Through six weeks of the 2026 season, three teams have emerged as early frontrunners.
Two shouldn’t surprise you. The Saskatchewan Roughriders and Montreal Alouettes, both sitting 4-1 after wins on the weekend, met in the 112th Grey Cup in November and entered this year as favourites once again.
Then there’s the Edmonton Elks who are the returning kids on the block. They now sit 4-1 after a one-sided win on Thursday and are in good shape to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
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EDMONTON ELKS
JUSTIN RANKIN | RUNNING BACK
There’s just no other way to go.
Third year tailback Justin Rankin is having a summer for the ages. After going off for another 107 rushing yards and two majors in Thursday’s 40-17 win over Ottawa, Rankin leads the league with 513 yards and six touchdowns. When you factor in Rankin’s receiving touchdown that night, he’s up to a combined seven in five outings. And speaking of totals, Rankin sits at an absurd 810 total offensive yards, which includes 297 in the receiving game.
And as we pointed out over the weekend, Rankin is on pace to shatter one of the league’s most impressive individual records. Rankin’s current clip projects to 2,916 yards from scrimmage, which would blow past the all-time record of 2,414 set by Mike Pringle in 1998. We’re also talking about a rushing pace of 1,847 yards for Rankin, which would be the fourth highest total in league history.
The Elks have gotten solid contributions across the board aiding their great start. Receiver Austin Mack has been a great fit in his first year in green and gold, while quarterback Cody Fajardo has been as reliable as ever. On defence, Kordell Jackson, Joel Dublanko, and Noah Taylor have been among the driving forces.
But Rankin has been the rocket fuel behind Edmonton’s resurgence. We knew he was capable of it when he burst on the scene in August 2024 and finished the season with a 7.8 yards-per-carry average. Now in his third CFL campaign, though, Rankin has put the league on the highest alert.
MONTREAL ALOUETTES
THAT OFFENCE
All the Alouettes do is score points, it seems.
After holding off a late push from Calgary in their 37-30 win Saturday night, Montreal has scored at least 29 points in all five of their games. The only contest the Als failed to score 30+ in was their Week 3 overtime loss to Edmonton. Overall, Montreal has racked up 170 total points, which is good for an average of 34 per game.
The first place to looks is quarterback Davis Alexander. An early George Reed Most Outstanding Player candidate, Alexander sits second overall with 1,779 passing yards to go along with eight touchdown passes and no interceptions. And it’s his consistency that stands out above all else; Alexander has thrown for at least 301 yards in each of his five starts.
Alexander’s weapons have been impressive, too. Tyson Philpot is the league’s leading receiver with 719 yards and four touchdowns. Tyler Snead sits fourth overall at 470 yards, while Alexander Hollins and Jerreth Sterns have been solid contributors. Don’t sleep on Montreal’s ground attack, either. Led by the recent emergence of Travis Theis, the Als are averaging 98.6 rushing yards per game.
Finally, a quick shoutout for the offensive line. Led by the always stellar Nick Callender at left tackle, Montreal leads the league having allowed just four sacks in five games. That line is opening up holes in the run game and keeping Alexander on his feet and it’s impressive to watch.
SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS
THE GREEN MACHINE
One of Saskatchewan’s calling cards since Corey Mace has taken over as head coach has been their punishing work on defence. It was one of their defining traits as the league’s wire-to-wire best team in 2025, and that certainly hasn’t changed a year later.
The defending Grey Cup champions are once again getting the job done from sideline to sideline. For instance, with three more sacks in their dominant 38-7 win over Hamilton on Sunday, the Roughriders lead the league with 11 sacks. Newcomer James Vaughters has powered that charge with four sacks off the edge among seven players with at least one.
The always stellar Jameer Thurman is having another standout campaign. He leads the Riders, and sits third overall, with 32 defensive tackles to go along with one sack. Other individual standouts include strongside linebacker Antoine Brooks Jr. (29 tackles, one forced fumble) and weakside linebacker Josh Woods (27 tackles, two interceptions).
We shouldn’t be surprised to see Saskatchewan doing what they’re doing on defence, which includes allowing just four passing touchdowns in five games. But that doesn’t make it any less impressive. The Riders have all the pieces in place for a second straight title, and their work on defence is a massive part of that equation.
