We’re moving on to Week 7 of the CFL regular season with four matchups that should be closely contested.
There will be a doubleheader on Friday with the Edmonton Elks visiting the Ottawa Redblacks, and the late game will feature the Saskatchewan Roughriders hosting the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. On Saturday, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats will host the Toronto Argonauts, and the BC Lions will close out the week on Sunday when they visit the Calgary Stampeders.
All four games on the Week 6 slate played over the total, with the teams combining to score an average of a whopping 64.7 points per game! The over is cashing at a 58% clip overall this season.
Both the Montreal Alouettes and Roughriders suffered their first respective losses of the season in Week 6, which means every team in the league now has at least one loss. Two teams, the Tiger-Cats and Elks, are winless with identical 0-5 records.
Here’s a look at the latest CFL Grey Cup outright odds, followed by our Week 7 betting preview:
| Team | bet365 | Sports Interaction | NorthStar Bets |
|---|---|---|---|
| BC Lions | +210 | +210 | +200 |
| Montreal Alouettes | +230 | +250 | +250 |
| Toronto Argonauts | +475 | +500 | +550 |
| Saskatchewan Roughriders | +500 | +550 | +600 |
| Winnipeg Blue Bombers | +550 | +825 | +900 |
| Ottawa Redblacks | +1500 | +1800 | +1600 |
| Calgary Stampeders | +2200 | +2200 | +2000 |
| Edmonton Elks | +10000 | +6000 | +8000 |
| Hamilton Tiger-Cats | +10000 | +6000 | +6600 |
Edmonton Elks @ Ottawa Redblacks – July 19
Best moneyline odds: Redblacks -144 @ FanDuel, Elks +135 @ Betway
Best spread odds: Redblacks -2.5 (-108) @ Pinnacle, Elks +2.5 (-102) @ FanDuel
Best over/under odds: Over 53.5 points (-106) @ PROLINE +, Under 53 points (-105) @ Pinnacle
Edmonton’s 0-5 start has resulted in head coach and general manager Chris Jones being fired. Geroy Simon is the new interim general manager, and quarterbacks coach Jarious Jackson has been promoted to interim head coach. There was tremendous pressure on the coaching staff and players coming into this season to improve upon the 4-14 campaign from a year ago, and although the team has played much better recently, the results haven’t followed. Edmonton hasn’t lost by more than eight points in a single game this year, and each of its last three losses have been on late field goals. With a little luck, the Elks easily could’ve had a few wins in their pocket.
Ottawa is a very respectable 3-2 after last week’s 37-34 win over the Elks in Edmonton. The teams soared over the posted 51-point total by 20 points in that contest and we can expect a similar type of shootout again in this week’s rematch in Ottawa. Both of these teams have awful defences, with Edmonton allowing an average of 30.4 points per game and the Redblacks coughing up 29.4 points per game. Redblacks quarterback Dru Brown erupted for 480 passing yards and two touchdowns against Edmonton’s putrid secondary last week, and he should have success throwing the ball again this time around.
Pick: Over 53.5 points.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ Saskatchewan Roughriders – July 19
Best moneyline odds: Blue Bombers -150 @ Betway, Roughriders +135 @ PROLINE +
Best spread odds: Blue Bombers -2.5 (-110) @ bet365, Roughriders +4.5 (-132) @ PROLINE +
Best over/under odds: Over 49.5 points (-110) @ Caesars, Under 50.5 points (-109) @ Pinnacle
After starting the season 0-4, the Blue Bombers have righted the ship with back-to-back wins. Quarterback Zach Collaros, who shockingly failed to throw a single touchdown pass over his first five games, got on the board with a pair of touchdown passes last week against Calgary to help his team put 41 points on the board. Collaros was also intercepted twice, though, bringing his season total to six interceptions thrown through six games. Ontaria Wilson was his favourite target, with the receiver hauling in 13 catches for an impressive 201 yards and a touchdown to earn a CFL Honour Roll distinction for Week 6.
The Roughriders suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of the Lions last week as they tried to hold things together without their starting quarterback Trevor Harris, who is recovering from a MCL sprain. Through parts of three games this year, Harris completed 72% of his passes for 872 passing yards with seven touchdowns and three picks. The good news it that Shea Patterson has looked decent filling in for Harris, throwing for 278 yards against BC’s solid defence last week. Saskatchewan’s goal will be to hold the fort and play .500 football until its veteran starting quarterback can return from injury.
Pick: Bombers moneyline.
Toronto Argonauts @ Hamilton Tiger-Cats – July 20
Best moneyline odds: Argonauts -200 @ Betway, Tiger-Cats +188 @ FanDuel
Best spread odds: Argonauts -2.5 (-139) @ PROLINE +, Tiger-Cats +5.5 (-118) @ TonyBet
Best over/under odds: Over 52.5 points (-110) @ NorthStar Bets, Under 53.5 points (-106) @ PROLINE +
The Argonauts must be feeling pretty good about themselves after handing Montreal its first loss of the season last week. They cruised to a 37-18 victory as seven-point underdogs after knocking out Alouettes quarterback Cody Fajardo with an injury early in the contest. Toronto elected to run the ball down Montreal’s throat, rushing 35 times for 183 yards, a strategy that paid off handsomely and allowed it to dominate in time of possession. The Argos are 3-2 on the season and sit second in the East Division behind Montreal. They seem to be coping just fine without suspended QB1 Chad Kelly, who should return later in the season and make them a real force heading into the playoffs.
The Tiger-Cats are coming off a bye week following an embarrassing 44-28 loss to the Lions at home in Week 5. BC put up 34 points in the first half of that contest, with quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. absolutely shredding Hamilton’s secondary in the process. Hamilton’s defence is allowing a league-worst 33.8 points per game and now it will face Toronto’s league-leading rushing attack (135.6 yards per game). Offensively, the Tiger-Cats have been lopsided, with quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell leading the offence to an average of 400.4 total yards per game (second in the CFL). While the passing attack has been proficient, they’ve struggled to establish the run with James Butler, with the team averaging a league-worst 64 yards per game on the ground.
Pick: The winless Tiger-Cats need to win this game at home against their hated rivals. They may not have what it takes to get the job done, but it should at least be a close game. Take the Tiger-Cats +5.5 or as many points as you can get.
BC Lions @ Calgary Stampeders – July 21
Best moneyline odds: Lions -217 @ TonyBet, Stampeders +190 @ PROLINE +
Best spread odds: Lions -4.5 (-108) @ Pinnacle, Stampeders +5 (-115) @ Betway
Best over/under odds: Over 52.5 points (-110) @ NorthStar Bets, Under 52.5 points (-103) @ PROLINE +
The Lions really look like the best team in the CFL through six weeks of play. They’re 5-1 straight-up and 4-2 against the spread and Adams Jr. is playing at an elite level, throwing for a league-leading 2,203 yards and 12 touchdowns to this point. To put things in perspective, his 2,203 passing yards are 532 more than the next quarterback on the list, Hamilton’s Mitchell. BC is also rushing the ball effectively with veteran William Stanback, who ranks third in the league with 325 total yards on the ground. The result has been an average of an incredible 452.2 yards of total offence per game so far, putting the offence in truly elite territory.
Calgary has managed a 2-3 record despite a brutal schedule to open the campaign that included two games against Winnipeg and tough road games at BC and Montreal. Unfortunately, it won’t get any easier this week with a rematch looming at home against the high-powered lions, who won 26-17 in their first meeting of the season at BC in Week 2. With some easier games on the horizon, the Stampeders could be a .500 team this year despite oddsmakers projecting only around 6.5 wins for them prior to the start of the season.
Pick: I’m surprised the Lions aren’t favoured by more points here. Grab them at -4.5 now before that line moves closer to a touchdown before kickoff on Sunday.
