Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly is expected to start when the team celebrates its 150th anniversary Friday night against the visiting Edmonton Elks.

Kelly sat out the Argos’ 31-21 loss to the host Winnipeg Blue Bombers in last Friday’s rematch of the 2022 Grey Cup won by Toronto.

With Kelly resting last week, Cameron Dukes made his first start and finished 17-for-24 passing for 231 yards and a touchdown.

“That was great to see Cam get in this environment and do that,” Toronto coach Ryan Dinwiddie said. “That was kind of the point of resting Chad, but also seeing what we’ve got. We wanted to win it and we thought we could with our backup (but) we just didn’t make enough plays.”

Kelly has thrown for 3,396 yards and 21 touchdowns this season.

The Argonauts also expect to have defensive lineman Shawn Oakman and linebacker Wynton McManis back in the lineup.

While the Argonauts (12-2) have clinched first place in the East Division, the Elks (4-11) are tied for fourth with the Calgary Stampeders in the West and still trying for a playoff spot.

The Elks were idle last week after their offense showed some improvement in a 37-29 home loss to the B.C. Lions on Sept. 22.

“We got outplayed in all three phases. I thought, offensively, defensively and in the kicking game they beat us in this game,” Elks coach Chris Jones said. “We’re closer than maybe what we were, but you don’t get consolation prizes for losing the football game.”

Elks quarterback Tre Ford completed 20 of 27 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns against the Lions.

“Even though I still thought we didn’t execute to the level we wanted to, it was definitely a step forward,” Ford said.

The Elks will be without linebacker Nyles Morgan (hamstring), defensive back Marcus Lewis (calf) and defensive linemen Sam Acheampong (groin), J-Min Pelley (appendicitis) and Daniel Ross (elbow).

Toronto will be without wide receiver Cam Phillips (groin) and defensive backs DaShaun Amos (ankle), Josh Hagerty (shoulder) and Jamal Peters (groin).

The Argonauts defeated the Elks 43-31 at Edmonton on June 25.

–Field Level Media

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers and BC Lions will look to gain the upper hand in their quest for the top seed in the West Division when they clash on Friday in Vancouver.

The Blue Bombers and Lions sport identical 11-4 overall records on the season and have split their two previous contests in Winnipeg. BC posted a 30-6 win on June 22 and dropped a 50-14 decision on Aug. 3, although the latter game was contested without its star quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. due to a knee injury.

Adams leads the CFL in passing yards (4,005). Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros, however, has tossed a league-best 30 touchdown passes.

“Every week is a must-win. That’s how we go about it. You don’t go in to lose, you go in to win,” Collaros said of Friday’s clash, per the Winnipeg Free Press. “Obviously, the goal is to have a great regular season and win the West. That’s the goal, so it’s a must-win.”

Collaros threw for 258 yards and a touchdown to lift Winnipeg to a 31-21 victory over the Toronto Argonauts last Friday.

Adams completed 27 of 36 passes for a season-high 458 yards and three touchdowns last Friday as BC extended its winning streak to four games with a 33-26 victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Keon Hatcher had 10 catches for 172 yards and a touchdown, while Alexander Hollins reeled in two scoring strikes for the Lions.

“Being the best is in my mind,” Lions defensive back T.J. Lee said, per the Vancouver Sun. “I don’t really care about the antics and the politics and how everything lines up, win, lose. All I care about is winning.

“When it comes to however the playoffs match up and rankings shape up, we’ve still got to line it up and prove ourselves. That’s how I try to simplify it to the guys. Doesn’t matter, all the standings and all that stuff. It’s about winning in the tail end of the season.”

The Lions will close out their season with a road game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (Oct. 13) and a home clash versus the Calgary Stampeders (Oct. 20).

The Blue Bombers will have a bye next week before finishing up against the visiting Edmonton Elks (Oct. 21) and host Stampeders (Oct. 27).

–Field Level Media