Trevor Harris and a banged-up but reinforced Roughriders squad try to snap a one-game skid against a BC Lions team riding its longest win streak of the season.
This Week's CFL Schedule
Saskatchewan Roughriders at BC Lions
| When | Sunday, August 23 at 7:00 PM ET |
| Where | BC Place Stadium, Vancouver |
| TV | TSN |
| Stream | Watch live on CFL+ |
| Line | BC Lions -1 | O/U 63 |
This one's a rematch of a Week 2 shootout the Roughriders won 31-27 in Regina, and it comes with a legit strength-on-strength wrinkle: BC leads the CFL in rushing offence at 116.9 yards per game, while Saskatchewan owns the league's second-stingiest run defence, giving up just 64.6 a night. The Riders are coming off a season-low 19 points in a loss to Hamilton and are 2-6 this year when they fail to hit 100 rushing yards themselves, so establishing the ground game early matters as much as anything Harris does through the air. BC, meanwhile, has won three straight and hasn't allowed more than 26 points in six consecutive games — the league's stingiest defensive stretch going right now.
Players to Watch:
- Trevor Harris (Saskatchewan Roughriders, QB) — He's 11-4 for his career against BC with a passing touchdown in every meeting, and he torched this same Lions defence for 417 yards and three scores back in Week 2.
- Nathan Rourke (BC Lions, QB) — Sitting at 3-4 lifetime versus Saskatchewan but he's thrown for 290-plus yards in every start this season, including 330 in the first matchup.
- KeeSean Johnson (Saskatchewan Roughriders, WR) — Hauled in nine catches for 131 yards the last time these two teams met, and he's up to 61 catches and 765 yards on the season.
Injury Watch:
- Jacob Bond (BC Lions, FB) — Out with a knee injury.
- Ben Hladik (BC Lions, LB) — Out (ankle).
- Matt Spatny (BC Lions, DL) — Out (foot), a real loss against a Riders offence trying to get untracked on the ground.
Pick: BC Lions 27-24. Saskatchewan just got a wave of key pieces reactivated off injury, but BC's defence has been the best in the league at limiting big plays and points, and the Lions are 4-0 against the spread in their last four while riding a three-game win streak at home. Give the slight home edge to BC in what should push past that 63-point total given both offences' recent scoring pace.
CFL Standings
| Team | W | L | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montreal Alouettes | 9 | 1 | 367 | 263 |
| Edmonton Elks | 8 | 3 | 323 | 279 |
| Saskatchewan Roughriders | 6 | 3 | 293 | 241 |
| Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 5 | 5 | 256 | 286 |
| Toronto Argonauts | 5 | 5 | 304 | 311 |
| BC Lions | 4 | 5 | 244 | 251 |
| Calgary Stampeders | 4 | 6 | 378 | 327 |
| Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 4 | 7 | 257 | 319 |
| Ottawa Redblacks | 0 | 10 | 223 | 368 |
Quick Hits
- Saskatchewan got a huge roster boost this week, activating Ali Saad, Samuel Emilus, James Letcher Jr., Daniel Johnson and Zack Fry off injury designations — depth that should help both lines and the receiving corps against BC.
- BC will be without FB Jacob Bond and DL Matt Spatny, both ruled out, which could test the Lions' front seven against a Riders team that's been dangerous on the ground when it gets rolling.
- Fantasy angle: KeeSean Johnson already has a 131-yard game against this BC secondary this season — he's a solid start again in Week 12 lineups.
- This is a classic strength-versus-strength clash: BC's league-best rushing attack against Saskatchewan's second-ranked run defence, a matchup worth watching from the opening snap.
Standings | Full Schedule | League Leaders
Who wins this week? Drop your picks in the comments.