CFL Week 18 News and Notes

Toronto Argonauts home dogs to Alouettes
By: David Schwab

The Montreal Alouettes will look to get back to their winning ways when they take on the Toronto Argonauts in an East Division clash. This Week 18 matchup is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 29 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. (PT).

Montreal has already clinched the East Division title and secured a bye in the first round of the playoffs but still has to be a bit concerned about its ugly 40-3 loss to Hamilton last Friday night in which the Alouettes turned the ball over seven times including three times in the red zone. They failed to cover as a 1 ½-point road favorite and the total stayed ‘under’ the 53 ½-point line.

The loss drops them to 11-5 straight-up on the year and they are just 7-9 against the CFL spread. It also dropped Montreal to 4-4 SU on the road this season and 2-6 ATS. The total has gone ‘over’ in three of its last five games but has stayed ‘under’ in its last two.

Toronto kept its chances of hosting a game in the opening round of the playoffs alive with a convincing 27-8 victory over Winnipeg that all but ended the Blue Bombers chances to make it into the postseason. The Argonauts covered as a six-point road underdog and the total stayed ‘under’ the 49 ½-point line.

They are now 8-8 on the year both SU and ATS. Toronto is currently in third place in the East with 16 points and still has a chance to pass Hamilton and Saskatchewan to lock-up the third seed in the playoffs with wins in its last two games and a Tiger-Cat and Roughrider loss. The Argonauts are 4-4 both SU and ATS at home this season and the total has stayed ‘under’ in eight of their last nine games overall.

This will be the third and final meeting between these two teams this regular season. Each team is 1-1 both SU and ATS in the first two. The Alouettes jumped all over the Argonauts in Week 5 in a 41-10 romp. Montreal was a 10 ½-point home favorite and the total stayed ‘under’ the 53-point line. This game remained close through the first two quarters with the Als holding a 17-10 lead at the half. The second half was all Montreal as it reeled off 24 unanswered points to blow the game wide open.

Toronto turned the tables on its East Division foe two weeks later in a 37-22 romp of its own. The Argonauts covered as a 7 ½-point home underdog and the total went ‘over’ the 52-point line. Toronto QB Cleo Lemon was extremely efficient, completing 13-of-19 attempts for 269 yards and three TD’s. His counterpart with Montreal, Anthony Calvillo, put the ball up 49 times, completing 37 passes for 450 yards and three TD’s but it still did not translate to enough points on the scoreboard.

BetED.com has opened Montreal as a four-point road favorite and the ‘over/under’ line is set at 49. Head-to-head, the Alouettes have won eight out of the last nine games SU and is 7-1 ATS in the last eight.

Toronto still needs to win this game while Montreal has already locked up home field until the Grey Cup. There is also the chance that the Alouettes will look to start resting some key players in order to have some fresh legs heading into the postseason. All things considered stick with the Argonauts plus four points at home in this one.

Stampeders host hungry Hamilton Tiger-Cats
By: David Schwab

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats will try and nail down a home game in the playoffs with a win over the West Division Champion Calgary Stampeders. This Week 18 matchup is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 29 at McMahon Stadium in Calgary. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. (PT).

Hamilton is coming off an impressive 40-3 win over East Division champion Montreal last Friday night, capitalizing on numerous turnovers including three in its own red zone to halt potential scoring opportunities. The Tiger-Cats covered as a 1 ½-point home underdog and the total stayed ‘under’ the 53 ½-point line.

This win did not clinch a home game in the playoffs but they are now just one win or a Toronto loss from doing so this week. Hamilton is currently 9-7 both straight up and against the CFL spread and in second place in the East with 18 points. The Tiger-Cats are 4-4 SU and ATS in eight road games this season and the total has stayed ‘under’ in six of their last nine games overall.

Calgary lost a 36-31 shootout to British Columbia last week that had no bearing on the Stampeders’ place in the postseason since they had already clinched the West Division a few weeks back. They failed to cover as a 8 ½-point home favorite and the total went ‘over’ the 55-point line.

The loss dropped Calgary to 11-5 SU and 10-6 ATS on the year, leaving it tied with Montreal for the best record in the league. The Stampeders are 6-2 SU and 5-3 ATS at home this season. The total has gone ‘over’ in nine of their last 10 games overall.

This will be the second of two games between these two teams in the regular season. Calgary squeaked out a 23-22 victory in Week 2 in a game it was a three-point road underdog. The total stayed ‘under’ the 51-point line.

The Stampeders trailed 22-20 with just 1:10 left to play in the game after Ti-Cats kicker Sandro DeAngelis hit a 21-yard chip shot to give his team the lead. It was still enough time for Calgary QB Henry Burris to lead his team on a 59-yard drive that set up a Rod Maver 23-yard game-winning field goal with just 10 seconds left on the clock.

Burris ended the game completing 24-of-37 attempts for 257 yards and two TD’s, while Hamilton QB Kevin Glenn connected on 26-of-34 attempts for 356 yards and one TD.

BetUS.com has opened Calgary as a 4 ½-point favorite this time around and the ‘over/under’ line is set at 54. Head-to-head, the Stampeders have won seven of the last 10 games SU but are just 5-4 ATS in the last nine games between the two. The home team has won eight out of the last 10 games SU and is 5-4 ATS in the last nine.

Hamilton has much more on the line in this game than Calgary as a win guarantees it will host the semifinal round of the playoffs. The Stampeders have little motivation to win and may actually start resting players in this game as it has already clinched a first-round bye as well as home-field advantage in the league finals.

Take the Tiger-Cats to at the very least keep this one close enough to cover with the 4 ½ points.

Bombers look for first roadie in Edmonton
By: David Schwab

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers will try to disrupt the Edmonton Eskimos' postseason plans by trying to win their first game on the road this season. This Week 18 matchup is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 30 at Canad Inns in Manitoba with kickoff scheduled for 4 p.m. (PT).

Winnipeg has not played that well at home, but it has been downright awful on the road this season. This game will be the Blue Bombers last chance this year to end a nine-game road losing streak that dates back to 2009. Last week’s 27-8 loss to Toronto as a six-point home underdog dropped their record to 4-12 straight-up on the year. The Bombers have been a good play against the spread, going 9-7 so far this season. Last week’s game total stayed ‘under’ the 49 ½-point line.

Winnipeg has been eliminated from the playoffs so it will try and play the role of spoiler in this game to keep the Eskimos out of the postseason as well. The Bombers are 0-8 SU on the road but they are 4-4 ATS. The total has stayed ‘under’ in six of their last eight games overall.

Edmonton has been the hottest team in the league down the stretch, winning five of its last six games to make a strong push to get into the playoffs. Last week the Eskimos knocked off Saskatchewan 39-24 in a game they came into as a 2 ½-point home underdog. The total went well ‘over’ the 51 ½-point line.

The victory moved their record to 6-10 SU and 7-9 ATS. Edmonton is currently tied with British Columbia for the final spot in the postseason as five other teams have already clinched a berth. Both teams are in third place in the West Division with 12 points. The Eskimos are 4-4 both SU and ATS at home this season. The total has gone ‘over’ in six of their last 10 games overall.

This will be the second meeting between these two teams this season. Winnipeg came away with a 47-21 win in Week 4. The Blue Bombers were a one-point home underdog and the total went ‘over’ the 54-point line. Bomber QB Steven Jyles had a career day, throwing for 267 yards and a score while adding two more TD’s on the ground.

It is still unclear if Jyles will get the start in this game after injuring his shoulder in the loss to Toronto. Winnipeg may actually have to go with rookie QB Joey Elliott, who saw action in last week’s game after Jyles’ backup, Alex Brink, injured his shoulder as well. Edmonton will hope to have Ricky Ray behind center for this game after missing last week’s game with a shoulder injury of his own. Jared Zabransky will get the call if Ray cannot go.

Sportsinteraction.com has opened its CFL odds with the Eskimos 6 ½-point favorites and the ‘over/under’ line is set at 52. Head-to-head, Edmonton has won four out of the last seven games SU, but Winnipeg is 4-3 ATS. The underdog is 7-3 ATS in the last 10 games overall.

These teams have a tendency to play each other tough with six of the last eight games decided by an average of 5.66 points. Winnipeg is playing for pride and a on the road, while Edmonton is playing for its postseason life; advantage Eskimos straight-up but take the Bombers and the 6 ½ points.

BC Lions CFL spread favorites at home
By: David Schwab

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are looking to snap a three-game losing streak when they take on the British Columbia Lions, who are still fighting for a spot in the playoffs. This Week 18 matchup is scheduled for Sunday, Oct 31 at Empire Field in Vancouver. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. (PT).

Saskatchewan clinched a spot in the postseason a couple of weeks back and is still in prime position to host a game in the semifinal round of the playoffs, but it hardly looks like a team that can make a legitimate run at the Grey Cup with losses in its last three games. Last week the Roughriders fell to Edmonton 39-24 as a 2 ½-point road favorite. The total went ‘over’ the 51 ½-point line.

The loss dropped them to 9-7 straight-up and 8-8 against the CFL spread. They have locked up second place in the West Division but still need a win and a Toronto loss to secure home-field advantage for the first round of the playoffs. Saskatchewan is 3-5 SU and 4-4 ATS on the road this season. The total has stayed ‘under’ in six of its last eight games.

B.C. is still fighting for its postseason life but last week’s 36-31 win over Calgary was definitely a step in the right direction. The Lions were an 8 ½-point road underdog and the total went well ‘over’ the 55-point line.

The victory moved them to 6-10 both SU and ATS on the year. B.C. is currently tied with Edmonton for third place in the West and the final spot in the playoffs since five teams have already clinched a berth and Winnipeg has been eliminated. The Lions have not played well at home this season as they are just 2-6 SU and ATS. The total has gone ‘over’ in seven of their last nine games.

This will be the third meeting between these two teams this season with Saskatchewan looking for the series sweep. The Roughriders dominated the Lions in Week 2 by the score of 37-18. They covered as a two-point road underdog and the total went ‘over’ the 53-point line.

QB Darian Durant picked apart B.C.’s secondary, completing 18-of-29 attempts for 252 yards and one TD. RB Wes Cates added another 93 yards on the ground and one score. The game was close at the half, but Saskatchewan outscored the Lions 24-8 in the second to seal the win.

The second game in Week 7 was almost a carbon-copy of the first one with the Roughriders rolling to a 37-13 victory. This time Saskatchewan was an eight-point home favorite and the total stayed ‘under’ the 54 ½-point line. The game was never close as the Roughriders took control from the start by opening up a 15 point lead at the half that they never relinquished. Durant and Cates did most of the damage again; combining for four TD’s on the ground.

Sportsinteraction.com has opened the Lions as a four-point favorite and the ‘over/under’ line is set at 53 ½. Head-to-head, Saskatchewan has won four out of the last six games SU including the last three. The games were evenly split at 3-3 ATS. The home team is 5-1 SU and 4-2 ATS in the last six meetings.

B.C. is not the same team that the Roughriders beat up on earlier in the season. The Lions are 3-2 SU in their last five games including two impressive road wins over Calgary. They have struggled at home this season, but with a playoff spot on the line take the Lions to cover the four points in this one.