REGINA — The first leg of a home-and-home showdown atop the West Division kicks off Week 8 on Thursday night as the Saskatchewan Roughriders host the first-place Edmonton Elks.
Saskatchewan returns from its bye week after a 38-7 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Week 7.
Edmonton has won two straight, including a 19-17 victory over the BC Lions last week.
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EDMONTON ELKS
1. STEADY UNDER CENTRE
Quarterback Cody Fajardo has been exactly what Edmonton has needed in the pocket this season. He currently sits third in passing yards with 1,781 and has nine touchdowns against four interceptions. He’ll need his best effort this week against a Riders’ secondary that ranks first in passing yards against. The real test will be finding a way into the end zone when the opportunity presents itself.
2. DEFENCE WINS GAMES
Edmonton’s defence has 21 takeaways on the season and recorded four picks against BC. Whether it’s defensive lineman Noah Taylor and linebacker Joel Dublanko up front making life uncomfortable on quarterback Trevor Harris and running back AJ Ouellette, or standout defensive back Kenneth Logan Jr. getting in the way downfield, the Elks defence has the chance to turn the game at any moment.
3. JAVON LEAKE
While Justin Rankin usually steals the spotlight with his ability to find open space, fellow rusher and returner Javon Leake has a similar skillset. Not only can Leake put his team in good field position to start drives in the return game, he also gives Edmonton another option in the backfield if head coach Mark Kilam chooses to lighten Rankin’s workload. He has enjoyed success against Saskatchewan before, setting a career high with 169 rushing yards against Corey Mace’s defence in 2024.
SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS
1. TAKE AWAY THE RUN
The Riders may want to take a page out of BC’s playbook after the Lions held Elks rushers to 27 yards. They shouldn’t expect Edmonton to shy away from turning to Rankin on the ground, which means defensive lineman Mike Rose through linebacker Jameer Thurman better be prepared.
2. CAPITALIZE IN THE SECONDARY
While BC showed last week how to slow down Rankin, the Lions also handed Edmonton its only loss of the season back in Week 5 by picking off Fajardo three times. With Rolan Milligan Jr. returning after a shoulder injury sidelined him since Week 2, the Riders are closer to having their full complement of defensive backs healthy and will look to add to a league-low two interceptions this season.
3. TREVOR HARRIS BACK TO HIMSELF
Trevor Harris is known for his precision, but has thrown all four of his interceptions this season over the past three games, two of which were against Hamilton in the Riders’ last game. Edmonton’s defence comes into the game wth a league-high 10 interceptions, so head coach Corey Mace needs his veteran pivot to make good decisions with the football.
NEED TO KNOW:
- The two teams will close their home-and-home set in Edmonton in Week 9 before meeting again in Week 21 to close out the regular season.
- The Elks are riding their best start to the season since they began 7-0 in 2017.
- The Riders are 12-6 after a bye week going back to 2018.
- Cody Fajardo has 70 straight pass attempts without an interception.
- Kickoff is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET, and can be watched on TSN/RDS2 in Canada, on CBSSN in the U.S., and on CFL+ internationally.
