We’re just days away from the Canada Day long weekend, and that means a full slate of CFL action for bettors.
The action starts Thursday with the BC Lions hosting the Edmonton Elks, followed by the Montreal Alouettes visiting the Toronto Argonauts on Friday night.
On Saturday, the winless Winnipeg Blue Bombers will visit the Calgary Stampeders and the Week 4 schedule concludes with the Ottawa Redblacks hosting the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday.
Alouettes to repeat as Grey Cup champions
Here’s a look at the latest CFL Grey Cup outright odds, followed by our Week 4 betting preview:
| Team | bet365 | Sports Interaction | NorthStar Bets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montreal Alouettes | +275 | +350 | +275 |
| Toronto Argonauts | +300 | +550 | +400 |
| BC Lions | +350 | +375 | +350 |
| Saskatchewan Roughriders | +500 | +800 | +650 |
| Winnipeg Blue Bombers | +525 | +375 | +550 |
| Ottawa Redblacks | +1600 | +1200 | +1800 |
| Calgary Stampeders | +1600 | +1800 | +1800 |
| Edmonton Elks | +2800 | +2100 | +3500 |
| Hamilton Tiger-Cats | +2800 | +2000 | +3300 |
Edmonton Elks @ BC Lions – June 27
Best moneyline odds: Elks +300 (PROLINE +), Lions -333 (888)
Best spread odds: Elks +8.5 (-120 @ PROLINE +), Lions -7 (-112 @ Pinnacle)
Best over/under odds: Over 52.5 points (-110 @ Sports Interaction), Under 53.5 points (-105 @ Betway)
The big storyline coming into this matchup is the health of Lions quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., who is listed as questionable on the team’s injury report with an abdominal injury. Head coach Rick Campbell said Tuesday, “I think he’s going to play.” However, the team is being cautious with their pivot, who led the team to 500 net yards of offence last week.
Receiver Alexander Hollins erupted for 215 yards on seven catches with two touchdowns last week against Winnipeg and has emerged as Adams Jr.’s deadliest receiving option. BC is averaging 346 yards through the air over its first three games, the most in the league.
Elks quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson was named the CFL’s top performer in Week 3 after throwing for 342 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. After a brief hiatus, the veteran has adjusted well back to the CFL game, but that hasn’t resulted in wins for the 0-3 Elks.
Edmonton has failed to establish any kind of a rushing presence, averaging a league-worst 48.7 yards per game on the ground. The squad has also failed to stop the run, allowing 109 yards per game to the opposition.
However, the Elks have allowed just 262.7 yards per game through the air, but the secondary will be tested against the pass-happy Lions.
Pick: Edmonton has done a good job of keeping games very close despite being winless, losing those three games by an average of 4.6 points. With injury concerns surrounding Adams Jr., take the Elks to cover at the best number you can find (currently +8.5 at PROLINE +).
Montreal Alouettes @ Toronto Argonauts – June 28
Best moneyline odds: Alouettes -160 (Caesars), Argonauts +155 (PROLINE +)
Best spread odds: Alouettes -2.5 (-132 @ PROLINE +), Argonauts +3.5 (-115 @ Bet99)
Best over/under odds: Over 50.5 points (-110 @ Sports Interaction), Under 51.5 points (-118 @ PROLINE +)
How about those 3-0 Alouettes? They’ve now won 11 straight games dating back to their championship run last year and are showing no signs of slowing down.
Quarterback Cody Fajardo is playing with confidence, throwing for 393 yards and three touchdowns in Week 3 against Ottawa. He now has seven touchdown passes to just one interception through three games, and he’s developing some awesome chemistry with Tyson Philpot, who already has 340 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Defensively, Montreal is holding opponents to a league-low 17.7 points and 340.3 yards per game.
Surprisingly, Toronto has started the season 2-0 despite not having their QB1, Chad Kelly, at the helm. After walking away with an eight-point victory as four-point underdogs in their season opener against BC, the Argos survived a 39-36 shootout with Bethel-Thompson and the Elks in Week 3.
Cameron Dukes is getting the job done at quarterback in Kelly’s absence, throwing for five touchdowns and rushing for two more while avoiding throwing an interception through two games.
The team is rushing the ball well, averaging 145.5 yards on the ground per game. Veteran tailback Ka’Deem Carey seems to be fitting in nicely since coming over from Calgary, averaging 4.8 yards per carry with two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving).
Pick: Take the Als on the moneyline here, but shop around and get the best price you can. This game should be close, but Montreal’s nasty defence should make it a tough day for Dukes and the Argos.
Bet on Alouettes vs. Argonauts
Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ Calgary Stampeders – June 29
Best moneyline odds: Blue Bombers -167 (Betway), Stampeders +170 (888)
Best spread odds: Blue Bombers -3 (-113 @ Pinnacle), Stampeders +4.5 (-105 @ 888)
Best over/under odds: Over 46.5 points (-111 @ 888), Under 47.5 points (-110 @ BetRivers)
Who would’ve predicted the Blue Bombers, the benchmark for success in the league for the last several years, would start 0-3 straight-up and 0-3 against the spread? Nobody. But injuries have ravaged this team on the offensive side of the ball.
Receiver Dalton Shoen didn’t practice Tuesday due to a knee injury and is questionable. And stud receiver Kenny Lawler is still out with a broken arm. That doesn’t leave many receiving options for quarterback Zach Collaros, who has shockingly failed to throw a touchdown pass through three games while being intercepted three times.
Winnipeg’s offence is averaging a league-worst 18.3 points per game and its defence is ranking in the middle of the pack in most statistical categories.
The Stampeders are coming off a bye week, so they’ve had plenty of time to rest up and prepare for this home showdown with the Bombers. Sitting at 1-1 after two games, Calgary now faces arguably the toughest portion of its schedule with two games against Winnipeg, one against Montreal, and one against BC over the next four weeks.
Quarterback Jake Maier is showing progression this season, throwing just one interception to four touchdowns while boasting the third-highest QB efficiency rating in the league (123.9).
Pick: I think Winnipeg finds a way to salvage a win here to avoid going 0-4. It likely won’t be pretty, but take the hobbled Bombers on the moneyline.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats @ Ottawa Redblacks – June 30
Best moneyline odds: Tiger-Cats +100 (888), Redblacks -113 (Pinnacle)
Best spread odds: Tiger-Cats +1.5 (-110 @ Bet99), Redblacks +1.5 (-132 @ PROLINE +)
Best over/under odds: Over 51.5 points (-106 @ Pinnacle), Under 51.5 points (-110 @ BetRivers)
It’s not a good sign when Bo Levi Mitchell is healthy, and the Tiger-Cats are still 0-3.
The veteran quarterback was intercepted three times, and he fumbled in the Saskatchewan end zone in the third quarter last week, so it might not be too long before Taylor Powell, who got plenty of snaps last year while Mitchell was injured, gets handed the keys to the offence.
Hamilton has tried to identify itself as a run-first team, but its leaky defence isn’t helping the cause by giving up early points, forcing the Ticats to abandon their game plan and throw more. In Week 1, James Butler was able to rush for 119 yards against Calgary, but he was shut down by Saskatchewan in consecutive weeks, managing just 37 yards on the ground total across the two contests.
The Redblacks are looking like an improved team this year, capturing a win in their home opener against the Bombers before being humbled by the Alouettes on the road last week. We should know more about this team after this week’s showdown with the Ticats.
They’ve been very good against the run, allowing just 69 yards per game to this point, but opponents have thrown successfully against them to the tune of 339.5 yards per game. Only the Argos have allowed more passing yards per game than Ottawa.
Pick: With the Alouettes and Argos off to perfect starts, this is a very important game for Hamilton. The Ticats should show some urgency here, as they don’t want to fall too far out in the East Division standings this early on. A veteran like Mitchell usually bounces back from a poor game, so take Hamilton at even money to win outright.
