Labour Day Classic doubleheader Monday: Argonauts-Ticats and Elks-Stampeders both carry season-series and playoff-positioning stakes.
This Week's CFL Schedule
Toronto Argonauts at Hamilton Tiger-Cats
| When | Monday, September 7 at 2:30 PM ET |
| Where | Tim Hortons Field, Hamilton |
| TV | TSN |
| Stream | Watch live on CFL+ |
| Line | Toronto Argonauts -4 | O/U 58 |
This is the Labour Day Classic, and the winner locks up the season tiebreaker between two teams jockeying for the East's final playoff spots. Hamilton still leads the all-time LDC series 37-16-1, but Toronto has won the last two meetings, including a 39-20 beatdown back in Week 12. The Ticats have dropped four of their last five, and a loss here would put them in a serious hole with the Argos holding the head-to-head edge.
Players to Watch:
- Chad Kelly (Toronto Argonauts, QB) — He's 5-3 for his career against Hamilton and just came off his third 400-yard passing game of the year.
- Damonte Coxie (Toronto Argonauts, WR) — Coxie torched Hamilton for 146 yards and five catches in the last meeting and sits at 943 yards on the season.
- Shawn Lemon (Toronto Argonauts, DE) — Lemon has eight sacks in his last five games, tied for the league lead, and he's climbing into 10th all-time with 111 career sacks.
Pick: Toronto Argonauts 27-20. Toronto has won two straight in this series and Hamilton just can't get out of its own way — 1-4 in its last five with the second-most 30+ yard completions allowed in the league. Both clubs lean under all season (12 unders combined out of 22 games), so don't be shocked if this stays south of 58.
Edmonton Elks at Calgary Stampeders
| When | Monday, September 7 at 6:00 PM ET |
| Where | McMahon Stadium, Calgary |
| TV | TSN |
| Stream | Watch live on CFL+ |
| Line | Calgary Stampeders -2 | O/U 60 |
The nightcap is a heavyweight tilt between two teams riding win streaks — Edmonton has taken three of its last five, Calgary has won three of five too and is coming off a gritty 28-23 win over Hamilton. Calgary owns this LDC matchup historically, winning 11 of the last 13, and Dave Dickenson is two wins away from tying John Hufnagel and Bud Grant for 10th all-time in coaching victories. Edmonton counters with the league's best turnover ratio at plus-14 and the stingiest scoring defense in the CFL at 25.4 points allowed per game.
Players to Watch:
- Cody Fajardo (Edmonton Elks, QB) — He needs just 226 passing yards to become the 23rd quarterback in league history to hit 25,000 for a career, though he's 1-3 lifetime in Labour Day Classics.
- Justin Rankin (Edmonton Elks, RB) — Rankin is on pace for over 2,100 yards from scrimmage and gives Edmonton a dual-threat weapon out of the backfield.
- Dedrick Mills (Calgary Stampeders, RB) — Mills is 126 rushing yards from a second straight 1,000-yard season and powers a Calgary offense scoring a league-best 36.9 points per game.
Pick: Calgary Stampeders 33-27. Calgary's offense has been nearly unstoppable at home, and this franchise has owned the LDC matchup for over a decade. Edmonton's takeaway machine keeps it close, but the Stamps have the firepower to cash the over — they've gone over the total in eight of their last 11 games this year.
CFL Standings
| Team | W | L | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montreal Alouettes | 10 | 2 | 432 | 337 |
| Edmonton Elks | 8 | 3 | 323 | 279 |
| Saskatchewan Roughriders | 8 | 4 | 369 | 321 |
| BC Lions | 6 | 6 | 349 | 328 |
| Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 6 | 6 | 326 | 346 |
| Toronto Argonauts | 5 | 6 | 328 | 339 |
| Calgary Stampeders | 5 | 6 | 406 | 350 |
| Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 4 | 8 | 280 | 347 |
| Ottawa Redblacks | 0 | 11 | 247 | 413 |
Quick Hits
- Fantasy managers should be all over Damonte Coxie again — he's shredded Hamilton for 146 yards and five grabs already this season and gets a defense that struggled to slow him down last time.
- Dave Dickenson sits two wins shy of tying Bud Grant and John Hufnagel for 10th all-time in CFL coaching victories, and a Labour Day win over Edmonton would put him right there.
- Shawn Lemon's sack pace has him tied for the league lead this year with eight in five games — keep an eye on him chasing Hamilton's protection all afternoon.
- Cody Fajardo's chase for 25,000 career passing yards is one to watch live — he only needs 226 yards Monday night to join the club.
Standings | Full Schedule | League Leaders
Who wins this week? Drop your picks in the comments.