• How will Ottawa QB Dru Brown fare in his debut as a full-time starter? Brown played a significant number of snaps in four games last season. He recorded an adjusted completion rate of 78.8% and five big-time throws to just two turnover-worthy plays, earning an 84.9 passing grade.
• WR Tyson Philpot breaking out for the Alouettes: Philpot averaged 4.27 yards per route run last week, the best mark in the league, and he forced five missed tackles after the catch.
• Saskatchewan QB Trevor Harris is fully back from his injury: Harris finished Week 1 with a 91.5 passing grade, the second-highest in the league. That included an incredible fourth quarter in which he completed 5-of-6 passes for 114 yards, two touchdowns and two big-time throws.
• Get a head start on fantasy football: Use PFF's fantasy football mock draft simulator to create real live mock draft simulations to prepare for your live draft!
WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS VS. OTTAWA REDBLACKS
After a disappointing Week 1 loss, the Blue Bombers get a chance to right the ship against a Redblacks team playing its first game of the year.
The Bombers will be without two of their top players in running back Brady Oliveira and wide receiver Kenny Lawler, with Lawler expected to miss extended time with a fractured arm. Backup running back Johnny Augustine, who earned a 76.9 rushing grade in 2023, will have to step up big in Oliveira’s absence.
Across the field, the Redblacks made a ton of moves this offseason, bringing in a new starting quarterback in Dru Brown and a top receiver in Dominique Rhymes. With the new additions and an offseason of development for the returning players, Ottawa hopes to improve on a 2023 campaign that saw them drop 11 of their final 12 games.
MATCHUP TO WATCH: RT DONTAE BULL, OTTAWA VS. ED WILLIE JEFFERSON, WINNIPEG
Last season was tough for Bull, the 2023 No. 1 overall draft pick. He was injured throughout the offseason and training camp and finally got healthy enough to start in Week 11. But with no real development because of his injury, Bull struggled mightily. He posted the lowest pass-blocking grade of any offensive lineman in the CFL, losing over 22% of his pass-blocking reps.
However, he’s had a full offseason this year and will get an immediate chance to showcase his improvement. Willie Jefferson is a future CFL Hall of Famer and can still dominate a game off the edge even as he gets older. Jefferson picked up four pressures last week against one of the best offensive lines in the CFL, so if he can get by Bull early and often, it’ll be a long night for this Redblacks offense.
PLAYER TO WATCH: QB DRU BROWN, OTTAWA
This offseason, there was no bigger quarterback target than former Blue Bombers backup Dru Brown, who has looked the part every time he’s gotten the chance to step onto the field.
Brown played a significant number of snaps in four games last season. He recorded an adjusted completion rate of 78.8% and five big-time throws to just two turnover-worthy plays, earning an 84.9 passing grade.
Those would be top-flight numbers among CFL quarterbacks if they came over a full season. The question now is, can Brown actually do that over an entire season? The Redblacks have assembled a great receiving corps around him, and this game will be big for seeing whether the Redblacks made the right choice in bringing him in as their hopeful quarterback of the future.
MONTREAL ALOUETTES VS. EDMONTON ELKS
The Alouettes looked utterly dominant in Week 1, holding the high-powered Winnipeg Blue Bombers offense to just 12 points. Quarterback Cody Fajardo was one of the top players of the week, earning an 84.6 passing grade thanks in part to three big-time throws and zero turnover-worthy plays.
Meanwhile, the Edmonton Elks took a 21-8 lead early in the fourth quarter before promptly surrendering three straight touchdowns and losing 29-21 to the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
The Elks need more from QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson, who put up solid numbers but threw just 7.2 yards down the field on average, the lowest among all QBs in Week 1. He’ll need to be able to push the ball downfield more, which is a task easier said than done against the stout Alouettes defense.
MATCHUP TO WATCH: RB KEVIN BROWN, EDMONTON VS. LB TYRICE BEVERETTE, MONTREAL
The Elks' run game was non-existent in Week 1, with Brown carrying the ball just six times for 26 yards and only one first down. Brown was one of the league's best backs in 2023, finishing with over 1,000 yards, 50 missed tackles forced and an 85.8 rushing grade.
The Elks need to get him going this week, which may be hard against this Alouettes defense. As the weak side linebacker, Beverette was instrumental in holding star Winnipeg RB Brady Oliveira to just 38 yards on 11 carries last week. Beverette made two solo stops and helped prevent the Blue Bombers from getting anything going in the run game. He’ll be looking to do the same this week to the Elks and turn them into a one-dimensional offense.
PLAYER TO WATCH: WR TYSON PHILPOT, MONTREAL
Philpot had a legendary playoff run for the Alouettes last year en route to being named the Grey Cup Most Valuable Canadian. He picked up right where he left off in Week 1, catching 10 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns.
Philpot averaged 4.27 yards per route run last week, the best mark in the league, and he forced five missed tackles after the catch. The Alouettes lost last year’s No. 1 receiver Austin Mack, but if Philpot has taken that next step, he can fill those shoes. This week should be a good indication of whether last week was a one-off or a trend for Philpot going forward.
CALGARY STAMPEDERS VS. BRITISH COLUMBIA LIONS
Last week, no team rose to the occasion more than the Stampeders. A team that many had pegged as heading in the wrong direction, the Stamps came in and firmly beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats thanks in part to a strong performance from running back Dedrick Mills, who forced five missed tackles on just 12 carries and gained a league-high 62 yards after first contact.
The Lions struggled mightily to pass protect for quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., allowing 24 total pressures and forcing Adams to pass under pressure on 49% of his dropbacks. Both those marks were the highest in the league by a large margin. They’ll need to do a better job against a Calgary team that has one of the top defensive lines in the league.
MATCHUP TO WATCH: RT KENT PERKINS, BRITISH COLUMBIA VS. ED JULIAN HOWSARE, CALGARY
The Lions' offensive line really struggled in pass protection last week, and it cost them the game. They’ll need to be much better this week.
Perkins, in particular, is going to need to step up. He allowed three sacks and six total pressures last week for a league-low pass-blocking efficiency score of 89.5. Now he’ll have to block Howsare, whose seven total pressures last week were tied for the league lead.
Howsare’s 23.5% pass-rush win rate also ranks first in the league among defensive linemen. He's a pass-rushing force, and if he can get pressure, the results could be the same as last weekend for the Lions offense.
PLAYER TO WATCH: QB JAKE MAIER, CALGARY
Maier has had his fair share of doubters over the past couple of seasons, as he’s been unable to take the next step to becoming a top quarterback in the CFL. Well, that might be changing this season if his Week 1 game is a sign of things to come.
Maier recorded a ridiculous adjusted completion rate of 91.2% and a 94.0 overall grade, the highest grade in the league. The Stampeders played into Maier’s strengths, not asking him to do too much and getting him outside the pocket occasionally. He earned a 90.0 passing grade on designed rollouts last season, and a 90.8 grade on the same plays last week.
Maier has put together great games before but has not been able to follow them up, so this week will be telling for his development as a top quarterback.
SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS VS. HAMILTON TIGER-CATS
The Roughriders came from behind to beat the Edmonton Elks last week, thanks to an impressive performance by QB Trevor Harris. He finished the day with a 91.5 passing grade, the second-highest in the league. That included an incredible fourth quarter in which he completed 5-of-6 passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns (and two big-time throws).
Clearly, he’s fully back from last season’s injury. The Tiger-Cats had some positives in their loss to the Stampeders, but still plenty to work on. QB Bo Levi Mitchell was solid, posting a 78.1 passing grade and making zero turnover-worthy plays, which was his biggest issue last year. But he also didn’t make a single big-time throw, and he’ll need to do that if the TiCats want to get into the win column.
MATCHUP TO WATCH: WR TIM WHITE, HAMILTON, VS HB ROLAN MILLIGAN, SASKATCHEWAN
Just looking at the stat line, it doesn’t look like too bad of a game for White — six catches for 55 yards is basically on pace for a 100-catch, 1,000-yard season. But those numbers don’t tell the story of the game for White. One of his catches (for 15 yards) was on the game's final play, and he dropped two passes, including a would-be touchdown.
White needs to bounce back this week for Hamilton to have a chance of winning. That’ll be tough to do when he’s lined up across from Milligan. The halfback finished last week with a 77.0 coverage grade, second in the league. He allowed five catches, but only one went for a first down, and he broke up two passes. Milligan has been one of the top halfbacks in the CFL the past few years and that trend looks to be continuing. This promises to be a great matchup to watch for.
PLAYER TO WATCH: RB JAMES BUTLER, HAMILTON
The brightest spot for this TiCats offense last week was the play of their do-it-all running back. He was the only player in the CFL to rush for over 100 yards last week, and he needed just 13 carries to do it. His 83.9 rush grade led the league in Week 1.
The TiCats would be wise to get Butler more involved in the passing game after just one target last week (a 12-yard reception for a first down). Last year, he was the league’s No. 1 receiving back, with 22 first downs gained, 10 explosive receptions and 23 missed tackles forced.
All of those led the league among RBs. If the TiCats can get Butler going on both the ground and in the air, they are going to have a lot of success.
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