After seven weeks, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a perfect 7-0 and the Ottawa Redblacks are still seeking their first win after opening the season 0-6.
The Week 8 schedule is full of divisional matchups with the Edmonton Elks enjoying a bye week.
Here’s a look at the latest CFL Grey Cup outright odds, followed by our Week 8 betting preview:
Winnipeg Blue Bombers +145 (opened +300)
Toronto Argonauts +425 (opened +600)
Calgary Stampeders +450 (opened +700)
BC Lions +450 (opened +1300)
Saskatchewan Roughriders +850 (opened +450)
Montreal Alouettes +1500 (opened +800)
Hamilton Tiger-Cats +1800 (opened +500)
Edmonton Elks +6000 (opened +1500)
Ottawa Redblacks +7500 (opened +2000)
All odds in this article are via PointsBet.
Just win, baby—And the @Wpg_BlueBombers keep on doing it. 😲
📈: https://t.co/8E8kO7wHsy#CFL pic.twitter.com/6SBHH3mjuJ
— CFL (@CFL) July 25, 2022
Montreal Alouettes @ Hamilton Tiger-Cats (-3, over/under 50.5)
About the Alouettes (2-4 straight up, 4-2 against the spread, 5-1 over/under): The Alouettes won an absolute shootout, 40-33, over lowly Ottawa last week to push back into a playoff spot in the East Division despite their subpar 2-4 record. With Toronto sitting as the only team over .500 in the division, Montreal still has plenty to play for in the second half of the season, and motivation remains high despite major injury concerns and personnel changes through the first two months of the season.
📈Here are the numbers from our wild win over Ottawa! We’re now on to Hamilton though…#MontreALS pic.twitter.com/JHbBKlmWnn
— Alouettes de Montréal (@MTLAlouettes) July 22, 2022
About the Tiger-Cats (1-5 SU, 1-5 ATS, 3-3 O/U): Hamilton appears to well positioned for its first meeting with Montreal this season. Two weeks after the Alouettes fired head coach Khari Jones, he joined the Tiger-Cats as a football operations consultant. Jones knows Montreal’s schemes and he’ll certainly be sharing this information with Hamilton’s coaching staff and players before this divisional battle.
The team is also poised to get a big boost from the return of Simoni Lawrence, who has been removed from the injured list and is back practicing with the team after missing time with a groin injury. The linebacker is the heart and soul of the team and his mere presence makes everyone on the field better.
Sports betting trends:
The Alouettes have played over the total in four straight games.
The Tiger-Cats have played over the total in four straight home games.
Hamilton is 0-4 ATS in its last four home games.
BC Lions @ Saskatchewan Roughriders (+2, O/U 49)
About the Lions (4-1 SU, 3-2 ATS, 3-2 O/U): The Lions grinded out a 17-12 home victory over Hamilton last week and quarterback Nathan Rourke wasn’t happy at all with his performance. After taking the league by storm in his first three games, Rourke’s numbers have fallen off considerably in back-to-back weeks, especially from a scrambling perspective.
The Canadian pivot amassed 180 yards on the ground in his first three contests, but has scrambled for just eight yards total in the last two games. He’s also thrown exactly two interceptions in each of the last three games.
Regardless of Rourke’s recent mortal numbers, BC is 4-1 to this point and looks like a legit Grey Cup contender.
“The defence won us the game, I didn’t feel like I played well enough to win this game, not in a professional football game against THAT team.”@Nathan_Rourke breaks down his team’s play after the hard-fought win over Hamilton.
🎥 Post-Game presented by @TheProvince pic.twitter.com/Tu7olop1Mx
— BC LIONS (@BCLions) July 22, 2022
About the Roughriders (4-3 SU, 4-3 ATS, 4-3 O/U): Saskatchewan will be ready to move on from a nightmare Week 7. The team was hit with a COVID-19 outbreak last week, prompting league schedulers to move back the Roughriders’ date with the Argonauts to last Sunday so they could actually field a healthy team. The Riders played without 10 regulars, including starting quarterback Cody Fajardo, and lost by 10 points to Toronto at home.
Bettors will want to monitor the injury report leading up to this Friday night game, but the Riders are hopeful many of the affected starters will be able to return to the field to face the Lions.
Sports betting trends:
The Lions are 1-7 ATS in their past eight meetings with the Roughriders.
The Lions have played over the total in their last four road games.
Saskatchewan is 4-1 ATS in its last five home games.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ Calgary Stampeders (-1, O/U 46)
About the Blue Bombers (7-0 SU, 5-2 ATS, 2-5 O/U): The Bombers are now 7-0, including 4-0 on the road, for the first time since 1960. Winnipeg cruised to a 24-10 win, covering the 7.5-point spread, over Edmonton last week despite quarterback Zach Collaros completing only seven passes, which is a testament to its league-best defense (allowing 16.3 points per game).
The Bombers prevailed 26-19 over the Stampeders in Week 6 at home and covered the 3.5-point spread. But this time Calgary will have home-field advantage, making the Stampeders small favorites at most sportsbooks.
Winnipeg will play just nine games over the final 12 weeks of the CFL regular season due to three bye weeks, and only three of those games will be on the road.
About the Stampeders (4-1 SU, 2-3 ATS, 4-1 O/U): Calgary hasn’t played since its Week 6 loss to Winnipeg due to a bye last week, and will have had two weeks to regroup and game plan for this rematch. Make no mistake, this could be the best chance anyone has of handing Winnipeg its first loss of the season.
The Stampeders are 2-0 at home this season and they’ll need another big game from running back Ka’Deem Carey, who rushed for a whopping 110 yards on just 12 carries in the loss to Winnipeg. Carey was absent from Monday’s team walkthrough and Tuesday’s practice, though, as the team is dealing with COVID and pneumonia issues. Bettors will want to monitor injury reports leading up to kickoff to see if any impactful players are affected.
Sports betting trends:
The Bombers are 4-1 ATS in their past five road games.
The Stampeders are 6-0 ATS in their past six games following an ATS loss.
Calgary has played over the total in five of its past six games.
Upon further review… these picks are good!
Courtesy of #TotalEnergiesCanada ➡️ https://t.co/TXbIiDDPFI#CFL pic.twitter.com/fBuGNFk4Lq
— CFL (@CFL) July 26, 2022
Ottawa Redblacks @ Toronto Argonauts (-5, O/U 47.5)
About the Redblacks (0-6 SU, 2-4 ATS, 3-3 O/U): The winless Redblacks had a chance to force overtime last week against Montreal, but a wide-open Darvin Adams couldn’t catch a routine pass in the end zone. The play personified Ottawa’s season to this point: close, but no cigar.
More troubling, head coach Paul LaPolice is having trouble sorting out his quarterback situation following Jeremiah Masoli’s major leg injury. He may turn to newly acquired Nick Arbuckle to lead the offense this week. Caleb Evans threw for 297 yards and one touchdown while adding 52 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, but LaPolice seems curious to see what Arbuckle can do with the offense.
OH NO! What a way to lose!
Darvin Adams drops a wide-open game-tying TD in the final minute and the Ottawa Redblacks lose 40-33 to the Montreal Alouettes. 😱 #CFL pic.twitter.com/FHE6bmp2PT
— For Future Considerations (@PodcastFFC) July 22, 2022
About the Argonauts (3-2 SU, 3-2 ATS, 3-2 O/U): Toronto is coming off impressive back-to-back victories against Saskatchewan and appears to be rounding into form.
Veteran running back Andrew Harris became the first Canadian, and only the sixth player in CFL history, to reach 10,000 rushing yards after a dominant performance last Sunday, when he rushed for 143 yards and picked up an additional 45 receiving yards.
Beginning Sunday, the Argos will play four of their next five games at BMO Field, where they have only lost twice in the regular season dating back to the start of last season. This week also kicks off a key stretch of divisional games for Toronto, who will play either the Redblacks or Tiger-Cats in seven of the team’s next eight games.
Sports betting trends:
The Redblacks are 0-4 ATS in their past four games in Toronto.
The under is 5-1 in Ottawa’s past six road games.
Toronto is 0-4 ATS in its last four games against opponents with a losing record.
Photo: Sergei Belski/USA TODAY
