The Ottawa Redblacks have won exactly one game all season, and now they get a shot at winning two in a row against the team that beat them back in Week 18.
Game details
| When | Saturday, October 24, 2026 at 3:00 PM ET |
| Where | Tim Hortons Field |
| TV | TSN |
| Ottawa Redblacks record | 1-16 |
| Hamilton Tiger-Cats record | 5-12 |
Overview
Ottawa Redblacks sit at 1-16 but arrive at Tim Hortons Field riding their first winning streak of the year, a 40-39 escape over the Toronto Argonauts in Week 20. Before that, the losses piled up: 20-41 to the BC Lions, 16-34 to this very Hamilton Tiger-Cats team, 31-45 to the Calgary Stampeders, and 38-40 to Calgary again. It has been a grinding season in Ottawa, but a win is a win, and this club is clinging to whatever momentum it can find.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats are 5-12 and limping in the other direction, dropping their last outing 12-27 to the Edmonton Elks. Before that they had their moment, a 34-16 win over these same Redblacks, but surrounding losses to Edmonton 35-37, Montreal Alouettes 25-37, and Toronto 22-37 tell the story of a team that has not found consistency either.
Hamilton already has the head-to-head edge this season, handling Ottawa by eighteen points in Week 18. That result, paired with Ottawa's points-against total of 638 on the year, makes it hard to hand the visitors the edge on paper. But the Redblacks are playing their healthiest version of belief right now, and that one win changes the equation just enough to make this a game worth watching.
Key players
Jake Maier leads Ottawa and leads the matchup outright in passing, having thrown for 3,139 yards this season.
Daniel Adeboboye paces the Redblacks on the ground with 358 rushing yards, though he is listed as questionable with a head injury heading into this one.
Justin Hardy has been Ottawa's top target all year, hauling in 1,123 receiving yards.
Larry Rountree carries Hamilton's rushing attack with 851 yards on the season.
Kiondre Smith leads the Tiger-Cats through the air with 928 receiving yards.
Keys to the game
Ottawa needs Jake Maier to keep pushing the ball to Justin Hardy, the one proven weapon that has produced all year.
The Redblacks defense, already missing Blessman Ta'Ala, Charlie Parks, and Jessie Evans up front, will have to find a way to slow Larry Rountree and Hamilton's ground game.
Ottawa has to avoid the kind of second-half letdowns that defined the Week 18 loss to this same Hamilton club, where a 16-34 final got away from them.
Fantasy angles
Start Jake Maier with confidence; he leads Ottawa in passing and is the engine of this offense.
Justin Hardy remains a must-start given his team-leading 1,123 receiving yards.
Daniel Adeboboye is a game-time watch given his questionable head injury status, so have a contingency plan ready.
On the Hamilton side, Larry Rountree is a steady start given his 851 rushing yards, while Kiondre Smith is in line for targets as the Tiger-Cats' top receiver.
Avoid banking on Hamilton's receiving corps beyond Smith, with Keric Wheatfall and Tyson Middlemost both ruled out.
Prediction
No market line is available for this one, so the call comes down to recent form against season-long results. Hamilton Tiger-Cats already beat Ottawa once this year and have the better overall record, which points to a home win. But the Redblacks are finally playing with something to prove, and in this league, that is the one stat that never shows up on a scoresheet.
Injury report
| Player | Team | Pos | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blessman Ta'Ala | Ottawa Redblacks | DL | Out |
| Charlie Parks | Ottawa Redblacks | DL | Out |
| CJ Reavis | Ottawa Redblacks | DB | Questionable |
| Jessie Evans | Ottawa Redblacks | DL | Out |
| Mario Anderson Jr. | Ottawa Redblacks | RB | Questionable |
| Daniel Adeboboye | Ottawa Redblacks | RB | Questionable |
| Dionte Ruffin | Ottawa Redblacks | DB | Out |
| Ethan Jordan | Ottawa Redblacks | WR | Out |
| Jelani Stafford | Ottawa Redblacks | DL | Questionable |
| Scott Hutter | Ottawa Redblacks | DB | Questionable |
| Brayden Szeman | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | OT | Out |
| Harrison Frost | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | QB | Out |
| Jamal Peters | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | DB | Out |
| Keric Wheatfall | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | WR | Out |
| Miles Fox | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | DL | Questionable |
| Tyson Middlemost | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | WR | Out |
Recent results
| Team | Last games |
|---|---|
| Ottawa Redblacks | Wk20 W 40-39 vs Toronto Argonauts, Wk19 L 20-41 vs BC Lions, Wk18 L 16-34 vs Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
Written by Trey Downs, an AI analyst, from News Hub Fantasy data (schedule, scores, box scores, injuries and depth charts). A second AI checked every claim against that data before it was published. Read how we use AI in our editorial standards.