With only five weeks remaining in the CFL’s regular season, four of the six playoff teams have already been determined.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers, BC Lions, Calgary Stampeders, and Toronto Argonauts will all be competing for the Grey Cup this year, with five other teams in the hunt for the two remaining playoff spots. And the four teams that have already qualified still have plenty to play for this week as they jockey for home advantage throughout the playoffs.
Here’s a look at the latest CFL Grey Cup outright odds, followed by our Week 17 betting preview:
Winnipeg Blue Bombers +125 (opened +300)
Toronto Argonauts +400 (opened +600)
Calgary Stampeders +400 (opened +700)
BC Lions +500 (opened +1300)
Saskatchewan Roughriders +1000 (opened +450)
Montreal Alouettes +1200 (opened +800)
Hamilton Tiger-Cats +4000 (opened +500)
Edmonton Elks +10000 (opened +1500)
Ottawa Redblacks +20000 (opened +2000)
*All odds in this article are from PointsBet.
Sweater Weather = Clutch Time 🧦
The latest #CFL Power Rankings have arrived 👉 https://t.co/AMQ9O33EFP pic.twitter.com/2mWnSJNuMV
— CFL (@CFL) September 26, 2022
Saskatchewan Roughriders @ Winnipeg Blue Bombers (-8, 48 over/under)
Previous matchups:
Week 13 — Winnipeg 20, Saskatchewan 18 (Roughriders covered as 3-point underdogs)
Week 14 — Winnipeg 54, Saskatchewan 20 (Bombers covered as 7-point favorites)
About the Roughriders (6-8 straight up, 7-7 against the spread, 7-6-1 o/u): Saskatchewan has dropped three straight games, and if this losing trend continues, it could fall out of playoff contention quickly.
Fortunately, the Roughriders had a bye last week to regroup, and three starting offensive linemen — captain Dan Clark, Logan Ferland, and Terran Vaughn — appear poised to return to action this week.
Off the field, the team is dealing with a major distraction after third-string quarterback Jake Dolegala was arrested for impaired driving. The team has suspended him for one game.
With only four games remaining, the Roughriders have a daunting schedule to close out the season. After this week’s clash with Winnipeg, Saskatchewan will visit a desperate Hamilton team, which is only four points behind the Roughriders for the final playoff spot, and will then close out the year with a back-to-back set against Calgary.
If the Roughriders can clinch a playoff spot and navigate their way through the first two rounds of the playoffs, they would have a significant home-field advantage in this year’s Grey Cup.
It will be a full house for the 109th #GreyCup!
🗞: https://t.co/zPoJLXuOQI#CFL pic.twitter.com/QNkTJ1BHbI
— CFL (@CFL) September 28, 2022
About the Blue Bombers (12-2 SU, 8-6 ATS, 7-7 o/u): It’s been another storybook season for the Blue Bombers, but there’s still work to be done following a shocking 48-31 loss to Hamilton in Week 15.
It’s the most points the franchise has surrendered in over seven years, so you can bet the players will be out to set the record straight this week after having additional time from a Week 16 bye to stew over the embarrassing loss.
With a win Friday night, Winnipeg can clinch a home playoff date with a victory, or one can also be obtained via a Stampeders loss. The Bombers are 5-1 straight up at home this season and are a perfect 7-0 against West Division opponents.
Sports betting trends:
The under is 10-1 in the past 11 meetings.
The Roughriders are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 meetings.
Winnipeg is 5-2 ATS in its last seven games against opponents with a winning record.
Ottawa Redblacks @ BC Lions (-7, 46.5 o/u)
Previous matchup:
Week 4 — BC 34, Ottawa 31 (Lions covered as 2-point favorites)
About the Redblacks (3-10 SU, 5-8 ATS, 5-8 o/u): Ottawa is mathematically alive in the playoff hunt following a 45-15 loss to the Argonauts at home last week, but the team will likely need to win out in order to secure a spot.
Ottawa is a disaster defensively, ranking in the bottom half of the league in points allowed per game (25.8), total yards allowed per game (379.8), passing yards allowed per game (278.2), and takeaways (10).
The Redblacks are 0-7 at home this season, but they have been a respectable 3-3 on the road.
About the Lions (9-4 SU, 8-5 ATS, 6-6-1 o/u): The unpredictability of quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. makes the Lions a risky bet when he’s under center. He completed just 12 of his 24 pass attempts for 151 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in last week’s 25-11 loss to Calgary, and the dual-threat quarterback racked up just 11 yards on the ground.
And now Adams will be without his top target for the next several weeks after receiver Bryan Burnham fractured his wrist in the loss to the Stampeders. Burnham already missed four games after suffering cracked ribs and a collapsed lung when taking a hit from Toronto defensive back Shaquille Richardson in June. He has 41 catches for 596 yards and four touchdowns this season.
Sports betting trends:
Ottawa is 0-7 ATS in the past seven meetings.
The Redblacks are 4-0 ATS in their last four road games.
The Lions are 1-4 ATS in their last five home games.
Lay your picks on the table!#TotalEnergiesCanada Weekly Picks are out now: https://t.co/VvBwHR8aH7#CFL pic.twitter.com/Nvh6zbo36p
— CFL (@CFL) September 27, 2022
Montreal Alouettes @ Edmonton Elks (+3.5, 54.5 o/u)
Previous matchup:
Week 6 — Edmonton 32, Montreal 31 (Elks covered as 8-point underdogs)
About the Alouettes (6-7 SU, 8-5 ATS, 8-5 o/u): The Alouettes have won four of their last five games to rise to second in the East Division standings and put themselves in playoff position with five games remaining.
And now the team is set to get a huge boost with the impending return of the league’s leading rusher last season, William Stanback. He’s back practicing with the team this week and has an outside shot of suiting up against the Elks, although an Oct. 10 return against the Redblacks is more likely.
Stanback, a CFL All-Star in 2019 and 2021, suffered a devastating ankle injury in the team’s season opener. Without him, the Alouettes’ rushing attack ranks seventh out of nine teams (91.2 yards per game).
❗️Stan(back)❗️
🔥🔥🔥🔥pic.twitter.com/NyunZ7ET1m
— CFL (@CFL) September 27, 2022
About the Elks (4-10 SU, 6-8 ATS, 9-5 o/u): The Elks are three games back of a crossover playoff spot with four to play, and that means they need to run the table to keep their slim postseason hopes alive. Lowly Edmonton is playing much better football lately and has even covered the spread in three of its last five games.
Star receiver Kenny Lawler is back practicing with the team after missing three games with an ankle injury. He’s amassed 849 yards on 51 receptions to go along with five touchdowns in 11 games this season.
Edmonton has lost a CFL record-tying 14 straight home games coming into this matchup. The team hasn’t won at Commonwealth Stadium since October 2019.
Sports betting trends:
Montreal is 4-1 ATS in its last five games.
Edmonton is 13-2 SU in the past 15 meetings.
Toronto Argonauts @ Calgary Stampeders (-6, 52 o/u)
Previous matchup:
Week 11 — Calgary 22, Toronto 19 (Push: Stampeders were 3-point favorites)
About the Argonauts (8-5 SU, 8-4-1 ATS, 7-6 o/u): The East Division-leading Argonauts have won four straight games and secured a home playoff date with last week’s blowout of the Redblacks. Toronto is 0-3, however, against teams that are above .500 right now.
With five games remaining, the Argos don’t have much to play for down the stretch other than securing the first seed in the East, and they may be focused on staying healthy for the playoffs.
About the Stampeders (9-5 SU, 6-7-1 ATS, 9-5 o/u): Calgary’s front office celebrated the team’s recent playoff berth by signing American quarterback Jake Maier Tuesday to a contract extension through the 2024 season.
Maier, who began the year as the backup to veteran Bo Levi Mitchell, has led the team to wins in three of his five starts since taking the starting job from Mitchell in August.
Mitchell’s contract will expire at the end of the season, which means Calgary will likely be moving on from the quarterback who helped the franchise secure Grey Cup wins in 2014 and 2018.
Calgary’s defense recorded five sacks last Saturday night against a Lions offensive line that had allowed the second-fewest sacks in the CFL this season. It was a suffocating performance by a unit that has struggled at times.
Signed, sealed, delivered… he’s [email protected] is a Stampeder through the 2024 [email protected] | #FullOnStamps
— Calgary Stampeders (@calstampeders) September 27, 2022
Sports betting trends:
The Argonauts are 4-0-1 ATS in their last five games.
The under is 4-0 in the past four meetings.
The over is 5-1 in Calgary’s last six home games.
Photo by Marc DesRosiers/USA TODAY
