It was a struggle for the Edmonton Elks last week with their rubber match vs. BC. It was the Elks defence that stole the show and sealed an important 19-17 win over the Lions.

This is now a match that a lot of fans have been looking forward to witnessing for both fan bases. This Thursday, July 23rd, 2026, will be the date when Edmonton takes on one of the best in the league on the road in Regina to lock horns with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

This will be a big game for both teams, as they face each other again next week in a back-to-back series. In a perfect world for Edmonton, winning the next two games would be huge. Obtaining a split realistically will benefit both teams. Edmonton will need to avoid going 0-2 between now and next week.

With that said, the main focus is on the current task.

Game Details

Date: Thursday, July 23rd, 2026

Location: Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field / Regina, Saskatchewan

Kickoff time: 9:00 pm EST

Channel: TSN / RDS2 / CBS Sports Network

Stream: CFL +

Weather forecast at kickoff: 27°C with a mix of sun and clouds. It will feel like 31 °C with a wind gust of 20 km/h from the southwest direction. P.O.P will be 20%.

Odds

Spread: Saskatchewan Roughriders (- 4.5) – 105 / Edmonton Elks (+4.5) – 115

Moneyline: Saskatchewan Roughriders – 200 / Edmonton Elks + 164

Over / Under: Over 57.5 – 105 / Under 57.5 – 115

Via FanDuel Sportsbook

Game Notes

The Edmonton defence has been a complete 180-degree turnaround. After allowing a league-worst 389.6 yards per game in 2025, the Elks have had an impressive transformation thus far, ranking first in points per game allowed at 23. Number 1 in opposing QB rating at 81.0, and second in yards per game allowed at 362.

Saskatchewan is 12-6 after coming off a bye week since 2018.

70 and counting: Cody Fajardo’s current passing streak without throwing an interception.

The red zone is best: Trevor Harris has been unbelievable, going 20-of-28 for 10 touchdown passes and 1 interception. Cody Fajardo is 17-of-31 with 6 touchdown passes for Edmonton.

A dominant trio: KeeSean Johnson, Kian Schaffer-Baker, and Samuel Emilus account for 1,314 of the Saskatchewan 1,629 passing yards thus far.

Trevor Harris: He surpassed Cody Fajardo (10,632) for 6th on the Roughriders all-time passing yards list with 10,716. He is also 1,134 yards back of Tom Burgess for 5th all-time.

Fajardo 5-1 start: Cody has the Elks to a 5-1 start. He is one win away from tying his personal best with a 6-1 start when he was with Montreal in 2024.

Source: CFL

Edmonton Elks Depth Chart

Saskatchewan Roughriders Depth Chart

Injury Reports

Players to watch: Edmonton Elks

RB – Justin Rankin

In a perfect world, Justin Rankin will add to his all-purpose yards list this season. This is not to say that he can’t put a massive dent into the Saskatchewan run defence. If the running game is stalling, it will be vital to attempt to go back to the running game. Justin Rankin is the one player who has the most explosive impact on your offence. Use him in those pressure moments.

LB – Joel Dublanko

He will have a difficult assignment in stopping the run, along with defending the pass on short plays in and around a 10–15–yard radius of the line of scrimmage. Expect Joel Dublanko to play a key role when it is time to defend a Saskatchewan play from 2nd – 3rd and short, to 2nd and medium. He has come up with some big plays at the right time of a game.

QB – Cody Fajardo

He might not have the flashy numbers as other quarterbacks in the CFL. What is special about Cody Fajardo is his football intelligence throughout a football game. He is smart with the ball and rarely makes bad decisions to put his football team in a big hole. He is good at exploiting a defence by taking what is given to him, along with exposing a defence to what they never saw coming.

DL – Noah Taylor

This will be the environment that is right up his alley. Noah Taylor will have to play a big role in limiting the Saskatchewan running game on the edges. Moreover, to cause as much pressure in the defensive backfield in both the run and pass. He is an impact player. Impact players thrive on big moments and big settings.

Players to watch: Saskatchewan Roughriders

QB – Trevor Harris

Trevor, just like Bo Levi Mitchell, is playing great football later in their respective career. He has done a great job of spreading the ball and stretching a defence this season with 12 touchdown passes, 1,629 passing yards, and 4 interceptions.

LB – Josh Woods

After playing 5 years in BC, Josh Woods was signed by Saskatchewan this season via free agency. BC’s loss was Saskatchewan’s gain. Since he has played with Saskatchewan, he has not missed a beat with 27 tackles and 2 interceptions.

DL – James Vaughters

What you get with James Vaughters is consistency. Since entering the CFL in 2017, he has been a plug-and-play player. Minus a 4-year hiatus with the NFL, James returned in 2023 and rejoined Calgary. With 79 total games played, 140 tackles, and 31 sacks, 4 of these sacks have come this season.

WR – Kian Schaffer-Baker and WR – KeeSean Johnson

We will call this double threat: The Duo. Both have been electrifying this season. Saskatchewan has a great problem on their hands, and both receivers are a big problem for every defence in the CFL. Both have a combined 950 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns. They come with a package of great attributes. Both are game changers. Both can win a jump ball. And both are great at creating separation from the opening play to get into position and make it easier for your quarterback to deliver the ball.

Keys to an Edmonton victory:

Maintain a balanced offence.

Edmonton hit a massive roadblock for the second time when they played BC last week, with the running game being dormant. The BC defence came to play in both of those meetings against Edmonton this season. Saskatchewan will be no different, as they have been great in halting the running game. It will be too challenging for Edmonton if they cannot incorporate the running game.

Attention to detail.

Try to limit bad penalties. The last thing you want are multiple holding calls that will be counterintuitive when a good drive is present. For the defensive secondary, it will be a key part of the game if they cannot match the Saskatchewan offence stride – for – stride. If they get burnt on speed by the Roughriders receivers, this could get ugly.

Spread the ball.

We will focus only on the passing game for this one. As good as the Elks have been this season overall, this would be a good game not to be predictable when it comes to your go-to targets. Austin Mack and Justin Rankin have been the best receivers this season for Edmonton. It would be great if they can also use Kaion Julien-Grant, TJ Luther, Joshua Cephus and Brendon O’Leary-Orange in the mix to not only spread the ball, but spread the Saskatchewan defence.

Protect Cody Fajardo.

He took a lot of big hits last week by the BC defence. Now facing a tougher opponent, the Edmonton offensive line needs to limit the physical impact that will take a toll on Cody Fajardo. The last thing Edmonton needs is their starting quarterback to go down with a long-term injury. It’s inevitable in the CFL, as we already witnessed Zach Collaros, Bo Levi Mitchell, and Nathan Rourke go down. Protect your asset at all costs.

Prediction

Final Score

The Elks will encounter a big challenge in this game with one of the best environments in the CFL. It will be easier said than done. This is, however, not the same Edmonton as last year, along with the past five seasons for that matter. Nobody saw this coming. The Elks, for the time being, are playing some exceptional football and will be pushing Saskatchewan to the limit.

Saskatchewan Roughriders: 24

Edmonton Elks: 20

Edmonton loses a close one in Regina. The Saskatchewan running game obtains more control in clock management than Edmonton will in this game. The result becomes one of the more important X-factors in the game.