First place on the line in Hamilton; Burris to start

With only four games remaining, the battle for first place in the East Division will be at the forefront Friday, as the Ottawa RedBlacks visit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Ottawa holds a slim one-point lead over Hamilton, with the teams getting set for a home-and-home series in what could decide who gets a first-round bye in the playoffs the next two weeks. Both teams though come in having lost two straight games.

The RedBlacks are hoping a late season quarterback change will provide the spark needed to get back to the Grey Cup from a year ago. 2015 Most Outstanding Player quarterback Henry Burris returns to the starting lineup, after throwing for two touchdowns off the bench last week against Saskatchewan.

Ottawa scored 22 points in the fourth quarter to force overtime against the Roughriders, but could only muster a single point in the extra frame

In five games this season, Burris has thrown for 1,270 yards and eight touchdowns, but has also thrown six interceptions.

He will be without his top receiver Chris Williams, who is done for the season with a torn ACL. Williams' 1,246 yards were third most in the league, and his 10 receiving touchdowns the most.

Jeremiah Masoli will make the start at quarterback for Hamilton, following Zach Collaros suffering a concussion last week against Calgary.

It has been a revolving door at quarterback for the Ticats this year, as both Collaros and Masoli have seen action in eight games. Still, Hamilton ranks fourth in the league in pass offence, and tied for second in passing touchdowns.

However, turnovers have been the Achilles' heel for Hamilton, where their 36 total turnovers rank second last in the CFL.