Checking Down: A long-awaited debut and some holes to fill in Week 6

TORONTO — After a long wait, Logan Kilgore is finally getting his turn. Plus, who will fill major voids left by injury in Winnipeg and B.C.?

That and much, much more in the latest Checking Down:

Jump to team:

BC LIONS

Nick Moore’s season-ending injury means someone else has to step up in B.C. (Jimmy Jeong/CFL.ca)

– The Lions have been hit hard by the injury bug, but they have faith Geraldo Boldewijn can be among those who step in to fill the void as needed (TSN).

EDMONTON ESKIMOS

The Eskimos are looking to put an historic Week 5 collapse behind them (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)

– How does Mike Reilly know his team is in a good spot mentally following a devastating loss? Players didn’t want to leave the field after Monday’s practice (The Canadian Press).

– Both Adarius Bowman and Derel Walker are on-pace to break the all-time single-season receiving record — and both believe they’ll do so (Terry Jones, Edmonton Sun).

– Just one play was all the Eskimo defence needed to avoid losing over the weekend, which made the Ticats’ comeback win all the more devastating for Mike Benevides (Dan Barnes, Edmonton Journal).

CALGARY STAMPEDERS

The Stamps could get an offensive boost with the return of Lemar Durant (CFL.ca)

– National slotback Lemar Durant is expected to return to the Stamps’ lineup in time for a matchup against his hometown team (Scott Mitchell, Calgary Sun).

– Former Stampeders third-round pick and running back Tyler Varga has retired after one season with the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts (Stephen Holder, Indy Star).

– Rene Paredes hasn’t been himself early in 2016, but the veteran kicker is confident he can find his form soon (Scott Mitchell, Calgary Sun).

SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS

There’s still no word on the status of Darian Durant ahead of Week 6 (The Canadian Press)

– Riders fans will be able to ride the bus free to games in 2017 and 2018, as the team and the city have agreed on a deal (CBC News).

– Justin Capicciotti haunted his former team with two sacks against the REDBLACKS over the weekend, but in the end nothing felt sweeter than the win (Rob Vanstone, Regina Leader-Post).

– The Riders may have been winless heading into Week 5, but that didn’t stop people from tuning in as almost a million viewers watched the Green and White notch win No. 1 (Lisa Schick, CJME Regina).

– Mitchell Gale is the next in a long line of young quarterbacks the Riders have tried to develop. Can he be the one to have success? (Rob Vanstone, Regina Leader-Post).

– Darian Durant says his sprained ankle is improving, but the veteran pivot still isn’t committing to playing Friday just yet (Greg Harder, Regina Leader-Post).

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS

Matt Nichols will look to provide the spark the Bombers need (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)

– With Macho Harris out, the Bombers will start one of their young Canadians at safety — either Brendan Morgan or Taylor Loffler — but haven’t yet decided who (Kirk Penton, Winnipeg Sun).

– Drew Willy’s demotion marks the fifth time since 2004 the Bombers have made a major quarterback change, which doesn’t bode well for the team (Kirk Penton, Winnipeg Sun).

– With Chris Randle, Macho Harris and Julian Posey all out, the Bombers will be turning to a young secondary against Mike Reilly and the Eskimos (Jeff Hamilton, Winnipeg Free Press).

HAMILTON TIGER-CATS

Jeremiah Masoli completed a record-breaking 23 straight passes in a win over Edmonton (The Canadian Press)

– Jeremiah Masoli’s completions record stands out on its own, but the circumstances made it even more impressive (Matthew Cauz, CFL.ca).

TORONTO ARGONAUTS

With the injury to Ray, the Argos are Logan Kilgore’s team (The Canadian Press)

– After waiting over a year, Logan Kilgore is finally getting his opportunity. Can he follow the path of recent young Argo pivots to flourish? (Chris O’Leary, The Toronto Star).

– Was Kilgore’s upside part of the reason the Argos could afford to let Harris walk? It may have played a role (Dave Naylor, TSN).

OTTAWA REDBLACKS

Could Trevor Harris return in time to face his former team again on Sunday? (The Canadian Press)

– There’s no word yet on who will start for the REDBLACKS vs. Toronto on Sunday, as Henry Burris, Trevor Harris and Brock Jensen are all possibilities (Tim Baines, Ottawa Citizen).

MONTREAL ALOUETTES

The Alouette offence showed improvement in Week 5 but still struggled to finish (The Canadian Press)

– The Alouettes believed they played better in their Week 5 loss to Toronto but were still plagued by some of the same issues (Herb Zurkowsky, Montreal Gazette).