The final week of the CFL season is here and all six playoff seeds have been set. Toronto and Winnipeg have first-round byes, Montreal hosts Hamilton in the East Division Semi-Final, and BC hosts Calgary in the West Division Semi-Final.
With all four of this weekend’s games being inconsequential, bettors should keep an eye out for updated injury reports.
Below, read about my best CFL bets for Week 21.
Kevin Davis’ Record (Tracked by BetStamp App): 47-46, -0.5% Return on Investment, +3.1% Closing Line Value
All CFL odds are current as of Wednesday, Oct. 26, at 2 p.m. ET at the CFL sportsbooks listed.
BC vs Winnipeg Best Bet
BC +4 (-110) at BetRivers Sportsbook
WAGER: .75 Units
Winnipeg decided to hit the cruise control button last week against BC. With a lock on the top seed in the playoffs, the Blue Bombers rested their best players.
The result of this decision was Winnipeg’s iron-clad defense allowing 40 points and getting blown out 27-10 in the first half. This week, both teams play again, and BC is a 4-point underdog.
The big difference between this week and last is that quarterback Nathan Rourke is returning to the Lions. Up until his foot injury, Rourke was the best player in the league this season, and he should use Friday’s meaningless game as a warm-up for the playoffs.
It is hard to work up the courage to bet many units on this game, but BC should win on Friday assuming they give Rourke enough key weapons.
Montreal vs Toronto Best Bet
Toronto Moneyline (-155) at FanDuel Sportsbook
WAGER: .75 Units
Last week’s game between Montreal and Toronto was incredible. It was proof that the CFL rules are better than the NFL rules.
Toronto went into the fourth quarter with a 16-6 lead. Despite this, the Alouettes found a way to tie the score at 23-23, and still lose by a point.
How did Toronto win 24-23? They went for a game-ending 61-yard field goal that Montreal couldn’t return past their end zone, and Toronto got one point for the rouge.
This weekend, both teams meet again, and Toronto should win. Montreal quarterback Trevor Harris had a rare dominant performance last week where he passed for 413 yards, and they still scored only 23 points. This weekend, the Argos should be better prepared for Harris.
Additionally, Toronto quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson had a rare off day where he went just 20-of-29 on passes for 240 passing yards.
With Toronto playing at home and better quarterback play, they should win even in a meaningless game.
Hamilton vs Ottawa Best Bet
Hamilton Moneyline (-115) at PointsBet Sportsbook
WAGER: 1.5 units
Ottawa has been the worst East Division team this season. Hamilton got off to a rough start, but they are 4-1 in their last five games. As a result, they have snuck into the playoffs with a 7-10 record and will be visiting Montreal for the East Division Semi-Final.
Despite all of this, the spread is close to a pick ’em on the road in Ottawa.
The reason why the Tiger-Cats have doubts going into this weekend’s meaningless game is over the status of quarterback Dane Evans. Evans was injured toward the end of last week’s contest, and it was initially expected that he would be missing this week’s game.
The injury concerns appear to be an overreaction, as Evans has been practicing with the team this week. Even if he is unable to play a full half, backup Matt Shiltz is more than capable of filling his shoes.
At (-115) odds, I like Hamilton to win outright and would bet them up to (-135).
Saskatchewan vs Calgary Best Bet
Under 49.5 Points (-110) at BetRivers
WAGER: .5 Units
Who is going to win this weekend Saskatchewan or Calgary? Probably Calgary, but I am not willing to lay -5 or (-200) in such a meaningless game.
What I am willing to do is bet the Under at 49.5 points on Saturday night.
One reason to like the Under is Saskatchewan’s quarterback situation. The Roughriders started the season with quarterback Cody Fajardo, who has underperformed this season. With the Riders’ season on the line last week, they started inexperienced backup Mason Fine.
In his first career start, Fine completed 64.3% of his passes for just 196 yards and a touchdown. To make matters worse for Saskatchewan, they couldn’t get their running game going, as starting running back Jamal Morrow logged a mere 39 rushing yards on eight carries.
Calgary is strong on both sides of the ball, but I see them taking it easy this weekend as they don’t want to jeopardize their players’ health heading into the playoffs.
At 49.5, the total is a few points higher than the typical CFL score this season, and that is why I like the Under.
