Nine football contributors from 3DownNation issued their straight-up and against the spread selections on July 2, 2026, favoring the Calgary Stampeders and Saskatchewan Roughriders for the upcoming Week 5 matchups of the Canadian Football League season.
Calgary Stampeders vs. Toronto Argonauts
Calgary holds a narrow 5-4 edge among the analysts for both straight-up and against the spread outcomes against the Toronto Argonauts.
The Argonauts are forced to restructure their offensive line due to Dakoda Shepley landing on the six-game injured list, shifting Peter Nicastro to guard and inserting rookie Domenico Piazza at centre.
Calgary has also altered its lineup by demoting William Barnes to the practice roster, allowing rookie Bakyne Coly to step in at right tackle before facing Toronto's league-leading offense.
"Piazza facing Jaylon Hutchings in his first career start is a mismatch. I expect pressure to force mistakes from Chad Kelly," said Abbott, contributor.
"This game will be won or lost by the Toronto offensive line.
That said, I'm not sure they can stop the hydra that lines up across from them," said Ballantine, contributor.
The Argonauts entered the matchup holding a 2-1 record, whereas the Stampeders sit at 1-2 overall.
"Saddle up, I've got the Argonauts keeping the momentum going and riding out of Calgary with the Stampede Bowl trophy," said Bordignon, contributor.
Toronto currently averages a league-best 8.06 yards per play on offense, which will test the healthy Calgary defensive front.
"The injuries on the Argos offensive line concern me, but so far this year, they've proven to be road warriors," said Filoso, contributor.
The remaining selectors divided their choices based on the strength of the respective trenches.
"The Argos are better than most of us expected but I'm not sure they're good enough to stop that Calgary defensive line," said Gasson, contributor.
The Stampeders are favored by 1.5 points heading into the Thursday night game.
"The Argos looked very good last week, but the Stamps won't let them win the Stampede Bowl," said Herrera-Vergara, contributor.
Analyst consensus heavily leaned toward Calgary exploiting the recent changes in Toronto's blocking unit.
"Toronto's offence has been unbelievable but the Stampeders can take advantage of the injury to Dakoda Shepley," said Hodge, contributor.
The remaining two analysts expressed strong confidence in Toronto's current form despite the roster shifts.
"The Argonauts just seem too good right now," said Hoskins, contributor.
The final pundit anticipated a high-scoring affair in the western venue.
"The Stampeders defence is getting better, but they won't be enough to slow down the Argos in this wild west shootout," said Klein, contributor.
Saskatchewan Roughriders vs. Ottawa Redblacks
For the Friday matchup, the Saskatchewan Roughriders received an 8-1 straight-up majority to defeat the Ottawa Redblacks, despite dealing with limited practice availability for wide receivers Kian Schaffer-Baker, Jaylen Johnson, Samuel Emilus, and Dhel Duncan-Busby, alongside running back A.
J. Ouellette.
"Last week's second-half surge did nothing to sell me on Ottawa or Jake Maier," said Abbott, contributor.
Ottawa enters the game looking to avoid becoming the first CFL franchise to record four losses during the 2026 season.
"Ottawa's backdoor cover in garbage time doesn't mean they're good all of a sudden," said Ballantine, contributor.
Saskatchewan aims to rebound following a 40-34 defeat against the Toronto Argonauts in Week 4.
"After a rough outing against Toronto, there's no better bounce-back spot than facing the struggling Redblacks," said Bordignon, contributor.
Ottawa remains winless at home this season with an overall 0-2 record at their own stadium.
"Something fell into place for the Redblacks' offence last week," said Filoso, contributor.
The Roughriders received a 6-3 advantage from the panel to cover the 5.5-point spread against the Redblacks.
"The Riders got the wake up call they needed last week. There will be no Jake Maier revenge game here," said Gasson, contributor.
Pundits cited talent disparities as the primary reason for backing the Green and White.
"The Riders will bounce back after an atypical loss last week," said Herrera-Vergara, contributor.
Injuries remain the primary variable that could keep the Friday score close.
"The Roughriders are easily the better team but their injuries should keep this one close," said Hodge, contributor.
The defending champions remain heavily favored to control the game tempo.
"I want to see Ottawa have some success but they aren't ready to take on the reigning champs yet," said Hoskins, contributor.
The final analyst expected a focused performance from the visiting roster.
"The Riders got a bit of a wake up last week. They should be able to get back on track here," said Klein, contributor.
In the Saturday game, the 3-0 Edmonton Elks face the 0-3 B. C.
Lions, with the Lions opening as 1.5-point favorites despite firing special teams coordinator Cory McDiarmid after allowing a league-worst 7.8 yards per play defensively.
"There are two near statistical impossibilities in the CFL: going winless and going undefeated.
This feels like a good week for something to give for both teams," said Abbott, contributor.
Edmonton's defensive unit currently ranks first league-wide in offensive points allowed, yards per play allowed, and total takeaways.
"This is starting to feel weird," said Ballantine, contributor.
Justin Rankin has also anchored the Elks' offense by becoming the first CFL running back since Kory Sheets to record three consecutive 100-yard rushing games to open a season.
"One team's on a roll, the other's rolling off a cliff," said Bordignon, contributor.
