The Roughriders get an immediate shot at revenge, but they're heading into Commonwealth Stadium without their bell-cow running back.
Game Details
- Matchup: Saskatchewan Roughriders at Edmonton Elks
- When: Saturday, August 1 at 7:00 PM ET
- Where: Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton
- TV: TSN
- Stream: Watch live on CFL+
Odds
- Spread: Edmonton Elks -1
- Moneyline: Saskatchewan Roughriders +100, Edmonton Elks -120
- Over/Under: 60
Saskatchewan is 3-2-1 against the spread with four overs and two unders this season, while Edmonton sits at 4-2 ATS with three overs and four unders. Vegas basically sees this as a coin flip with home field tipping the number.
Overview
Seven days after Cody Fajardo lit up his old team for 510 yards and four touchdowns in a 36-34 Edmonton win, the Roughriders get an immediate crack at payback on the road. This is the rare back-to-back series in the CFL schedule, and it's arriving at the perfect time — both teams are rolling, both offenses can score in bunches, and the division race in the West just got a whole lot more interesting with Montreal running away in the overall standings.
Saskatchewan sits 4-2 after that gut-punch loss last week, still very much in the mix but now needing a response. The bad news piled up fast: A.J. Ouellette, the team's workhorse back, landed on the six-game injury list with a knee issue, and starting guard Zack Fry and tackle Darius Bell are both out up front. That's a lot of change for an offensive line and run game trying to find rhythm against a defense that's been opportunistic all year. The Elks, meanwhile, keep finding ways to win — six victories in seven games, four of five, and a defense that has quietly been the story behind Fajardo's fireworks.
Give Edmonton the edge here, and not just because of the injury report. They've won the head-to-head meeting this year, they're at home, and Fajardo has their offense humming at a level nobody in Regina wants to see twice in one summer. But don't sleep on Saskatchewan's ability to hang around — this group has been in shootouts all season and has the passing attack in Trevor Harris to match strides with anybody. If the Riders' defense can find one or two more stops than they got last week, this thing could flip late.
Key Players
- Trevor Harris (Saskatchewan Roughriders, QB) — 149-of-207 for 2,015 yards and 16 touchdowns against just five picks; he'll need every bit of that efficiency with the run game banged up.
- Cody Fajardo (Edmonton Elks, QB) — Fresh off a 510-yard, four-touchdown demolition of his former team, he's thrown for 2,291 yards and 13 scores on the year.
- Kian Schaffer-Baker (Saskatchewan Roughriders, WR) — 42 catches for 656 yards and four touchdowns; expect Harris to lean on him even more with Ouellette out of the backfield.
- Justin Rankin (Edmonton Elks, RB) — 561 yards and six touchdowns on 86 carries, the engine that keeps Edmonton's offense balanced.
- James Vaughters (Saskatchewan Roughriders, DL) — Saskatchewan's pass-rush leader off the edge, and the Riders need him to get home more than once this time against Fajardo.
Keys to the Game
- Find a run game answer — with A.J. Ouellette out, Quali Conley steps into a much bigger role, and the O-line has to hold up without Fry and Bell.
- Make Fajardo uncomfortable early — he carved up this same Riders defense for 510 yards a week ago, and Saskatchewan can't let him get comfortable in the pocket again.
- Win the field-position battle in the secondary — with Nelson Lokombo and Rolan Milligan Jr. both out, James Burgess Jr. and the rest of the back end need to limit the big plays that Edmonton's receivers thrive on.
Injury Report
| Player | Team | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Darius Bell (OL) | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Out |
| Dylan Djete (WR) | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Available |
| Samuel Emilus (WR) | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Questionable |
| Zack Fry (OL) | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Out |
| Nelson Lokombo (DB) | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Out |
| Aubrey Miller Jr. (LB) | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Available |
| Rolan Milligan Jr. (DB) | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Out |
| A.J. Ouellette (RB) | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Out |
| Ryder Varga (LB) | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Available |
Depth Chart
Saskatchewan Roughriders starters by position, built from this week's official depth chart. This table is for the Roughriders only.
| Position | Saskatchewan Roughriders |
|---|---|
| QB | Trevor Harris, Jack Coan, Tommy Stevens |
| RB | Quali Conley, Thomas Bertrand-Hudon |
| FB | Albert Awachie |
| WR | KeeSean Johnson, Dhel Duncan-Busby |
| SB | Kian Schaffer-Baker, Johnny Johnson III, D'Sean Mimbs, Samuel Emilus, Daniel Wiebe |
| LT | Payton Collins |
| LG | Daniel Johnson, Erik Andersen |
| C | Logan Ferland |
| RG | Jacob Brammer |
| RT | Jermarcus Hardrick |
| DE | Benoit Marion, Desmond Evans / James Vaughters, Derick Roberson |
| DT | Caleb Sanders, Devin Adams, Mike Rose |
| WLB | Ryder Varga, Nick Wiebe, Josh Woods |
| MLB | David Gbenda, Aubrey Miller Jr., Jameer Thurman |
| SLB | Melique Straker, Antoine Brooks Jr. |
| CB | Marcus Sayles, Malcolm Bell, Tevaughn Campbell |
| HB | James Burgess Jr., Jonathan Edouard, DaMarcus Fields |
| FS | Kerfalla Exumé, Jaxon Ford |
| K | Alex Hale |
| P | Oscar Chapman |
| LS | Mike Benson |
Score Prediction
Saskatchewan Roughriders 30 - Edmonton Elks 31. This one plays out a lot like last week's shootout — Harris and Schaffer-Baker keep the Riders in it all night, but Fajardo and Edmonton's defense make just enough plays late, and Saskatchewan's shorthanded run game and secondary come up a possession short in a Commonwealth Stadium classic.
CFL Standings | Full Schedule | League Leaders
Who takes this one? Drop your prediction in the comments.