The red-hot BC Lions roll into the nation’s capital looking to make it five straight against a winless Ottawa Redblacks club still searching for anything to build on.
This Week’s CFL Schedule
WhenSunday, August 30, 2026 at 7:00 PM ET
WhereTD Place Stadium, Ottawa
TVTSN
StreamWatch live on CFL+
LineBC Lions -0 | O/U 62
BC has won four in a row and looks nothing like the team that got run over by Toronto back in Week 8, averaging 30.5 points a game over that stretch. Ottawa, meanwhile, is 0-10 and has dropped five straight, including last week’s ugly 16-46 blowout at the hands of Montreal. This is about as lopsided a matchup as you’ll find on the CFL slate this weekend, and the numbers back it up — the two clubs are 4-0 in this exact home matchup over the past two seasons, but that history doesn’t mean much given where these rosters currently sit.
Players to Watch:
Nathan Rourke (BC Lions, QB) — He’s thrown for 1,026 yards and six touchdowns over his last three games and sits one passing TD shy of 75 for his career against Ottawa.
Zander Horvath (BC Lions, RB) — Leads the entire league with 12 rushing touchdowns, including seven over his last four games, and figures to get plenty of chances against a beat-up Ottawa front.
Keelan White (Ottawa Redblacks, WR) — One of the lone bright spots for Ottawa, he’s hauled in six-plus catches in six straight games and gives Jake Maier a reliable target even as the losses pile up.
Injury Watch:
Jonah Tavai (BC Lions, DL) — Out (knee), transferred to single-game injury this week.
Matt Spatny (BC Lions, DL) — Out (foot), thins out an already banged-up BC defensive line.
Ronald Kent Jr. (BC Lions, DB) — Questionable (hip), moved to reserve roster.
Luiji Vilain (Ottawa Redblacks, DL) — Out (knee), one of a long list of injured Ottawa pass rushers.
Daniel Okpoko (Ottawa Redblacks, DL) — Out, shifted to six-game injury list.
Giordano Vaccaro (Ottawa Redblacks, OL) — Out (shoulder), another six-game injury blow for a struggling offensive line.
Jamie Pettway (Ottawa Redblacks, LB) — Out (knee), extended on six-game injury.
Pick: BC Lions 34-16. Ottawa just can’t stop the run, BC just found the run game with Horvath rolling, and the Redblacks’ injury list on the defensive front reads like a casualty report. BC is 5-5 against the spread this year but this line has them getting almost nothing — expect Rourke and company to cover comfortably, with the over (BC has hit the over in four of its last five) also in play.
CFL Standings
TeamWLPFPA
Montreal Alouettes92395307
Edmonton Elks83323279
Saskatchewan Roughriders74337295
Winnipeg Blue Bombers65300314
BC Lions55274267
Toronto Argonauts56328339
Calgary Stampeders56406350
Hamilton Tiger-Cats48280347
Ottawa Redblacks010223368
Quick Hits
BC activated OL David Gusta from the practice roster and brought in DB Mac McCain III to the practice squad ahead of the trip east.
Ottawa’s roster shuffle this week was heavy on the defensive line, with Vilain, Okpoko and Vaccaro all shifted to injured reserve — a rough sign for a Redblacks front already allowing 368 points on the season.
Fantasy managers should keep riding Horvath — his league-leading 12 rushing scores make him a must-start against an Ottawa defence that’s given up 368 points this year.
New Redblacks senior football advisor Jim Popp posted a 242-185-1 record across 428 games as a CFL GM, with his teams reaching the playoffs in 20 of 24 seasons — a reminder of the rebuild ahead in Ottawa.
Standings | Full Schedule | League Leaders
Who wins this week? Drop your picks in the comments.