by Scott Rickenbach
Tuesday, May 30, 2023Canadian Football League West Division BC/Alberta CFL 2023
BC Lions – Projected win total is 9.5 and last season the Lions won 12 games. QB Rourke was a big part of the BC offense and he is now in Jacksonville in the NFL with the Jaguars. Also, WR Burnham who was a star for the Lions has now retired. So this is a team that has lost some key pieces from the one that knocked off Calgary in the post-season last year. Although Vernon Adams, Jr could surprise at QB, he is a little difficult to trust stepping into this new situation. I do like the fact they arguably strengthened the trenches a little bit on both sides of the ball but the key will be how Adams does under center.
Calgary Stampeders – Projected win total is 9.5 and last season the Stamps won 12 games. Bo Levi Mitchell is now with Hamilton. This Stampeders defense also has undergone some changes. They can have a strong ground game but the key will be the receiving strength they get. I do not trust this group completely and it is now Maier under center. I do like him at QB but he wrapped up the season with a 5-5 TD-INT ratio the last stretch of games. If they can’t establish the strong aerial game with a rather questionable WR group than how good can this ground game really be? The Stamps take a step back.
Edmonton Elks – Projected win total is 6.5 and last season the Elks won 4 games. The only way to go for Edmonton is up, really. You can see by the projected win total here that an improved season is indeed expected here for the Elks. The key here is they are in the 2nd season with Chris Jones at the helm and now this team has added some key pieces in terms of receiving talent but also at other positions including on defense. This team looks very much improved and if they can get strong QB play from Taylor Cornelius this team could even get to 8 or 9 wins this season. This is a team I will be looking for value to play on early in the season in particular.
BC Lions – Projected win total is 9.5 and last season the Lions won 12 games. QB Rourke was a big part of the BC offense and he is now in Jacksonville in the NFL with the Jaguars. Also, WR Burnham who was a star for the Lions has now retired. So this is a team that has lost some key pieces from the one that knocked off Calgary in the post-season last year. Although Vernon Adams, Jr could surprise at QB, he is a little difficult to trust stepping into this new situation. I do like the fact they arguably strengthened the trenches a little bit on both sides of the ball but the key will be how Adams does under center.
Calgary Stampeders – Projected win total is 9.5 and last season the Stamps won 12 games. Bo Levi Mitchell is now with Hamilton. This Stampeders defense also has undergone some changes. They can have a strong ground game but the key will be the receiving strength they get. I do not trust this group completely and it is now Maier under center. I do like him at QB but he wrapped up the season with a 5-5 TD-INT ratio the last stretch of games. If they can’t establish the strong aerial game with a rather questionable WR group than how good can this ground game really be? The Stamps take a step back.
Edmonton Elks – Projected win total is 6.5 and last season the Elks won 4 games. The only way to go for Edmonton is up, really. You can see by the projected win total here that an improved season is indeed expected here for the Elks. The key here is they are in the 2nd season with Chris Jones at the helm and now this team has added some key pieces in terms of receiving talent but also at other positions including on defense. This team looks very much improved and if they can get strong QB play from Taylor Cornelius this team could even get to 8 or 9 wins this season. This is a team I will be looking for value to play on early in the season in particular.
