CFL Betting Recap - Week 11
VegasInsider.com
League Betting Notes
Favorites and underdogs went 2-2 straight up in Week 11
Favorites and underdogs went 2-2 against the spread in Week 11
Home and away teams posted a 2-2 record in Week 11
The 'over' and 'under' went 2-2 in Week 11
Team Betting Notes
The shocker of the season came in Sunday's final game, as Winnipeg (2-8) stunned Saskatchewan (8-2) by a 25-13 score. The Blue Bombers, who came in as a nine-point home underdog, entered the week tied with the worst record in the CFL. Winnipeg had failed to cover in their previous three games, including a 48-25 drumming in Regina last weekend.
The Roughriders entered the week with the league's best record overall, and they started the season 5-0 ATS. However, they are now just 1-4 ATS over their past five contests.
Hamilton (4-6) might have a losing record, but they have been a friend to bettors nonetheless. They covered for the fifth straight game in their Week 11 victory over the BC Lions (6-4).
The Lions are a Jekyll and Hyde team. BC has managed an impressive 5-0 record at home, but they have won just once in five trips outside of British Columbia this season.
Calgary (8-2) picked up a hard-fought 22-12 win over pesky Edmonton (1-9). The Stamps have now won three straight games, they have gone 6-2 ATS over their past eight contests, and the 'under' has cashed in three of their past four.
Toronto (6-4) got revenge against Montreal (4-6) with a 37-30 road win, after slipping up at home against the Alouettes last week. The Argonauts have now won three straight road games.
CFL Week 12
Hamilton (5-5) @ Calgary (8-2) — TiCats won four of last five games, covering all five, after 1-4 start when they were 0-5 vs spread; they’re 2-2 as road underdogs, losing away games by 5-37-3 points, with wins at Edmonton/Winnipeg. Stamps three in row and seven of last eight games overall; they’re 3-1 as home favorite this year, winning at home by 12-11-15-3 points- they’ve won six of last seven series games, sweeping Hamilton 31-20/34-32 LY; four of last five series games went over total. TiCats lost last eight visits here, covering twice in last six trips to Calgary, with losses by 28-37-1-31-12-2 points. Over is 4-2-1 in last seven Calgary games, 4-1 in last five Hamilton tilts. Last week was first time in six weeks and only third time this season Calgary had less than two takeaways (+5 turnovers for season).
Winnipeg (2-8) @ Edmonton (1-9) — Not much to choose from here, in matchup of CFL’s doormats. Home side won last 10 series games; Blue Bombers lost last five visits here, by 14-2-3-14-32 points (2-3 vs spread). Under is 7-3-1 in last eleven series games, 3-1 in last four played here. Bombers snapped 7-game skid with home upset of Roughriders last week; they’re 3-2 as road underdogs, losing last four away games by 5-7-23-23 points. Edmonton is favored but hasn’t won since Week 2; five of their last six losses are by 5 or less points. Eskimos are 0-1 as favorites this year, 0-5 SU at home, scoring 17.8 ppg; three of their five home losses are by 10+ points. Under is 3-1-1 in Winnipeg road games, but six of last seven Eskimos games went over the total.
Toronto (6-4) @ Saskatchewan (8-2) — Roughriders had 3-game win streak snapped in Winnipeg last week; they’re 3-1 as home favorites, winning at Taylor Field by 15-37-3-23 points. Riders (+2) won 39-28 in Toronto in Week 3, outrushing Argos 224-76, withstanding Toronto’s 446 passing yards; Riders are 11-4 in last 15 series games, but Toronto won two of its last three visits here, as visitors won five of last seven series games. Argonauts won last three road games, are 1-1 as road dogs, with only road loss by 8 at BC- they’ve turned ball over three times in each of last three games overall (-2), after being +11 in turnovers in their first seven games. Six of last eight Toronto games went over the total. Average total in last four series games is 55.
Montreal (4-6) @ BCLions (6-4) — Lions (-4.5) were upset 39-38 in Quebec three weeks ago, turning ball over seven times (-6) in game they led 21-7 at half, as backup QB Marsh led comeback win subbing for injured Calvillo. Home side has now won last five series games, with five of last six going over total; Alouettes lost four of last five visits here, losing last two years 43-1/43-10. Lions are 3-2 as home favorites this year, with home wins by 8-10-7-4-3 points; this is fourth year in row Montreal won first meeting; BC won rematch last three years, with all three wins by 21+ points. Montreal is 3-1 vs spread on road, 2-1 as road dog, with road losses by 11 at Calgary, 3 in Regina. Lions are -13 in turnovers the last six games, after being even in first four. Five of last seven games for both teams went over the total.
Armadillosports.com
CFL Betting Notes - Week 12
By David Schwab
VegasInsider.com
The start of the second half of the 2013 CFL regular season featured the back-end of four home-and-home series that kicked off over the Labor Day Holiday. Calgary completed its sweep of Edmonton with a 22-12 victory last Friday night as a four-point road favorite. On Saturday, Hamilton turned the tables on British Columbia on its home field with a 37-29 win in a game that closed as a pick ‘em.
Toronto evened the score against East Division rival Montreal with a 37-30 win as a three-point road underdog in Sunday’s early game and Saskatchewan was stunned by Winnipeg 25-13 as an eight-point road favorite to close out Week 11.
The following is a brief betting preview for Week 12 in the CFL with the opening pointspread and ‘over/under’ lines provided by TopBet.
Friday, Sept. 13
Hamilton Tiger-Cats vs. Calgary Stampeders
Point-spread: Calgary -6
Total: 56½
Hamilton finds itself in a jumbled mess in the East at 5-5 straight up. It is one game in back of Toronto and one game ahead of Montreal in the race for the division title. The Tiger-Cats are 5-5 against the spread as well, but they have covered in their last five games. The total has gone OVER in four of those contests.
Calgary is in the thick of the West Division race with an overall record of 8-2 SU and it is a profitable 7-3 ATS this year. The total has gone OVER in six its 10 games and in all four games at home this season. The Stampeders are the second-highest scoring team in the CFL with an average of 32 points a game.
The Tiger-Cats are just 2-8 SU in the last 10 meetings and 4-6 ATS. This will be the first meeting this season, but Calgary won both games last season SU with a split ATS. The total has gone OVER in four of the last five games between the two.
Saturday, Sept. 14
Winnipeg Blue Bombers vs. Edmonton Eskimos
Point-spread: Edmonton -4½
Total: 53½
The Blue Bombers stunning 25-13 victory over Saskatchewan last Sunday as an 8 ½-point home underdog snapped a seven-game losing streak, but they are still buried in the basement of the East Division at 2-8 SU. They are slightly better ATS at 4-6 and the total has stayed UNDER in four of five road games this year. Winnipeg’s 21.7 points a game is the lowest scoring average in the league.
Edmonton’s woes continued with a losing streak that has now reached eight games. It is safe to say that at 1-9 SU the Eskimos are out of Grey Cup Playoff contention. They are also 4-6 ATS with the total going OVER in four of five home games this year. They have covered in three of their last four games.
The Eskimos have a slight 6-4 SU edge in the last 10 meetings between these two bottom feeders, but the Blue Bombers have the edge ATS at 6-4. They have covered in six of the last eight meetings with series tied 4-4 SU. The total has gone OVER in the last two games after staying UNDER in the previous three meetings.
Toronto Argonauts vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders
Point-spread: Saskatchewan -8
Total: 54
Toronto’s early lead in the East has been whittled down to just one game with a 1-3 SU record in its last four games. It is now 6-4 SU (5-5 ATS) with the total going OVER in six of the 10 games. The recent downturn can be heavily attributed to the loss of Ricky Ray at quarterback and he remains out of the lineup with a shoulder injury.
The Roughriders will quickly need to figure out what went wrong in last week’s loss now that Calgary is tied with them for the lead in the West at 8-2 SU. Saskatchewan is 6-4 ATS and the total has gone OVER in four of its first six home games this season. It remains the highest scoring team in the CFL with an average of 32.5 points a game.
The Argonauts lost to the Roughriders 39-28 earlier this season as two-point favorites at home. The total went well over the 55-point closing line in that contest. Saskatchewan holds a 7-3 SU lead in the last 10 games of this series, but its edge ATS stands at 5-4-1. The total has gone OVER in the last two meetings, but it did stay UNDER in five-straight games before then.
Sunday, Sept. 15
Montreal Alouettes vs. British Columbia Lions
Point-spread: BC- 9
Total: 52½
It has been a roller-coaster ride for Montreal this season, but through it all the defending East champs are just two games back in this year’s division title race at 4-6 SU (5-5 ATS). The total has stayed UNDER in three of its last five games, but the team has scored an average of 29.7 points in its last three contests.
BC is suddenly in need of win after losing two of its last three games to fall two games back in the West at 6-4 SU. It has now failed to cover in four of its last five games and is now 4-6 ATS on the year. The total has gone OVER in its last three games and in six of its 10 games overall.
The Alouettes outlasted the Lions 39-38 in Week 9 as 10-point underdogs at home in a game that went OVER the 47 ½-point line. Montreal has a 6-4 SU edge in the last 10 games of this series, but it have failed to cover in seven of those games. The total has gone OVER in five of the last six meetings.
Tiger-Cats at Stampeders: What Bettors Need to Know
By Covers.com
Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Calgary Stampeders (-6, 57)
The Calgary Stampeders are playing their best football of the season, riding a three-game winning streak and tied for the West Division lead after winning back-to-back contests against the rival Edmonton Eskimos. The Stampeders will host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Friday at McMahon Stadium, where they are 4-0. Calgary third-string quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell has taken full advantage of the opportunity afforded him by injuries to Drew Tate and Kevin Glenn, completing 70-of-98 passes for 850 yards, with eight touchdowns and only one interception.
Quarterback Henry Burris has the Tiger-Cats on a roll. Hamilton has won four of its last five games after splitting a home-and-home series with the BC Lions and Burris leads the league with 3,181 passing yards - 612 more than any other quarterback. Burris, named offensive player of the week after throwing four touchdown passes against the Lions, is 217 yards away from reaching 50,000 in his career and should have no problem reaching it with a healthy receiving corps that includes wide receivers Greg Ellingson, Bakari Grant and Andy Fantuz
LINE: Calgary opened as a 6.5-point favorite and has been bet down to -6. The total has moved from 56 to 57 points.
WEATHER: Temperatures in the low 80s with clear skies and winds blowing NNW as high as 15 mph.
ABOUT THE TIGER-CATS (5-5, 5-5 ATS): Coach Kent Austin praised Hamilton’s defensive effort following its Week 11 victory over BC, when Lions quarterback Travis Lulay was sacked three times and faced pressure all game. “He’s unbelievably tough, so we knew we weren’t going to get a lot of sacks, but we needed to pressure him, hit him, hurry him, and we were able to do that tonight,” Austin said. Linebacker Brandon Isaac and defensive lineman Eric Norwood each recorded their first sacks in the contest, while defensive lineman Brandon Boudreaux leads the team with four.
ABOUT THE STAMPEDERS (8-2, 7-3 ATS): Running back Jon Cornish was named Canadian player of the week for the third time in 2013 after recording 177 yards from scrimmage against the Eskimos. Cornish is second in the league with 940 rushing yards and should eclipse his career-high of 1,457 if he stays healthy. Mitchell took over as Calgary’s starting quarterback for the second time this season after Glenn suffered a knee injury in the Labour Day Classic. Tate remains out indefinitely while continuing to battle inflammation in his elbow.
TRENDS:
* Over is 4-1 in the last five meetings in Calgary.
* Over is 4-1 in the last five meetings.
* Stampeders are 6-2 ATS in their last eight games overall.
* Tiger-Cats are 5-0 ATS in their last five games overall.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. Calgary K Rene Paredes has made 31-of-32 field goals and leads the league with 122 kicking points.
2. Hamilton RB C.J. Gable has a team-leading 355 rushing yards and 689 yards from scrimmage despite missing time with injuries.
3. The Tiger-Cats are 2-4 against West Division opponents; Calgary is 4-0 against the East.
CFL Saturday: What Bettors Need to Know
By Covers.com
Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Edmonton Eskimos (-4.5, 53)
After snapping a seven-game losing skid with their first victory at their new home field, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers head to Edmonton to face the struggling Eskimos on Saturday. Winnipeg’s defense played its best game of 2013 to defeat the Saskatchewan Roughriders and quarterback Justin Goltz continued to be unconventionally effective on offense, rushing for two more touchdowns, which puts him in a tie for the league lead with eight. A visit to the Eskimos - the one team with a worse record than Winnipeg - could be the perfect opportunity for the Blue Bombers to post consecutive victories.
Edmonton faltered in a home-and-home series against the Calgary Stampeders as its losing skid hit eight games. A roster shakeup on the offensive line failed to quell the pressure on quarterback Mike Reilly, who is completing 60.5 percent of his passes and has thrown 10 interceptions in his first year as starter. Reilly also leads the team with 417 rushing yards - an example of how the Eskimos lean on a pass-heavy offense - but Edmonton’s offensive line will have its hands full with a Blue Bombers' defense that recorded eight sacks on Roughriders quarterback Darian Durant.
ABOUT THE BLUE BOMBERS (2-8): Defensive back Demond Washington and kick returner Will Ford were named CFL players of the week for their performances against Saskatchewan. Washington recorded a game-high seven tackles along with one sack and one fumble recovery, while Ford returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown to earn special teams player of the week. Goltz has a completion percentage of 56.7 and has thrown two touchdowns to six interceptions, but has eight of Winnipeg's 15 rushing TDs with Chad Simpson recording six.
ABOUT THE ESKIMOS (1-9): Offensive lineman Simeon Rottier returns to Edmonton’s lineup after being benched against the Stampeders. In addition to Rottier’s return, the Eskimos will also receive some help on defense with the probable return of defensive end Odell Willis and linebacker J.C. Sherritt. Willis - the team leader with five sacks - and Sherritt, who set a league record in tackles last season, were practicing with the first team for the first time since suffering their respective injuries.
TRENDS:
* The Blue Bombers are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games overall.
* The Eskimos are 1-5 ATS in their last six home games.
* The Blue Bombers are 6-2 ATS in their last eight meetings.
* The under is 6-2-1 in the last 9 meetings.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. Winnipeg, which is last in the league with 217 points, has scored 15 rushing touchdowns, but just five passing touchdowns.
2. Edmonton SB Fred Stamps leads the league with 765 receiving yards.
3. The Blue Bombers traded QB Buck Pierce, who began the year as starter, to the BC Lions in exchange for Canadian wide receiver Akeem Foster.
Toronto Argonauts at Saskatchewan Roughriders (-9, 55)
The Saskatchewan Roughriders looked human in their loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, failing to reach the end zone for the first time all season. Saskatchewan is hoping a return home will erase the sting of last week’s setback when it hosts the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday. Roughriders quarterback Darian Durant was sacked a season-high eight times by the Blue Bombers, but combined with league-leading running back Kory Sheets for 158 rushing yards and should have an easier time against Toronto’s less-imposing defense.
The Argonauts maintained their East Division lead and avoided a three-game losing skid thanks to backup quarterback Zach Collaros, who completed 30-of-43 passes for 336 yards, two passing touchdowns and one rushing score against the Montreal Alouettes. Toronto was struggling on offense without starters Ricky Ray and Chad Kackert, and losing star slotback Chad Owens prior to last week was not a promising sign, but four interceptions by the Argonauts' defense and a nine-catch, 91-yard performance by wide receiver Dontrelle Inman showed Toronto might have enough depth to weather their midseason injury storm.
ABOUT THE ARGONAUTS (6-4): Prior to last week, Toronto had recorded 16 points in seven-plus quarters after losing Ray early against the Calgary Stampeders. Collaros has thrown for 1,267 yards and is completing 69.7 percent of his passes, while also trailing Kackert for the team rushing lead by 2 yards. Toronto traded offensive lineman Marc Parenteau to Winnipeg for running back Anthony Woodson in an attempt to shore up its running game as running back Curtis Steele has been ineffective of late.
ABOUT THE ROUGHRIDERS (8-2): Linebacker Renauld Williams, who has a team-leading 42 tackles and seven sacks along with one interception return for a touchdown, will miss the remainder of the season after tearing his ACL against the Blue Bombers. Saskatchewan announced the news in a tweet Wednesday. Center Dominic Picard was fined an undisclosed amount by the league following an incident in in Week 11 in which he threw a punch. Sheets leads the league with 1,214 rushing yards - 274 more than anyone else.
TRENDS:
* Argonauts are 6-1 ATS in their last seven road games.
* Roughriders are 1-4 ATS in their last five games overall.
* Argonauts are 5-1-1 ATS in their last seven meetings in Saskatchewan.
* The under is 5-2 in the last seven meetings.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. The Roughriders defeated the Argonauts 39-28 at Toronto in Week 3.
2. Owens is considered doubtful for Saturday. Ray hopes to return by mid-October as he recovers from a knee injury.
3. Saskatchewan is 4-0 at home. Toronto is 2-3 against West Division opponents.
Alouettes at Lions: What Bettors Need to Know
By Covers.com
Montreal Alouettes at BC Lions (-9, 52)
The last time the Montreal Alouettes played the BC Lions, quarterback Tanner Marsh thrust himself into the spotlight by engineering a massive comeback. On Sunday, Marsh and Montreal will visit the Lions for a rematch of that Week 9 miracle. Marsh faltered against the Toronto Argonauts last week and has already thrown eight interceptions in his first 89 pass attempts, but he won his first two games under center and has a knack for making big completions at key moments of a game.
It seems the Lions are only comfortable at home, as they are a perfect 5-0 at BC Place but 1-4 on the road. The biggest difference between BC’s play on the road and at home is its defense - the Lions allow an average of 21 points in British Columbia, but that number balloons to 32.2 outside the province. BC quarterback Travis Lulay suggested he's finally rounded into form by posting his first two 300-yard passing games of 2013 in a home-and-home set against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
ABOUT THE ALOUETTES (4-6): Running back Brandon Whitaker was placed on the nine-game injured list on Monday, effectively shutting him down for the season. Without Whitaker, the Alouettes will use backup Jerome Messam and Marsh as a running tandem. Wide receiver Duron Carter has been a favorite target of Marsh for big plays over the last three games, totaling 210 yards on just eight receptions for a league-leading average of 26.3 yards per catch.
ABOUT THE LIONS (6-4): Veteran quarterback Buck Pierce was acquired in a trade with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers after last week’s games. Pierce, who spent the first five seasons of his career with the Lions, will back up Lulay and provide depth and veteran guidance in the lineup. Offensive lineman Ben Archibald told CFL.ca he feels the line has underachieved in its duty to protect Lulay. Running back Andrew Harris is getting fewer carries in recent games, partially due to his increased role as an extra pass-rush blocker.
TRENDS:
* Alouettes are 5-2 ATS in their last seven road games.
* Lions are 1-5 ATS in their last six games overall.
* Over is 5-1 in the last six meetings.
* Alouettes are 0-4 ATS in their last four meetings in BC.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. CB Cord Parks is tied for the league lead with three interceptions, while the Lions are even with the Saskatchewan Roughriders with 12. The Alouettes have 10 picks.
2. Montreal LB Chip Cox leads the league in tackles with 73.
3. The Lions have won their last 11 regular-season home games.