Weekly Predictor: Who wins in Week 11?

Week 10 of the CFL fell the right way (for the most part) for this prognosticator.

Since there were wild finishes in all four games, it could have had you look like you picked the right team only to see it turn on a dime and go the other way.

The entertainment value of the week, especially at the end of the games, hasn’t been this good all year and hopefully it’s a sign of things to come.

The downside is that everyone across the league is starting to find their legs. There are no automatic picks any more and the secret is to sense the trend of a team. It could be small or it could be as obvious as Cody Fajardo putting a belief in the Elks that they’re never out of a game.

Fajardo fought the Elks back in his first start, hit a game-winning touchdown pass that was dropped in his second, and then finished the job with a win in his third.

It’s clear the Elks are trending in the right direction. Are the REDBLACKS following suit with back-to-back wins? Is something truly wrong in Winnipeg or will they turn it around like they did last year around this time?

These are just some of the questions to answer this week and in the weeks ahead. The CFL is not a sprint and the marathon is only half over.

Good luck again this week.

OTTAWA AT WINNIPEG

Thursday, August 14
8:30 p.m. ET
TSN/RDS/CBSSN/CFL+

Dru Brown’s return to Winnipeg ended far too prematurely last year after leaving the game with a head injury. This year, Brown leads the REDBLACKS back to Winnipeg on a two-game winning streak after throwing five touchdown passes in Ottawa’s Week 10 victory over Toronto.

Yes, the Bombers defence is a more consistent unit than Toronto’s, but we’ve seen rare inconsistencies across the board from the Bombers this season.

I really do believe Ottawa can go into Winnipeg and do some damage, but what I can’t get my head around is if Nick Arbuckle and the Argonauts can move the ball that well against Ottawa’s defence, what can Zach Collaros and company do?

But I’m going to take my own advice and try to read the tea leaves of momentum and confidence in a team and when you go head-to-head at quarterback right now, Dru Brown is feeling it. And he returns to Winnipeg to haunt his former team.

PICK: OTTAWA

TORONTO AT EDMONTON

Friday, August 15
9:00 p.m. ET
TSN/CFL+

Cody Fajardo has played Saskatchewan, Hamilton, and Montreal tough with two of those games on the road.

Now he’s home against a team that just got lit up for five touchdown passes by Dru Brown. The Elks are starting to believe in each other and the system that they’re all just learning together this season.

The dual threat of Justin Rankin in the run game and pass game adds an extremely difficult matchup for defenders. Rankin isn’t just floating out to catch swing passes or screens, he’s going downfield and finding holes in the zone or running away from a linebacker tasked to him.

Toronto has been on a wild ride over the last few weeks, even when they score big like they did with Ottawa last week or Hamilton in Week 5, they’ve lost. They’ve also been downed by last-second field goals.

A 1-4 record over their last five games and sliding into the basement of the East Division should send off alarm bells around the Argonauts facility.

They need to show a certain amount of urgency, but the Elks have already shown that in their own game and I think it continues for Edmonton.

PICK: EDMONTON

HAMILTON AT SASKATCHEWAN

Saturday, August 16
3:00 p.m. ET
TSN/CTV/CBSSN/CFL+

I’m calling this one the game of the week with two top teams in each division squaring off in what realistically could be a 112th Grey Cup preview. Sorry if I’m getting ahead of myself, but it’s true.

Bo Levi Mitchell and Trevor Harris are proving age is but a number as they are having two of the finest seasons of their careers.

The Tiger-Cats finally get some rest this week after three consecutive short weeks of preparation, but that rest doesn’t match what the Roughriders got as they come off a bye week.

The Riders laid an egg a few weeks ago after their first bye week of the season so the veterans on the team should have learned from that.

Hamilton’s offence, and specifically the passing game, is electric, which is a great thing for Hamilton as they take on Saskatchewan, who allow a lot of yards through the air. But the Riders come in with a strong rushing attack against a Hamilton defence that struggles in stopping the run.

Saskatchewan sent a message in Montreal that they are the team to beat and until someone beats them, it’ll be hard for me to pick against them, especially in front of what could be a capacity crowd of 33,000 on Saturday.

PICK: SASKATCHEWAN

MONTREAL AT BC

Saturday, August 16
7:00 p.m. ET
TSN/RDS/CBSSN/CFL+

Is Davis Alexander back?

Probably not?

Okay, this will be a trend of picking Alouette games moving forward as their quarterback play is just not good enough right now and their strong defence can only do so much.

Now they have to take that long trip West to battle a Nathan Rourke-led Lions team who just walked it off in a big win on the road in Hamilton.

BC has already proven they can beat the Alouettes this season with a 21-20 victory in Montreal. Now they’re at home and Nathan Rourke is finding himself at quarterback again.

The Lions defence still leaves much to be desired, but so does the Als offence without their starting quarterback.

PICK: BC

Weekly Predictor: Who wins in Week 11?

Tags: