AND STATS

East Division Standings

West Division Standings

Passing Yards

1. Adams, Jr., BC – 1249
2. Collaros, WPG – 1015
3. Harris, SSK – 867

Passing TDs

1. Adams, Jr., BC – 8
2. Collaros, WPG – 7
3. Harris, SSK – 5

Rushing Yards

1. Oliveira, WPG – 327
2. Mizzell, BC – 246
3. Morrow, SSK – 233

Receiving Yards

1. Schoen, WPG – 325
2. Mack, MTL – 316
3. Hollins, BC – 289

Defensive Tackles

1. Awe, CGY – 27
2. Morgan, EDM – 27
3. Dean, SSK – 23

Sacks

1. Betts, BC – 7
2. Jefferson, WPG – 4
3. Orimolade, TOR – 3

Interceptions

1. Daniel, TOR – 3
2. Evans, MTL – 3
3. Houston, WPG – 2

Field Goals

1. Whyte, BC – 10
2. Ward, OTT – 10
3. Lauther, SSK – 8

PICK POOL

Blax was the only person to pick the Argos. Alas, he also picked Montreal, so for the second consecutive week, we have zero perfect picks to report.

Remember to submit your picks here! https://www.pooltracker.com/join.asp?poolid=221760

Enjoy the games, everyone.