The Ottawa Redblacks (5-5-1) have fallen on hard times.

They are 2-5 in their last seven and they’ve had trouble scoring, especially in the opening quarter, putting up only 40 points in the first 15 minutes of a game all season.

This is all good news for the Toronto Argonauts (5-7), who visit Ottawa on Friday (TSN, 7 p.m.) in their last match-up of the CFL regular season after the teams split the first two.

You only need to look at the Trevor Harris to Chris Williams connection to get a sense of where things have dried up offensively.

Williams got off to one of the best starts in CFL history, scoring six touchdowns and collecting 493 yards through the air in the first three games, an average of 164 a game.

Through the next eight games, he scored only two touchdowns and held to 502 yards, an average of 63 per game.

This dry spell sent Williams from first to No. 4 among league leaders in receiving yards.

In the Redblacks’ loss to Calgary last week, Williams had his worst performance of the season, catching one pass for four yards.

“I mean he was on pace to have like 3,000 yards receiving,” Harris told the Star. “But that’s never been done. And there’s a reason for that. It’s not sustainable, especially with how many great receivers we have.”

Ernest Jackson and Greg Ellingson have been Ottawa’s most productive receivers over the last several games.

With 995 yards, the 5-foot-9 Williams will no doubt eclipse the 1,000-yard mark, a milestone he has reached in all four of his CFL seasons.

“I enjoy having the ball in my hands and making big plays for my team,” Williams said. “I definitely want to get back to making more of an impact.”

Williams, 29, said he is self-critical when he doesn’t perform well.

“If you want to be great, you can’t let yourself fall into those little lulls of making excuses,” he said.

Harris also blames himself, such as a pass attempt that could have turned into a long gainer against Calgary.

“I missed him,” Harris said. “That could have gone for 90-some yards. But I just know it’s going to be a matter of time before he has a breakout game.”

Harris added: “We’re not going away from him. It’s just that certain defences every week take away things.”

Harris won’t be facing his mentor and friend Ricky Ray, who fractured his rib on Labour Day against Hamilton. It was first reported that Ray had a punctured lung.

When Harris read about this, he called Ray to offer his support.

“I was just happy to know he wasn’t in grave danger,” Harris said.

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CFL quarterbacks are a fraternity and no one likes to see misfortune come to each other, even though they are fierce rivals.

“When I got hurt earlier this year, I think I heard from most of the starters in the league,” Harris said. “Zach (Collaros) texted me and Ricky reached out to me. When somebody like Zach or Ricky or any quarterback goes down, it’s obviously not a great thing for our league.”

Week 14 schedule

B.C. (8-3) at Edmonton (5-7)

Friday, 10 p.m.

Another loss will be devastating to the Eskimos’ playoff hopes. They’ve lost three straight as a weak defence continues to undermine the third best offence in the CFL. Lions’ QB Jonathon Jennings is coming off one of his best passing performances of the season, collecting 341 yards against the Alouettes. The Lions have signed former Argos and Ticats receiver Terrell Sinkfield, a recent cut of the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings.

Winnipeg (8-4) at Calgary (10-1-1)

Saturday, 4 p.m.

The comeback team of the year is going for its eighth straight victory. During the streak, QB Matt Nichols has thrown only one interception. The Stampeders have a good streak going themselves. They are unbeaten in 11. Bo Levi Mitchell, with 3,936 passing yards, will be the second player after Mike Reilly to go over the 4,000 mark this season. Mitchell was named one of last week’s three top performers by the CFL on Tuesday.

Hamilton (6-6) at Saskatchewan (2-10)

Saturday, 9:30 p.m.

The Tiger-Cats will be looking to get their offence clicking after winning a defensive battle over Montreal. Zach Collaros has thrown four interceptions against only two touchdowns in his last two games. The Roughriders will be without injured 1,000-yard receiver Naaman Roosevelt, who will miss his second straight game.