5:00 p.m.
Roughriders are a five point favourite, and given how thngs have been going as of late, Luc has a Saskatchewan win but Ottawa covers the spread.
4:45 p.m.
Could be a momentous game for Saskatchewan: with a Riders win and B.C. loss, they'll clinch a home play-off date!
3:14 p.m.
The Roughriders' overall luck with the weather continues, with a temperature of 22 C at kick-off under mainly sunny skies. Wind shouldn't be too much of a factor, coming in at 10 km/h from the south west.
3:10 p.m.
It’s Week 18 of the Canadian Football League season, it’s a showdown between teams from the West and East Division, it’s the Saskatchewan Roughriders taking on the Ottawa Redblacks at TD Place Stadium in Ottawa!
The Roughriders come into the game looking to right the ship after taking back-to-back losses in their most recent games. That includes a 27-25 defeat at the hands of the Edmonton Elks in Week 17 and a 48-31 loss to the Montreal Alouettes back in Week 15. Their 10-4 record is still good enough for first place in the West Division and the entire CFL, though, four points up on Calgary with four games to go in the regular season.
The Redblacks are in a comparable situation to Saskatchewan in that they’re also coming off losses in their previous two games, falling 26-18 to Winnipeg in Week 16 and dropping a 38-27 decision to the B.C. Lions in Week 15. That’s where the similarities end, though — Ottawa is 4-10 on the season and are in last place in the East Division, needing to essentially win out the remainder of their games to have a chance at a playoff spot.
Saskatchewan’s depth chart: The Roughriders have a host of changes to their line-up for the contest — you can read about all of them right here — with some of the biggest including Campbell Fair taking over at kicker for an injured Brett Lauther, Kian Schaffer-Baker making his return to the line-up at slotback and linebacker C.J. Reavis moving back to play \safety.
Trevor Harris gets the start at quarterback, having completed 288-of-400 passes for 3,756 yards, 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. His 107.2 quarterback efficiency rating has taken a dip after the last two outings and he’s now fourth in the CFL among starting quarterbacks.
Running back A.J. Ouellette continues his stellar season and comes into the game with 204 carries for 1,057 yards, only four yards back of league leader James Butler of the B.C. Lions. KeeSean Johnson is the Riders’ top receiver with 78 catches for 1,088 yards, third best in the league, while Dohnte Meyers has 59 catches for 898 yards and is tied for the team touchdown lead with Ouellette with seven apiece.
Linebacker Jameer Thurman is tops in tackles with 71, while defensive end Malik Carney leads with seven sacks, one better than defensive tackle Micah Johnson. Defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr. leads with four interceptions.
Ottawa’s depth chart: The Redblacks get a major addition to their line-up, as running back William Stanback returns after missing the previous game with a back injury. Quarterback Dru Brown also makes his second-straight start after recovering from injury.
Brown passed for more than 400 yards in their 31-26 Week 1 loss in Regina and did the same last week in the loss to B.C. In nine games he’s completed 185 of 254 yards for 2,248 yards, 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Stanback has 107 carries for 510 yards and three touchdowns, while receiver Eugene Lewis has 63 catches for 897 yards and five majors. Justin Hardy is right behind with 68 catches for 880 yards and a team-best seven touchdowns.
Linebacker Adarius Pickett is fourth in the CFL with 80 tackles, while defensive ends Bryce Carter and Michael Wakefield lead the team with three sacks each. Cornerback C.J. Coldon leads the Redblacks with three interceptions.
