We’re headed into the Canadian Thanksgiving long weekend – huzzah for earlier days off! I am looking forward to hopefully having the chance to properly celebrate both Thanksgiving holidays this year, as I believe my brief parental leave should be taking place over the week that American Thanksgiving is happening as well. If I’m going to be nap-trapped by a small child, I just hope it’ll be in the comfort of my couch in front of the TV with nonstop sports action. Fall will always be one of my top four favourite seasons of the year.

In league news this week:

• QB Nick Arbuckle is being shut down for the rest of the season by the Toronto Argonauts, after he injured his shoulder against the Tiger-Cats; despite the injuries late in the season, he had a career year as the surprise starter for Toronto this year, racking up 4370 passing yards to go along with 26 TDs and 15 INTs. Those issues with interceptions improved as the season went on, and while Toronto will miss the playoffs, it wasn’t for any offensive issues with the team. Star LB Wynton McManis is similarly being shut down for the rest of 2025 as he deals with a groin injury, which means they’ll lose a significant on-field playmaker and leader; he’s racked up 62 tackles, 4 sacks, 2 picks, and a forced fumble.
• The Edmonton Elks signed RB Justin Rankin to a contract extension this week, keeping him with the team through the end of the 2027 season. Rankin leads the Elks with 838 rush yards and 8 TDs on 153 carries; he also currently has 633 receiving yards and 4 TDs on 49 catches off of 66 targets. Rankin is a key portion of the Elks’ offence and pass-catching RBs will always find use in open space on the oversized Canadian field.
• With Montreal’s QB room getting healthier after some significant injury woes earlier this year, the Alouettes released former Argos pivot Cameron Dukes, who they signed off the street to be a backup when Davis Alexander, McLeod Bethel-Thompson and Caleb Evans all went down with various ailments. Dukes dressed for three games this year and threw just one pass, but had more playing time last season when he was with Toronto and Sex Pest Chad Kelly was unavailable for service.

Onto the games!

WEEK 18 RECAPS

Saskatchewan 20 vs. Ottawa 13: Another brutal game for the REDBLACKS – and it spelled the end of their playoff hopes as a result. Dru Brown threw three interceptions and was yanked in favour of Dustin Crum, his turnovers spoiling what was a much improved defensive effort. The Riders, who snapped their two-game losing streak, did not play fantastic, but it was good enough to win, and to maintain a two-game cushion on the rest of the West Division. Trevor Harris found Dohnte Meyers for a long TD and AJ Ouellette ran in another – making it five straight games with a rushing TD for him. Time for some soul-searching in the nation’s capital.

PICK: Saskatchewan

RESULT: Saskatchewan

Hamilton 47 vs. Toronto 29: Less than 24 hours after the REDBLACKS were eliminated from playoff contention, the Argos became the second team in the CFL to be eliminated from the postseason race thanks to a thorough drubbing from their QEW archrivals. The Tiger-Cats’ offence was red-hot, with Bo Levi Mitchell throwing four TDs on the afternoon, and the defense similarly produced, racking up eight sacks; DB Stavros Katsantonis had three interceptions alone for the visitors. That D punished Toronto quarterbacks all game long; Nick Arbuckle, recently returned from injury, had to leave the game again the first quarter after taking a sack, leaving Jarret Doege to get run over the rest of the game.

PICK: Hamilton

RESULT: Hamilton

Calgary 24 vs. BC 38: The Lions beat the Stamps for the second time in three weeks, which clinched them a playoff spot and also leapfrogged them over Calgary to hold the second spot in the West for the time being. Nathan Rourke threw for over 400 yards and four TDs for BC, who still won by two scores, though the second half became a little bit closer when Rourke did throw two picks as well. Regardless, this BC team is absolutely blazing hot right now and is going to be an extremely difficult playoff opponent with the way that Rourke has the passing game going right now. If there was any lingering doubt as to whether BC kept the right quarterback when they elect to retain Rourke while trading Vernon Adams, Jr. to Calgary last off-season, I think we can safely put it to bed following two decisive wins.

PICK: BC

RESULT: BC

BYE: Edmonton (6-9) Montreal (8-7), Winnipeg (8-7)

WEEK 19 PREVIEWS

Toronto (5-11) vs. Saskatchewan (11-4), Friday, October 10th, 9:00 PM EDT (TSN, CFL+): The Argos are playing out the string, and it’s the first time in head coach Ryan Dinwiddie’s career that Toronto will miss the playoffs under his watch. With no Nick Arbuckle and no Chad Kelly, who appears likely to not play a single down this season, it’s time to evaluate for the future. Saskatchewan still has stuff to play for – specifically, trying to clinch that West Division crown. They’re close, but I believe it would take a win this week and next in order to ensure BC couldn’t win out to tie their overall record. The defence remains solid, but I don’t have faith in their offence in the manner I do right now with Hamilton or BC.

PICK: Saskatchewan

Calgary (8-7) vs. Hamilton (10-6), Saturday, October 11th, 3:00 PM EDT (TSN, CTV, CFL+): Not a great time for the Stamps to hit a speed wobble. They’re still in third in the West and still poised for a playoff spot of some variety, but technically speaking, Edmonton is just two games back. Dedrick Mills has been a bright spot all season, but the pass game has taken a hit thanks to some O-line injuries affecting pocket protection. The Tiger-Cats are getting closer to clinching the East, and I believe similarly that a win this week and next would do it. Making the playoffs is great, but that first-round bye for clinching the division is so valuable in such a long grind of a season. I think we’ll see the pass game go guns blazing once again.

PICK: Hamilton

Winnipeg (8-7) vs. Edmonton (6-9), Saturday, October 12th, 7:00 PM EDT (TSN, CFL+): The Elks are last in the West, but technically not out of the playoff race yet. Lead rusher Justin Rankin will need to be the catalyst for the Elks’ offence, coming off that contract extension – their pass game has been quite hit or miss as of recent. It’s also hard to say what version of the Bombers we’re going to get this week; coming off a bye will help, of course, but this team is one sack away from Zach Collaros being done for the year and the playoff race becoming pretty well a moot point outright. We’ll see if the Bomber O-line can provide some better protection than what we’ve seen in recent weeks; they’re going to live and die by that pocket.

PICK: Winnipeg

Ottawa (4-11) vs. Montreal (8-7), Monday, October 13th, 1:00 PM EDT (TSN, CBSSN, CFL+): It’s the first of a home-and-home against two geographic rivals, and it’s scheduled for what should be a beautiful Canadian Thanksgiving Monday afternoon, which is a lovely way to spend a stat holiday drinking in front of the TV while so many other people in the world have to go off to work. With the Als now healthy and back above .500 for the first time in weeks, they still have a chance to hunt down Hamilton for a division title, but they’ll need to sweep this home-and-home and have a few other things go correctly in order to have a chance at a bye. The biggest thing, however, is that QB Davis Alexander is healthy and good to go – and it’s important to note that he now holds the CFL record for consecutive victories to start a CFL career, going 9-0. If he’s in, the Als are pretty well always going to be in great shape.

PICK: Montreal

BYE: BC (9-7)

STANDINGS AND STATS

East Division Standings

West Division Standings

x – clinched playoff spot
y – clinched division
e – eliminated from playoff contention

Passing Yards

1. Mitchell, HAM – 4726
2. Rourke, BC – 4584
3. Arbuckle, TOR – 4370

Passing TDs

1. Mitchell, HAM – 32
2. Rourke, BC – 27
3. Arbuckle, TOR – 26

Rushing Yards

1. Mills, CGY – 1120
2. Ouellette, SSK – 1110
3. Butler, BC – 1103

Receiving Yards

1. Hatcher, BC – 1516
2. Lawler, HAM – 1287
3. Johnson, SSK – 1156

Defensive Tackles

1. Awe, BC – 110
2. Jones, WPG – 91
3. Pickett, OTT – 86

Sacks

1. Betts, BC – 14
2. Adeyemi-Berglund, MTL – 11
3. Howsare, HAM – 11

Interceptions

1. Campbell, SSK  – 6
2. McFadden, TOR – 6
3. Katsantonis, HAM – 6

Field Goals

1. Hajrullahu, TOR – 51
2. Maltos Diaz, MTL – 46
3. Liegghio, HAM – 43

PICK POOL

A whole bunch of good weeks… unless you’re Balls. But that’s OK! Mistakes happen. Such as being a REDBLACKS fan.

Remember to submit your picks here! https://www.pooltracker.com/join.asp?poolid=243178

Enjoy the games, everyone.