The first six weeks of the CFL season have given us a lot of interesting information, and stacking the teams is a difficult task.

The 2026 CFL season is six weeks old, and after Week 7, one-third of the Canadian Football League schedule will already be complete. Ranking all 9 clubs is getting both easier and more difficult at the same time. Multiple teams are pulling away from the pack in both directions, but even at the top of the league, there is genuine confusion about who should be at the top. Winning a head-to-head matchup doesn’t automatically mean a team ranks higher when you have 5 games of evidence to weigh. Here’s where every CFL team stands going into Week 7.

Table of contents

• 9. Ottawa Redblacks
• 8. Hamilton Tiger-Cats
• 7. BC Lions
• 6. Toronto Argonauts
• 5. Calgary Stampeders
• 4. Winnipeg Blue Bombers
• 3. Edmonton Elks
• 2. Saskatchewan Roughriders
• 1. Montreal Alouettes

9. Ottawa Redblacks

Coach Ryan Dinwiddie has not done enough to take this team to the next level. The hope was that quarterback Jake Maier, combined with free agent investments like running back Greg Bell and Micah Awe, would push the Redblacks toward .500 at the end of the season. That hasn’t happened, as Ottawa sits at 0-5. Dinwiddie is finding out that a high-priced running back doesn’t mean much without an offensive line to open lanes. 

Maier isn't attacking downfield enough, instead throwing short before the sticks, and failing to bail the team out when things get murky. Even when the Redblacks grabbed a 10-0 lead against the Saskatchewan Roughriders thanks to a couple of turnovers, they couldn’t sustain it. Now that Dru Brown has shown he can be successful with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, the question lingers: did Dinwiddie make the right call? I’m not convinced.

8. Hamilton Tiger-Cats

A couple of weeks ago, Hamilton would have been ranked 1st or 2nd. Bo Levi Mitchell was cooking, throwing as many touchdowns as incompletions across a 2-week stretch. He broke and/or dislocated his ankle against the Blue Bombers, which required surgery, and everything changed. 

Jake Dolegala got the start against Saskatchewan and was terrible. The game was 18-7 at the beginning of the fourth quarter before it spiraled out of control with multiple turnovers. Coach Scott Milanovich seems confident Mitchell could return by season’s end, but if the Tiger-Cats don’t weather the storm, the playoffs won’t even be within their grasp. Despite signing this offseason to be the No. 2, Trey Ford wan't trusted enough to start, as the team chose Dolegala over him. Until Hamilton finds stability at quarterback, things will likely get worse.

7. BC Lions

Nathan Rourke has done a solid job trying to keep this team afloat despite a defense that has been dreadful. The Lions are 5th in points scored but 6th in points allowed, and that gap of scoring 30.8 while surrendering 34.3 is frustrating. Much of that damage came in a blowout loss to the Tiger-Cats, while a rouge against Saskatchewan in the season opener cost them a potential game-tying field goal. The defense needs to stop giving up big plays. If it can stabilize, Rourke, the 2025 Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Canadian, should be able to carry the offense with James Butler, Keon Hatcher, and Justin McInnis flanking him.

6. Toronto Argonauts

The Argonauts are higher on this list than they would be on most because of what Chad Kelly is doing offensively. He is attacking vertically and exploiting coverages down the field. Unfortunately, he’s making too many mistakes and has thrown almost as many interceptions as touchdowns. Even so, the explosive passing game is this team’s calling card. 

The offense is second in the league at 34.2 points per game, while the defense is the league’s worst at 36.6. If Toronto can get that number of points allowed down to around 30, the Argonauts can go on a run. It doesn't help that they won’t play a home game for another 3 weeks. Their first 7 games are all on the road, a brutal stretch partly self-inflicted by ownership’s unwillingness to invest in an alternate venue due to displacement from the World Cup.

5. Calgary Stampeders

The Stampeders have been inconsistent despite that massive game from Vernon Adams Jr. against the Argonauts, as he scored 7 total touchdowns, something Doug Flutie never did in Calgary. They are the No. 1 scoring offense, but No. 7 in scoring defense, and that inconsistency is what keeps them down this low. Right now, the Stampeders are coming off a loss to the Montreal Alouettes. The defensive line, led by Clarence Hicks, Folarin Orimolade, and Jalen Hutchings, needs to generate more pressure to make life easier on the secondary. If they put it all together, they’re a real Grey Cup contender.

4. Winnipeg Blue Bombers

This ranking is higher than it would have been before the Dru Brown game. When Brown stepped in, he was excellent: 25-of-31 for over 300 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. He would have had a second touchdown if not for a fumble inside the 5-yard line by Pokey Wilson on the opening drive. 

Brown threw with touch, zip, precision, and timing. With Zach Collaros at quarterback, he wasn't doing any of those things. Winnipeg is last in the league in points scored at 22 per game. Brown’s one start? 31 points. Collaros went down with a neck injury against the Tiger-Cats, and it looks like more of a neck strain since he’s already back at practice. This defense is tied for second in the CFL at 24.4 points allowed per game. If Brown can provide offensive consistency alongside Brady Oliveira and those receivers, the Bombers are still a Grey Cup contender.

3. Edmonton Elks

Coach Mark Killam has done an outstanding job. In previous years, the Elks were starting in brutal fashion, including a 1-7 start last year. Killam’s mandate was to stop the slow starts that forced late-season surges, and he delivered. Edmonton beat the defending Grey Cup runner-up, Montreal Alouettes, and started 4-1. Cody Fajardo is not the most dynamic quarterback, but he leads an offense that is capable, gutsy, and makes the right decisions. Justin Rankin could become the first CFL player ever to record 1,000 receiving and rushing yards in the same season. The energy around this team is different. They are explosive, gritty, and mentally tough. The Elks are real Grey Cup contenders.

2. Saskatchewan Roughriders

At 40 years old, quarterback Trevor Harris is still finding receivers down the field and attacking small windows. Kian Shaffer-Baker, Samuel Emilus, and Keshawn Johnson are arguably the best wide receiver trio in the league. A.J. Ouellette is back, and his return made a noticeable difference against the Tiger-Cats with a major explosion in the fourth quarter. The defense is third in points allowed and fourth in points scored, though it will allow opponents to sustain drives a little too often. Because so much of Harris’ game is built on pocket savvy and evasion rather than scrambling, interior pressure could be the blueprint to slow Saskatchewan down.

1. Montreal Alouettes

Davis Alexander might be winning Most Outstanding Player this year. He has been dynamite in every game, attacking vertically and finding Tyson Philpot, who has nearly 800 yards receiving through 5 games and is on pace to break records. Travis Theis has stepped up at running back, Alexander Hollins has been a capable receiver, and Tyler Snead looks like an alpha on the outside, which makes that wide receiver corps dangerous. 

Defensively, Montreal is average, allowing 30.8 points per game and ranking 5th in the CFL, which is down from their previous seasons. The Alouettes are the No. 3 offense at 34 points per game, and that has been enough to win football games, mainly due to Alexander's explosive passing. They have made things harder on themselves than necessary, including needing a late stop against Ottawa in a 27-22 win. The defense, led by Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund, needs to maintain leads more consistently. Even so, this is the best team in the CFL, and it shouldn’t be much of a surprise.

This article was originally published on A to Z Sports. Read the full story here: CFL Week 7 Power Rankings: Montreal Alouettes hold top spot, Dru Brown shakes up Winnipeg Blue Bombers

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