Stampeders QB Vernon Adams Jr. (concussion) ready to start vs. Elks

Vernon Adams Jr. will return under center on Monday when the Calgary Stampeders host the Edmonton Elks in the latest edition of the Battle of Alberta.

Nursing a head injury, Adams was a bystander last week in the Stampeders' 28-23 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Fellow quarterback Josh Love was at the controls last week in his first CFL start, but Adams showed signs of return this week by taking a large number of reps during practice.

"He had most of the practice," Calgary head coach Dave Dickenson said of Adams. "So he's trending in a positive direction, which is nice for us."

The Stampeders (5-6) and West-best Elks (8-3) are playing the first encounter of a back-to-back set. The teams will reconvene in Edmonton on Saturday.

"We're trying to focus on ourselves," Dickenson said. "We've got to beat these teams to get in the playoffs. We've got to find a way to beat the guys ahead of us. They're all ahead of us, so we know what the challenge is."

Dedrick Mills could go a long way toward helping Calgary answer that challenge when he faces a tough Edmonton rush defense.

Mills' 874 rushing yards trail only Winnipeg's Brady Oliveira (956) for the most in the CFL this season, while his seven rushes of at least 20 yards are tied for second place, behind only Edmonton's Justin Rankin (eight) for the lead in that category.

Speaking of the Elks, they have been idle since overcoming a 16-point, first-half deficit in a 22-19 victory over the Blue Bombers on Aug. 21.

"It just shows the championship mentality that we have ... we find a way to find a way," quarterback Cody Fajardo said. "It's not always pretty but they don't ask you ‘how', they ask you ‘how many' at the end of the year."

Fajardo, who has 11 total touchdowns in his past five games, completed 20 of 32 passes for 249 yards versus the Blue Bombers. TJ Luther had seven catches for 85 yards and Rankin rushed for 93 yards to pace Edmonton.

--Field Level Media