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The only nice thing that can be said about Week 8 is that it’s over. An unkind 3-5 week has Blitz Picks sporting a still-solid 45-19 record yet is motivated to heal the ills of its prior performance.
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1. Who leads the Elks in rushing when they visit Saskatchewan (Tre Ford, Jevon Leake, Kevin Brown, or someone else)?
Ford. The Elks may have a backfield by committee on its hands. Leake ($4,500) led Edmonton with 55 yards on eight carries in the Week 8 loss to Hamilton while Brown ($8,000) had 20 yards on six attempts. Both should continue to see touches, but adding Ford into the starting lineup shakes up the distribution of carries.
Ford ($7,500) who had 19 yards on three carries in Week 8, will be heavily involved as the Elks look to create a ground game against the league’s best run defence. The scrambling from Ford gives him the best opportunity to lead Edmonton in rushing as they face the task of gaining their first win of the season against a Riders team tied for the best record in the West Division.
2. Will Toronto running back Ka’Deem Carey rush for over or under 75.5 yards at Calgary on Sunday?
Over. The former Stampeders star has found new life with an Argos’ offence that leads the league with 124.4 rushing yards per game. Carey ($11,500) is second only to Winnipeg’s Brady Oliveira ($12,000) in rushing yards and tops the league with 14 carries of 10-plus yards.
Running the ball is the most effective tool in the Argos’ offensive arsenal, which is good news considering they face a Calgary run defence that gives up a CFL-high 6.2 yards per carry. The Stampeders know what to expect, yet it will prove challenging to contain their former teammate, who earned CFL All-Star status in 2022 while being honoured with a pair of West Division All-Star nods.
3. Will Winnipeg receiver Ontaria Wilson (201- 48- and 129-yards his past three games) eclipse 100 yards vs. BC?
No. Wilson ($6,000) will be heavily targeted but Nic Demski ($9,500) will get his share of targets and running back Brady Oliveira is also a factor in the Blue Bombers’ passing attack. He will get near the century mark as pivot Zach Collaros ($11,000) bids for a third 300-yard passing game in his last four outings.
4. Will Montreal receiver Reggie White Jr. score a major at Hamilton on Friday?
Yes. The Tiger-Cats have allowed 15 passing touchdowns, tying them with the Elks for last. White is coming off his second game of multiple scoring receptions and will be a target of choice whether Cody Fajardo ($13,800) or Davis Alexander ($7,500) gets the start at pivot for the Alouettes.
5. Will BC score more or less than 21.5 points against Winnipeg on Thursday?
Over. Vernon Adams Jr. ($14,300) and the Lions’ offence had a week to shake off a lacklustre Week 7 loss to Saskatchewan where he threw a pair of interceptions and finished with a season-low 192 passing yards. The league’s best-scoring offence (28.6 points per game) isn’t going to produce consecutive sluggish outings, so expect the usual high-octane numbers from Adams and Friends.
6. How many sacks will the Hamilton defence have against Montreal on Friday (four or more, three or less)?
Three or less. The Ticats are tied for sixth with 14 sacks and confront an Alouettes’ offensive line that has yielded only 11 sacks. Whoever starts at quarterback for Montreal (Cody Fajardo or Davis Alexander) is mobile and will be able to create plays when pressure is applied. Hamilton will get a sack or two but don’t count on them spending much of Friday night in the Montreal backfield.
Jameer Thurman and the Riders’ defence have been a turnover creating force this year (Arthur Ward/CFL.ca)
7. Will Saskatchewan score a non-offensive touchdown against Edmonton Saturday?
No. The Roughriders have scored a pair of non-offensive majors this season and have the defence and special teams to make Blitz Picks look foolish. However, let’s slide cautiously and say Saskatchewan comes close but not quite.
8. Will Calgary kicker Rene Paredes remain perfect (19-for-19) in field goal attempts against Toronto on Sunday?
Yes. Paredes has missed a conversion attempt but has answered the call each time the Stampeders have dialed him up on a field goal. He has been a valuable asset for a Calgary team that has scored just 15 majors, connecting on 21 straight field goals dating back to last season.