Week 16 of the CFL season came to an end with a couple of lopsided wins on Thanksgiving Monday. The Edmonton Eskimos beat up on the Montreal Alouettes in a 40-20 win before the Calgary Stampeders took down the Toronto Argonauts by a 48-20 score. Edmonton will have a week off before a key West Division clash with the BC Lions while the Stampeders will look to keep on rolling this week when they host the Alouettes. Here is your CFL betting rundown for week 17.
Friday October 14
Ottawa Redblacks @ Hamilton Tiger-Cats
CFL Betting Odds: Tigers-Cats -3
The Redblacks suffered a couple of substantial blows last Friday when they lost star wide receiver Chris Williams to a torn ACL and then lost to the Saskatchewan Roughriders 32-30 in overtime. Ottawa has dropped consecutive games to fall to 6-7-1 heading into a key clash with a Tiger-Cats team they are battling with for top spot in the East Division. The Redblacks have enough weapons on offense to survive without Williams but it’s never easy to take this type of hit at this point in the season. Adjustments on offense will have to be made. However, it is their defense that is the biggest concern after giving up an average of 36.0 points per game in their last two outings.
Hamilton will have used its bye week to prepare for this showdown, so look for Zach Collaros and company to take advantage in a win that vaults the Tiger-Cats in to top spot in the East division. Hamilton will be rested while Ottawa just isn’t in the best situation right now to go on the road and upset their chief competition.
Pick: Hamilton
Friday October 14
Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ BC Lions
CFL Betting Odds: Lions -5
The Blue Bombers and Lions will clash for the second week in a row as they head to BC to complete the home-and-home this weekend. Matt Nichols threw for 233 yards and two touchdowns to propel Winnipeg to a 37-35 win on Saturday although that game wasn’t without a little controversy as a fumble in the dying seconds of regulation that would have set BC up for a potential game-winning field goal in the final seconds was reviewed and ultimately overruled. The Blue Bombers were fortunate to come out on top in that close call but they might not be as luck this time around on the road against a Lions’ team that can’t afford to give up back-to-back losses to Winnipeg in the West division race. Look for BC to bounce back with a close win at home.
Pick: BC
Saturday October 15
Saskatchewan Roughriders @ Toronto Argonauts
CFL Betting Odds: PICK
The Roughriders are coming off back-to-back wins for the first time this season and looking to make it three in a row against an Argonauts side that has dropped four in a row by double-digit deficits. Drew Willy hasn’t been the savior that Toronto was hoping for and now what had to seem like a very winnable game a month ago on paper isn’t anymore. Darian Durant carved up the Redblacks for 328 yards and two touchdowns in his last outing and should do a number on the Argonauts defense on Saturday with a very good chance to win this game straight up.
Pick: Saskatchewan
Saturday October 15
Montreal Alouettes @ Calgary Stampeders
CFL Betting Odds: Stampeders -15.5
The Stampeders just kept on rolling in Toronto on Thanksgiving Monday with a 48-20 win over Toronto that saw them improve to 13-1-1 on the season. Calgary is clearly the class of the CFL right now and that likely means another lopsided win this weekend over the 4-10 Alouettes. Montreal has a long road ahead of them as they attempt to turn around the fortunes of the franchise but for this week they will have to deal with another double-digit loss on the road against the Stampeders. The Stamps should get the job done here; the only question is whether they’ll do well enough to cover a huge number. Given how they’ve played of late – no team has scored more points than the Stamps and no team has allowed less – and how dysfunctional the Alouettes have been many times this season, the Stamps should cover.
Pick: Calgary
