CFL Betting Notes – Week 11
VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert
Ottawa remained the only CFL team in the East Division to post a straight-up winning record this season with Friday’s 44-21 victory against Winnipeg as a 6 ½-point road underdog. Saturday’s doubleheader of games in Week 10 started with another upset when Toronto snuck past British Columbia 24-23 as a three-point underdog at home.
Later that night, Edmonton hammered Montreal 40-24, but the Eskimos could not cover a massive 19-point spread on the closing line as home favorites. Week 10 in the CFL came to a close on Sunday with Calgary’s stunning 40-27 loss to Saskatchewan as a 6 ½-point road favorite. That is why they play the games with the underdogs going 3-1 SU and a perfect 4-0 ATS in last week’s CFL action.
Thursday, Aug. 23
Edmonton Eskimos (6-3 SU, 3-6 ATS) at Hamilton Tiger-Cats (3-5 SU, 3-4-1 ATS)
Point-spread: Hamilton -1 ½
Total: 57
Game Overview
The Eskimos moved into sole possession of second place in the West Division with Saturday night’s SU win, but they have failed to cover in four of their last six games. The total went well OVER the 50 ½-point closing line in that game after staying UNDER or ending as a PUSH in four of their previous five contests. Mike Reilly continues to throw the ball all over the field with 424 yards passing in Week 10 to raise his league-high total passing yards to 3,046 in nine games.
Hamilton went into last week’s bye with just one SU win in its last five games while going 1-3-1 ATS during this same slide. The total has stayed UNDER in five of its first eight games. One of the Tiger-Cats three victories this season (SU and ATS) was a 38-21 upset over Edmonton in Week 2 as 6 ½-point underdogs on the road. Jeremiah Masoli completed 19-of-29 passing attempts for 332 yards and three touchdowns in that first meeting.Betting Trends
-- Edmonton has won four of the last five meetings SU, but the Tiger-Cats have a 4-1-1 edge ATS in the last six meetings in this inter-division clash. The total has stayed UNDER in five of the last six matchups played in Hamilton.
Friday, Aug. 24
Toronto Argonauts (3-5 SU, 4-4 ATS) at Montreal Alouettes (1-8 SU, 4-5 ATS)
Point-spread: Toronto -6
Total: 50 ½
Game Overview
The defending Grey Cup Champs may have saved their season with last week’s upset after getting past Ottawa 42-41 in dramatic fashion on Aug. 2 to snap a SU three-game skid. The Argonauts have covered ATS in four of their last six games and the total has gone OVER in three of their last four contests. McLeod Bethel-Thompson once again got the start at quarterback against BC and he completed 18-of-29 passing attempts for 260 yards and a score.
Montreal had to turn to Antonio Pipkin as the starter against Edmonton in light of its depleted ranks at quarterback. He completed 56 percent of his 25 passing attempts for 217 yards. He threw one touchdown pass against one interception. Johnny Manziel’s playing status for this Friday’s game remains day-to-day with him in concussion protocol. The Alouettes have been the lowest scoring team in the CFL this season with an average of 16 points per game.
Betting Trends
-- Toronto has a slight 3-2 edge both SU and ATS in the last five meetings after winning the last two matchups in the East Division rivalry in 2017. The total has stayed UNDER or ended as a PUSH in eight of the last 10 games between the two.
Saturday, Aug. 25
Winnipeg Blue Bombers (5-4 SU, 5-3-1 ATS) at Calgary Stampeders (7-1 SU, 5-3 ATS)
Point-spread: Calgary -8 ½
Total: 53 ½
Game Overview
The Blue Bombers recent three-game SU winning streak came to an end with Friday’s loss to Ottawa. The total went well OVER the closing 54 ½-point line in that game and it has gone OVER in six of their first nine games this season. One of the reasons for the results on the total line is an offense that is averaging 32.1 PPG as the highest scoring team in the league. The 44 points allowed in Week 10 was the first time Winnipeg gave up more than 23 points in any of their last six games.
Calgary’s slow start out of the gate on Sunday led to a 24-6 deficit at the half that it could never close. Stampeders’ quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell still threw four touchdown passes in that game, but their defense looked uncharacteristically soft after holding opposing teams to fewer than 22 points in each of their first seven games. Calgary has now failed to cover in three of its last four games with the total going OVER in two of its last three contests.
Betting Trends
-- Calgary has beaten Winnipeg SU in 14 of the last 16 meetings on its home field. However, it has failed to cover in four of its last five home games against the Blue Bombers. The total has gone OVER in four of the last six meetings overall.
Saskatchewan Roughriders (4-4 SU, 4-4 ATS) at British Columbia Lions (3-5 SU, 5-3 ATS)
Point-spread: BC -2 ½
Total: 52
Game Overview
Kudos to Saskatchewan for executing the perfect game plan in Sunday’s stunning upset. It went on to outplay its West Division rivals in every phase of the game. Zach Collaros looked sharp throwing the ball with a 73.5 completion percentage on 34 passing attempts. He ended the game with 270 total passing yards and the Roughriders added another 112 yards running the ball. However, most of the credit for Sunday’s victory goes to the team’s play on the other side of the ball.
The Lions had been able to cover in their four previous games as part of a SU 2-2 record. Saturday’s loss to Toronto stayed UNDER the 50 ½-point closing line and it has stayed UNDER or ended as a PUSH in four of BC’s last five games. Travis Lulay completed 21 of his 34 passing attempts against Toronto for 285 yards and one touchdown pass, while Jeremiah Johnson carried the ball 11 times for 60 yards and another score.
Betting Trends
-- The home team has won the last three meetings SU, but Saskatchewan has covered ATS in eight of the last 10 games in this West Division tilt. The total has stayed UNDER in three of the last four meetings.
Cfl News
