Costabile: 4 storylines to watch in Week 9

Kristina Costabile

CFL.ca

@kcostabile1

Week 9 is set to get underway on Thursday night and there are plenty of exciting storylines to follow.

From Ka’Deem Carey taking on his former team for the first time to Tre Ford getting his first start of the 2024 season.

Oh, and not to mention the Hamilton Tiger-Cats facing a measuring stick game against the Montreal Alouettes and last year’s second-leading receiver Keon Hatcher making his much anticipated return to the field.

Here’s more on each of those storylines to get you set for the week.

WELCOME BACK, KEON HATCHER

Winnipeg at BC | Thursday, August 1 | 8:30 p.m. ET

If you thought the BC Lions receiver group was good this season, get ready for this: Keon Hatcher is returning this week.

In case you forgot, Hatcher is a big play pass-catcher (he averaged 15.7 yards a catch last season) and finished 2023 second in the CFL in receiving yards (1,226). He never shies away from a big game either, catching 195 yards and a touchdown in last year’s Western Semi-Final and 162 and a major in the 2022 Western Semi-Final.

The 29-year-old suffered an Achilles injury in last year’s Western Final and has been on the sideline ever since. That is until now.

Now the six-foot-one, 212-pounder re-joins a lethal air attack that features Justin McInnis and Alexander Hollins (who are first, 780, and third, 663, in yards, respectively) and is averaging a league-high 342.1 yards per game. His quarterback, Vernon Adams Jr., is tops in the CFL in passing yards (2,395), while throwing 14 touchdowns and only five interceptions.

And on top of that, he’s getting set to play against the same team and in the same venue that he was injured in. What a full circle moment for the Lions receiver.

GET OUT THE STICKS, IT’S TIME TO MEASURE

Montreal at Hamilton | Friday, August 2 | 7:30 p.m. ET

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are on a two-game winning streak. After back-to-back wins against the Toronto Argonauts and Edmonton Elks, respectively, the Tabbies are faced with a tough task on Friday.

Bo Levi Mitchell and co. welcome the defending Grey Cup Champions to town to take on the 6-1 Montreal Alouettes in a measuring stick matchup as they look for a win against the best team in the East.

Mitchell was excellent last week against the Elks, throwing for a career-high five touchdown passes, while the defence held Edmonton’s offence from scoring a major until the fourth quarter and special teams had their second punt block in as many games.

Hamilton’s rolling right now and their home-and-home with the Als will really prove if they’re for real as we inch closer to the halfway point of the season.

IT’S TRE TIME

Edmonton at Saskatchewan | Saturday, August 3 | 7:00 p.m. ET

Tre Ford will get the start for the Elks this week when they head to Saskatchewan to take on the Roughriders.

Ford provided a spark and energy to the Elks last week against the Ticats when he replaced McLeod Bethel-Thompson in the fourth quarter, throwing three touchdown passes on three-straight possessions. The game was pretty much out of reach at that point, but his performance was enough to earn himself an opportunity this weekend and to get fans of the Elks excited.

The Elks are 0-7 right now and are still searching for their first win, a situation that is eerily close to last season when Ford took over the reins when Edmonton was 0-8. He would go on to help the Elks win four games in 2023 before the team finished 4-14, bottom of the West Division.

They’ll hope for a different fate this year, however, as the team is only three wins back from the third-place Stampeders and two behind Winnipeg in fourth.

It starts this weekend where Ford and Edmonton are going against a Riders defence that is as tough as they come against the run (47.9 yards per game) and is excellent at forcing turnovers (CFL-leading 21). They do, however, give up the most yards through the air in the CFL (319.7).

Can the Canadian pivot lead his team to their first win? Find out on Saturday.

KA’DEEM CAREY RETURNS TO COWTOWN

Toronto at Calgary | Sunday, August 4 | 7:00 p.m. ET

For the first time since donning a new jersey, Ka’Deem Carey is returning to the place he once called home. The Argonauts running back spent four seasons with the Calgary Stampeders before leaving in free agency to join the Boatmen.

Toronto’s had a strong run game this season and the power back Carey has been a massive part of that success. The five-foot-nine, 206-pounder is second in the league in rushing yards (491) to go along with three touchdowns on the ground and is averaging 5.3 yards per carry. He’s also gotten in on the passing game, hauling in 18 of 25 passes thrown his way for 145 yards and a major score.

According to PFF, Carey leads the CFL with 16 explosive plays rushing (10+ yards) and in forced missed tackles (25) and is second in yards after contact (318).

With Calgary giving up the third-most rushing yards in the CFL (99.7 per game), Carey should be hungry to feast on his former team in his return to McMahon Stadium.

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