3DownNation CFL power rankings: Toronto Argonauts ascend with win over Elks

Photo: Jonathan Patlan/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

Week 16 of the 2026 CFL regular-season is officially in the books. There were only three games on the slate, but they were all entertaining with one becoming an instant classic.

3DownNation’s power rankings are created by having our contributors rank each team from No. 1 to No. 9 independently, then averaging out the scores. Each team’s most recent ranking is listed in brackets.

Enjoy the rankings and feel free to roast us on social media for anything you think we got wrong.

1) Montreal Alouettes (2)

The Larks may have gone on autopilot in the fourth quarter on Friday night, but it was still a dominant win that buried Hamilton’s already slim playoff chances. Stevie Scott III had a strong game along the ground, rushing 21 times for 108 yards, while Charleston Rambo made two catches for 28 yards in his return to the lineup. Nate Beauchemin was a one-man wrecking crew on defence, as the first-year starter tallied six defensive tackles, an interception, and a fumble recovery that he returned for a touchdown.

2) Edmonton Elks (1)

It’s rare that a team dominates time of possession and loses, but that’s exactly what happened to the Elks this week. The Green and Gold had the football for nearly 39 minutes on Saturday but lost 24-19 in Toronto after giving up several explosion plays to Chad Kelly and committing three turnovers. Cody Fajardo rushed for a touchdown, though he threw two costly interceptions into the end zone, taking points off the board. Edmonton is still first in the West Division despite the loss, though a win over Toronto would have given them a stranglehold on the spot with only a month remaining in the regular-season.

3) B.C. Lions (3)

The Leos were off this week, though one of their players made international headlines for all the wrong reasons. Josh Hagerty has been suspended two games for striking Liam Talbot twice in Week 15, which caused the Alouettes running back to undergo emergency surgery to his groin. Hagerty’s punishment is tied for the second-longest suspension for an on-field incident in CFL history, joining Khalif Mitchell and Simoni Lawrence. It’ll be interesting to see how B.C. handles the distraction when they return from bye.

4) Toronto Argonauts (6)

The Double Blue feasted on big plays this week, as Chad Kelly completed passes of 48-plus yards to Tyler Kahmann, Kevin Mital, David Ungerer III, and Dymere Miller. The explosions made up for an anemic run game — the Boatmen rushed for minus-one yard on the day — and led to some big scores against Edmonton. Toronto’s defence gave up 30 first downs and 483 yards of net offence but stiffened up when it mattered most, picking off Cody Fajardo twice in the end zone. It was a feisty win for Toronto, as the club clinched a postseason berth and a home playoff game.

5) Saskatchewan Roughriders (4)

The Green and White were idle in Week 16, giving them some much-needed rest to potentially get some reinforcements back in the lineup for the upcoming stretch run. A.J. Ouellette appears primed to return from a knee injury that’s kept him out the past seven games, while Kian Schaffer-Baker has now completed a stint on the six-game injured list. With a relatively tough schedule ahead, featuring matchups against B.C., Montreal, and Edmonton, the Roughriders might be getting healthy at just the right time.

6) Winnipeg Blue Bombers (5)

Winnipeg was on bye this week, giving Zach Collaros a chance to rest up after exiting the Banjo Bowl with an apparent upper-body injury. The club is coming off an upset victory over the Roughriders, which kept its chances of hosting a playoff game alive thanks to a dominant defensive performance. The offence is still facing key questions, as the unit managed only 291 net yards and 19 points in the win. The Blue Bombers are at home this week, where they’ve won three-straight games after starting the season 1-4.

7) Calgary Stampeders (7)

Rene Paredes single-handedly saved Calgary’s season with a 62-yard walk-off game-winning field goal, which propelled the Stampeders to a 40-38 victory over Ottawa. It was not only the longest field goal of the veteran’s career, but also the third-longest field goal in CFL history. Calgary’s defence struggled badly, allowing McLeod Bethel-Thompson to throw for five touchdown passes, but the offence played well as Deonta McMahon, Jalen Philpot, and Tevin Jones each recorded 100-yard games. The Stampeders now sit two points back of B.C. and Winnipeg for fourth place in the West Division standings.

8) Hamilton Tiger-Cats (8)

The Tabbies suffered a fourth-straight loss this week, which may have been avoided had they not started so slowly out of the gate. Hamilton fell behind 34-3, then scored 22 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to throw a scare into Montreal, though it wasn’t enough to complete the comeback. Harrison Frost had an up-and-down game, throwing three touchdown passes and four interceptions, two of which came in the final minute of action. Ultimately, you’re not going to win many games when you lose the turnover battle 6-0.

9) Ottawa Redblacks (9)

Woof. It looked like the Redblacks were destined for their first win of the season until Rene Paredes made arguably the greatest field goal in CFL history. McLeod Bethel-Thompson played well despite the loss, throwing for 379 yards, five touchdowns, and one interception in his first start as a member of the team, while former first-round CFL draft pick Keelan White made three touchdown catches. There are reasons to feel encouraged about Ottawa’s performance in this game, but it’s hard to overlook the team’s losing streak growing to 19 games amid an 0-13 start.