Injuries to defensive starters could see changes in the lineup for both of the Canadian Football League’s top teams on Saturday as they meet for the second time this season. The Montreal Alouettes, first in the East Division with a record of 7-1, will host the Edmonton Elks, the West’s best at 6-2, in a rematch following June’s early season game at Commonwealth Stadium, a thrilling back-and-forth affair won in overtime by the hosts in green and gold with 900-plus net yards, three lead changes and with each side holding a double-digit lead at one point. The loss was Alouettes quarterback Davis Alexander’s first – and still only – career loss through 19 games as a starter. And the offensive fireworks could be even brighter for the 1 p.m. MT at Percival Molson Stadium as both teams have question marks on their top-ranked defences. The No. 1 Elks unit has two starters – weak-side linebacker Joel Dublanko and halfback Kordell Jackson – listed on the depth chart released Friday as game-time decisions. Dublanko was limited in practice all week with a hamstring injury, while Jackson appeared on the team’s injury list on Thursday with an illness. Jackson is among the CFL’s leaders in defensive plays (52, tied for 3rd), fumble returns (two, tied for 1st) and pass knockdowns (seven, also tied for 1st). One key defender will return to Edmonton’s lineup, however: middle linebacker Nick Naderson, who missed the last six games with a hamstring injury. On the other side of the ball, centre David Beard will return to the Elks’ lineup after missing three games with a calf injury. The No. 2 Als side will be without four starters: middle linebacker Geoffrey Cantin-Arku (groin), defensive lineman Mustafa Johnson (knee) and defensive backs Najee Murray (head) and Wesley Sutton (calf). Elks head coach Mark Kilam said earlier this week his defence will be wary of Alexander, and Als receivers Tyson Philpot and Tyler Snead, all of them among the CFL’s leaders in several offensive categories. Alexander leads the league in passing yards (2,788) and has tossed 14 touchdowns – five of them to Snead, four to Philpot – and just one interception while completing 71.6-per-cent of his passes in eight games. Philpot is the CFL’s top pass-catcher, having already racked up 64 catches on 84 targets for 1,023 receiving yards, while Snead sits second with 50 receptions on 72 targets for 794 yards. “They have full buy-in on their offence,” Kilam told 880 CHED on Tuesday. “They run a system that everybody understands how to execute. The quarterback can push the ball all over the field, and obviously, they’ve hit a ton of deep shots. What we have to do as a defence is be on the same page. We have to play team defence and do a good job of communicating.” The Elks are in the upper half of the nine-team league in total offence, with quarterback Cody Fajardo sitting third in passing yards with 2,577, while completing 71.9 per cent of his throws, tossing 14 TDs and four INTs. Edmonton’s top pass-catcher is Austin Mack, who sits fifth on the receiving yards list with 656 to go with five TD receptions. Alouettes head coach Jason Maas said the Elks “have done a remarkable job” in turning around their fortunes thus far in 2026 after six seasons plumbing the depths of the CFL standings, mostly in last place. “They’ve done a great job thus far. We’ve already played them in their building, we know what they’re about, and they’ve done an extremely good job,” Maas told reporters in Montreal earlier this week. “We’re going to have to play four quarters like we do, for 60 minutes or however long it takes. The last one took a little longer than that.” With files from The Canadian Press
