A brand new season of CFL football is upon us and that means it’s time to make some money. Last year I had a 35-30-1 record against the spread, so let’s see what we can do to keep the cash flowing in.
Here’s this week’s slate of games:
Hamilton Tiger-Cats (0-0) @ Toronto Argonauts (0-0)
BMO Field provides a fresh battleground for the QEW rivals. Hamilton will be looking to ruin the party as Toronto christens their home field.
Tiger-Cats quarterback Zach Collaros won’t be playing—out with an ACL injury sustained last season—and that’s likely a main reason why the Argonauts have been installed as fairly heavy favourites. Jeremiah Masoli gets the call at QB for Hamilton. The 27-year-old has been in Kent Austin’s offence for three full seasons and knows it well. There are plenty of weapons for Masoli to utilize, as well, with Chad Owens being the most recognizable name as he swapped double blue for Ticat colours in free agency.
Toronto brought in Rich Stubler to run the defence and it takes time for players to become comfortable with what he asks them to do, especially on the back end. So expect Hamilton playmakers Luke Tasker, Terrence Toliver and Argo killer Andy Fantuz to get loose for some big gains that could turn the game in the Ticats’ favour.
Line: Argos -5
Pick: Ticats
Montreal Alouettes (0-0) @ Winnipeg Blue Bombers (0-0)
Canadian running back Andrew Harris pulled up lame with a hamstring injury in practice this week and his status was up in the air as late as Thursday morning, but he’s officially going to start.
Even beyond that good news for Winnipeg, there are reasons to like the Bombers.
Montreal appears set to start a rookie first-round pick, Philippe Gagnon, at right guard and Canuck blocker Jacob Ruby at left tackle. Winnipeg’s defensive front should be able to take advantage of that inexperience with the likes of Jamaal Westerman and Euclid Cummings putting pressure on quarterback Kevin Glenn.
The Alouettes’ defence is also likely to start two first-year players—Ethan Davis and Greg Henderson—when the ball is kicked off at Investors Group Field. Veteran receivers Weston Dressler and Ryan Smith have to like the fact they’ll see some fresh CFL meat.
Line: Bombers -2.5
Pick: Bombers
Ottawa Redblacks (0-0) @ Edmonton Eskimos (0-0)
Edmonton’s ready to raise their 2015 Grey Cup championship banner on Saturday with the team they beat to earn it in the house.
Each franchise underwent changes in the off-season. Most notably, Jason Maas left his offensive coordinator role Ottawa to become the Eskimos’ head coach. That caused a disagreement between the 2015 division winners as the Redblacks felt they should be compensated. Nothing was given to the team in the nation’s capital, however, and that could be top of mind in the Grey Cup rematch.
Maas seems to have players grasping his offence quickly in Edmonton and the up-tempo style could see Mike Reilly and the Eskimos put up points in a hurry. Conversely, Ottawa’s defence lost a number of starters and could be in for a rough start to the season.
Line: Eskimos -6.5
Pick: Eskimos
Catch up on every team in the league with Sportsnet’s 2016 CFL season previews: BC Lions; Calgary Stampeders; Edmonton Eskimos; Saskatchewan Roughriders; Winnipeg Blue Bombers; Hamilton Tiger-Cats; Toronto Argonauts; Ottawa Redblacks; Montreal Alouettes
Stampeders (0-0) @ Lions (0-0)
Calgary handled B.C. easily with a 35–9 victory in the West semi last season. It should be a closer contest this time around.
The Lions upgraded their roster since that loss, which led to Jeff Tedford resigning and Wally Buono—the CFL’s all-time leader in coaching wins—coming back down to the sidelines. Suddenly millennial-friendly, Buono has been allowing music to be played at practice and gives players time for phone breaks.
Dave Dickenson takes the head-coaching reins from John Hufnagel as the CFL Hall of Fame QB embarks on his own era. Dickenson has been around Hufnagel long enough to see how a consistently competitive football team is managed. Winning in a coaching debut doesn’t come easy, but Dickenson is not your typical rookie CFL head coach.
Line: Stampeders -4
Pick: Stampeders