Week 13 in the CFL isn’t just any ordinary week on the schedule. It’s a long holiday weekend north of the border in Canada, and that means football will be played on the holiday Monday.
As Labour Day Classic tradition goes, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats will host their Ontario rivals, the Toronto Argonauts, while the Edmonton Elks will travel to Calgary to play the Stampeders in the battle of Alberta on Monday.
The Nathan Rourke-less BC Lions will enjoy a bye week and then return to action next Friday against the Montreal Alouettes. But the Lions still grabbed headlines this week after trading Wednesday for Montreal quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., who should fill the void nicely while Rourke recovers from foot surgery.
Done deal. https://t.co/ub2ZGXy8VR
— Dave Naylor (@TSNDaveNaylor) August 31, 2022
Here’s a look at the latest CFL Grey Cup outright odds, followed by our Week 13 betting preview:
Winnipeg Blue Bombers +130 (opened +300)
BC Lions +375 (opened +1300)
Calgary Stampeders +450 (opened +700)
Toronto Argonauts +700 (opened +600)
Saskatchewan Roughriders +700 (opened +450)
Montreal Alouettes +1100 (opened +800)
Hamilton Tiger-Cats +2200 (opened +500)
Ottawa Redblacks +7500 (opened +2000)
Edmonton Elks +10000 (opened +1500)
*All odds in this article courtesy of PointsBet.
It’s about that time ⛽
Power Rankings ahead of @oktire #LDWeekend are upon us 👉 https://t.co/osZsScfeD1#CFL pic.twitter.com/oxvNvmawEQ
— CFL (@CFL) August 29, 2022
Ottawa Redblacks @ Montreal Alouettes (-5.5, 49 over/under)
About the Redblacks (2-8 straight up, 4-6 against the spread, 3-7 o/u): Ottawa has had a miserable season to this point, but the team is actually playing much better recently, claiming victories in two of its last four games.
The Redblacks are coming off a 25-18 win over Edmonton last Saturday and the team may have finally found some stability at quarterback. Nick Arbuckle, who was acquired from the Elks on July 11 after Jeremiah Masoli was lost to long-term injury, threw for 219 yards and had a 65.6% completion rate to justify his new role as starting quarterback over Caleb Evans.
About the Alouettes (4-6 SU, 6-4 ATS, 7-3 o/u): Montreal notched back-to-back victories over the Blue Bombers and Tiger-Cats, respectively, before its Week 12 bye, and now the team is hoping that positive momentum can carry over to Friday’s clash with Ottawa.
Off the field, though, there’s plenty of drama surrounding the team after Adams was traded to the Lions and minority owner Gary Stern announced he’s stepping away from team operations. And if that’s not enough, fullback Christophe Normand is facing two charges of child luring.
Montreal won 40-33 and covered the spread as a 2.5-point favorite in the only previous meeting this season between these teams back in Week 7.
Sports betting trends:
Ottawa is 5-1 ATS in its past six road games.
The under is 9-1 in the past 10 meetings in Montreal.
Montreal is 0-5 ATS in its past five games coming off a bye week.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ Saskatchewan Roughriders (+4, 45.5 o/u)
About the Blue Bombers (10-1 SU, 7-4 ATS, 5-6 o/u): Winnipeg rebounded from its first loss of the season, to Montreal, with a slim 31-29 win over Calgary last week.
The 10-1 Bombers can clinch a sixth straight playoff spot with a win over the Roughriders this week. And even if they lose to Saskatchewan, it’s still possible for Winnipeg to punch its postseason ticket if Ottawa, Hamilton, and Edmonton all lose their respective games in Week 13.
The Bombers haven’t clashed with the Roughriders yet this season, but the two teams will now battle three times over the next four weeks.
About the Roughriders (6-5 SU, 6-5 ATS, 5-5-1 o/u): Saskatchewan took advantage of a Lions squad without Rourke last week and came away with a 23-16 road victory to get back over .500 on the season.
The team’s potent running game didn’t miss a beat without lead back Jamal Morrow, who is out for up to eight weeks with a broken hand. First-year CFL-er Frankie Hickson filled in admirably, rushing for 129 yards on just 15 carries.
Saskatchewan boasts the league’s best ground game, averaging nearly 110 yards per contest. You can bet the Roughriders will try to control the clock by pounding the rock again this week against Winnipeg.
The Roughriders also have the league’s best pass rush with 34 sacks, so Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros will have to get the ball out quickly in order to have success.
Sports betting trends:
The under is 5-0 in the past five meetings.
Toronto Argonauts @ Hamilton Tiger-Cats (-1.5, 50.5 o/u)
Previous meetings:
Week 9 @ Toronto — Argos 34, Tiger-Cats 20
Week 10 @ Hamilton — Tiger-Cats 34, Argos 27
Week 12 @ Toronto — Argos 37, Tiger-Cats 20
About the Argonauts (5-5 SU, 5-4-1 ATS, 6-4 o/u): These two teams must be sick of each other heading into the highly anticipated Labour Day Classic showdown. Monday will mark the fourth clash in five weeks between the provincial rivals, with the Argos taking two of the three meetings so far. The home team has prevailed in all three of the previous matchups this season and the teams have combined to play over the respective totals in those three games, too.
The Argos outscored Hamilton 27-4 in the second half last week and defensive back Jamal Peters had a massive game with three interceptions.
After 6 games the #Argos found themselves -10 in the turnover category. In the last 4 games they’ve forced 14 turnovers while committing just 4, leaving them even for the season (23/23). In the 3 games against the Ticats they’ve forced 10 turnovers and committed just 1 (+9).
— Mike Hogan (@MikeHoganArgos) August 31, 2022
About the Tiger-Cats (3-8 SU, 3-8 ATS, 7-4 o/u): Dane Evans started at quarterback for the Ticats last week but was replaced by Matthew Shiltz — who got hurt in the second half, forcing Evans back into the game. When the dust settled on the quarterback carousel, the struggling Evans had thrown three picks.
Shiltz is now out for up to six weeks with a wrist injury, making Evans the clear-cut starter this week. The Argos’ secondary clearly has a good read on the Tiger-Cats quarterback, and he can’t be feeling confident about his game heading into yet another battle with Toronto.
However, Hamilton does boast a seven-game winning streak in the annual Labour Day Classic game at Tim Hortons Field against Toronto.
Sports betting trends:
The over is 6-1 in the past seven meetings in Hamilton.
Toronto is 1-5 ATS in its past six games after a win.
Edmonton Elks @ Calgary Stampeders (-12.5, 49.5 o/u)
Previous meetings:
Week 3 @ Calgary — Stampeders 30, Elks 23
Week 5 @ Edmonton — Stampeders 49, Elks 6
About the Elks (3-8 SU, 4-7 ATS, 7-4 o/u): The future looks bleak for the Elks, who dropped a 13th straight home game last week with a loss to the Redblacks.
If Edmonton drops a 14th straight game inside Commonwealth Stadium, the Elks will tie the CFL record for most consecutive home losses (a distinction currently held by the 1988 Ottawa Rough Riders).
But the good news (if there is any) is that this week’s game isn’t being played in Edmonton, but rather Calgary. Surprisingly, the lowly Elks have an aptitude for covering the spread on the road (4-1 ATS in their last five road games).
About the Stampeders (6-4 SU, 4-5-1 ATS, 7-3 o/u): Jake Maier looks to have officially wrangled the QB1 spot from veteran Bo Levi Mitchell. The 25-year-old threw for 294 yards and three touchdowns in last week’s nail biter with Winnipeg and looks poised to finish the season as the new team leader under center.
Defensively, the Stampeders are allowing a league-worst 392 yards through the air per game, which has attributed to their 7-3 o/u mark.
Side note: The Stampeders announced they’ll be wearing a new black alternate uniform for this year’s Labour Day Classic. Giddy up.
Welcome to the Wild West 🤠 pic.twitter.com/TDgCWW8UFA
— Calgary Stampeders (@calstampeders) August 29, 2022
Sports betting trends:
The over is 6-1 in Edmonton’s past seven road games.
The over is 5-0 in the past five meetings.
Edmonton is 4-1 ATS in its last five road games.
Photo: John E. Sokolowski/USA TODAY
