Joel Dublanko will make his first career CFL start on Saturday afternoon when the Edmonton Elks host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
The six-foot-two, 231-pound defender was the first overall pick in the 2024 CFL Draft out of the University of Cincinnati after qualifying for Canadian citizenship through his father, who was born in Edmonton. He has recorded seven defensive tackles and 10 special teams tackles over 24 career regular-season games.
The 27-year-old will start at weak-side linebacker in place of Nick Anderson, who has been placed on the six-game injured list. The 25-year-old has appeared in all six games for Edmonton this year, recording 39 defensive tackles and one sack.
Robbie Smith, the highest-paid defensive player in the CFL, will return from injury to start at defensive end. The 28-year-old native of Brampton, Ont. has recorded eight defensive tackles over four games so far this year.
The Elks have also moved Canadian receiver Zach Mathis and Canadian linebacker Michael Brodrique to the six-game injured list. Bryce Cosby, who was signed recently signed by the team, has been placed on the practice roster.
Rookie receiver Binjimen Victor will start at field-side wide receiver in place of Mathis. The six-foot-four, 200-pound native of Pompano Beach, Fla. has caught one pass for four yards in three games for far this season.
The Edmonton Elks (1-5) will host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (5-2) at Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday, August 2 with kickoff slated for 3:00 p.m. EDT. The Tiger-Cats are coming off a 37-33 come-from-behind win over the B.C. Lions, while the Elks allowed eight sacks in a 21-18 loss to the Roughriders in Regina.
The weather forecast in Edmonton calls for a high of 29 degrees with a 30 percent chance of rain. The game will be broadcast on TSN and CTV in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on Ticats Audio Network in Hamilton and 880 CHED in Edmonton.
