When Justin Rankin gets the football in his hands, a lot of amazing things tend to happen for the Edmonton Elks. Whether he’s breaking tackles on a run or turning a short pass into a big gain, Rankin’s playmaking stands up with the best in the league. However, after three dominant games, Rankin was shut down on the ground in Week 5 against the BC Lions. Held to only 19 yards on seven carries, the Lions’ defence found a way to shut down the league’s MOP frontrunner at the time. Even though the ground game was restricted, Rankin still found his way to impact the game through the air, grabbing 10 receptions for 100 yards.
From that point forward, Rankin has only reached the 100-yard mark (rushing or receiving) once, a dominant Week 6 performance where he rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns against a winless Ottawa Redblacks team. That shift raises an important question for the Elks offence: does Rankin simply need more carries, or does offensive coordinator Jordan Maksymic need to find smarter ways to get the ball in his hands?
The Workload
Since the BC game, the Elks have utilized Javon Leake heavier into the backfield rotation. With Justin Rankins’ rushing game being ineffective at times, Leake has stepped up and added some nice touches for the Elks. Many have called for Leake to continue to be involved as his speed adds another element to the Elks’ offence.
Nevertheless, Leake’s increased workload hasn’t substantially decreased Rankins’ touches. Through Edmonton’s first four games, Leake added just five carries for eight yards, all coming in Week 1. After that point, Leake has rushed for 25 carries for 178 yards, averaging a very solid 6.8 yards per carry. Although those numbers confirm that Leake is an excellent second option, the workload is not a full split backfield. In the meantime, since the Week 5 game against BC, Rankin has averaged around 10 carries a game, which has fluctuated quite a bit.
The big question is, are the Elks not being creative enough with the play calls, or are the Elks just struggling to execute on the ground?
It is a mix of a lot of factors. Some injuries with the O-line have forced some adjustments, and at times, the offence has been quite predictable with the run game. To unlock the offence’s full potential, offensive coordinator Jordan Maksymic is going to need to be creative with his play calls to keep the defence guessing. Though Rankin’s receiving game has been great, Edmonton needs to continue to find ways to rush the ball with consistency to win high-stakes games down the stretch. When the ground attack is clicking for the Elks, this offence becomes really hard to slow down. They are 4-0 when Rankin runs for 100 yards.
1000/1000
There has never been a player in CFL history who has recorded 1000 rushing yards and 1000 receiving yards in the same season. Going into the 2026 CFL season, Justin Rankin made it his goal to be the first player to do it. After the first three games, he was more than on pace. With eight games remaining, Rankin needs 308 rushing yards and 521 receiving yards to reach the milestone. That breaks down to an average of 38.5 rushing yards and 65.1 receiving yards per game with eight games remaining. The ground side is a very doable bar for Rankin, but hitting the receiving mark is going to need a firm jump from his 47.9 yards per game average. Never count him out.
Rankin Without the Ball
When defences cram the box and throw six or seven men at the line of scrimmage, no running back is going to be able to perform at a consistent level. But the fabulous thing about all the focus being on Justin Rankin on the ground is that a lot of other options open up in the air. Elks quarterback Cody Fajardo has taken advantage, putting together a MOP-type of season while leading the Elks to a 7-3 start. Another example is wide receiver Austin Mack, who is top five in both receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Many of the other Elks pass-catchers have taken advantage as well, like TJ Luther, who is having an outstanding rookie year. It’s safe to say when you have one of the most substantial running backs in the league, other plays open up a lot.
| Completions | Pass Yards | Pass TDs | INTS | Yrd per Pass | ||
| Total | 240 | 336 | 3109 | 17 | 5 | 9.3 |
When teams load the box, it allows quarterbacks to find open receivers more often. Everything opens up nicely, and as soon as defences start guessing, Justin Rankin will run all over them.
The Conclusion
Does Rankin need more touches? The quick answer is yes; when he is running efficiently and making plays through the air, Maksymic needs to feed him the ball.
When teams load the box, offensive coordinator Jordan Maksymic must continue to find creative ways to get Justin Rankin the ball in both the air and on the ground. With all of the talent that the Elks offence has and Rankin’s superstar ability to create explosive plays, there is no reason why Rankin can not get back to being the best back in the league.
