CFL Betting Notes - Week 2
By David Schwab
VegasInsider.com
The 2013 CFL regular season got underway last week and it was a golden opportunity to go with the ‘chalk’ as all four favorites covered against the spread. Montreal kicked things off last Thursday night with a 38-33 victory over Winnipeg as a 3 ½-point road favorite.
Friday night’s double-header started with Toronto hammering out a 39-34 win over Hamilton as a 3 ½-point favorite at home followed by Calgary’s impressive 44-32 pasting of British Columbia as 3 ½-point home favorite as well. Saskatchewan closed out Week 1’s action with a 39-18 romp over Edmonton as a 2 ½-point road favorite on Saturday.
The following is a brief betting preview for Week 2 of the CFL regular season with the opening pointspread and ‘over/under’ lines provided by 5Dimes.
Thursday, July 4
Winnipeg Blue Bombers vs. Montreal Alouettes
Point-spread: Montreal -7½
Total: 53½
The Blue Bombers will now go on the road in the back-half of this home-and-home series and have to be kicking themselves for blowing a nine-point lead heading into the fourth quarter of last Thursday’s game. Buck Pierce threw for 258 yards and two touchdowns but he was also picked off three times. Montreal’s Anthony Calvillo went 20-for 35 for 264 yards and one touchdown. The Blue Bombers only managed to rush for 38 total yards.
Winnipeg is 14-5-2 ATS in its last 21 games against a team with a winning record but just 3-8-1 ATS in their last 12 games on the road. The Alouettes are 5-13 ATS in the last 18 East Division games and 8-23 ATS in their last 31 games following a straight-up win. Winnipeg is 7-3 ATS in the last 10 meetings between the two and the total has stayed UNDER in three of the last five games in Montreal.
Toronto Argonauts vs. British Columbia Lions
Point-spread: BC -3½
Total: 52
The Argonauts got a big-time performance from Ricky Ray in their season opener with 368 yards passing and four touchdown throws as well as from running back Chad Kackert, who rushed for 112 yards on 10 carries. The Lions uncharacteristically gave up 31 points in the first half against Calgary last week while scoring just six points and they were never able to close that gap.
Toronto is 4-0 ATS in its last four games following a SU win and 7-1 ATS in its last eight road games. BC is 4-0 ATS in its last four games following a SU loss and 10-4 ATS in its last 14 games at home. The Argonauts are 1-6 SU in their last seven games against the Lions and 1-4 ATS in the last five meetings. The total has stayed UNDER in four of the last six games.
Friday, July 5
Calgary Stampeders vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders
Point-spread: Calgary -1
Total: 54
Calgary has to be happy with how it played last week on both sides of the ball. Drew Tate got the start at quarterback and completed 70.4 percent of his throws for 237 yards and three scores. Meanwhile, the Roughriders opened a 36-1 lead in the third quarter against Edmonton before calling off the dogs.
The Stampeders are 4-0-1 ATS in their last five West Division games and 7-3 ATS in their last 10 road games. The Roughriders are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games following a SU win and 6-1 ATS in their last seven games in Week 2. Calgary is 7-1 SU and 5-2-1 ATS in the last eight meetings and the total has gone OVER in three of the last four games between the two.
Sunday, July 7
Edmonton Eskimos vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Point-spread: Hamilton -7
Total: 55½
The Eskimos will try and pick up the pieces from last week’s ugly opening day performance in front of the hometown crowd. Quarterbacks Mike Reilly and Jonathan Crompton combined to go just 23-of-46 and were intercepted three times. Tiger-Cats’ quarterback Henry Burris passed for 361 yards and three touchdowns in a losing efforts against Toronto.
Edmonton is 2-5 ATS in its last seven Week 2 games and 1-4 ATS in its last five road games. Hamilton is 4-1 ATS in its last five games following a SU loss and a perfect 7-0 ATS in its last seven games in July. The Eskimos have failed to cover in 12 of their last 17 games against Hamilton and they are just 2-7 ATS in their last nine road games against the Tiger-Cats. The total has gone OVER in five of the last seven meetings.
Week 2 CFL
Winnipeg (0-1) @ Montreal (1-0) — Alouettes won first game for former Boise State/Colorado coach Hawkins 38-33 (-3.5) last week at Winnipeg, with four takeaways (+3), four sacks; Als led 23-13 at half—they’re 3-2 in last five games vs Bombers, with all three wins going over total, both losses staying under. Winnipeg won two of its last three road games LY, after losing first six by average score of 40-14; seven of their last ten games stayed under total- under is 6-2-1 in last nine Montreal tilts (4-0-1 in last five at home). Alouettes lost two of last three home games; they split pair of games here with Bombers LY.
Toronto (1-0) @ British Columbia (0-1) — Defending Grey Cup champ Argonauts are on 6-0 roll after beating Hamilton 39-34 (-3.5) in opener last week; Ray threw ball for 368 yards (10.8/attempt) and Argos didn’t turn ball over, but they’ve lost last four games with Lions by average score of 26-14, dropping last three visits here, by 5-22-21 points. BC lost three of last four games, getting thumped 44-32 (+3.5) in Calgary last week (trailed 31-6 at half); they allowed 200 rushing yards, Lulay was sacked three times. Lions have won six of last seven home games, getting upset here in playoffs by Stampeders LY. Argos won last three road games, scoring 29 ppg.
Calgary (1-0) @ Saskatchewan (1-0) — Stampeders (-3.5) beat BC Lions 44-32 at home last week, winning opener for home fans dealing with horrible flood in their town; Calgary ran ball for 200 yards, outgained Lions by 82 yards- they won three of four vs Riders LY, splitting pair here- they scored 30+ points in all three wins, lost 17-10 in one of two visits to Regina. Saskatchewan’s win in Edmonton last week snapped 5-game losing skid from LY; Riders lost last two games on Taylor Field, are 3-4 overall in last seven at home- they were outgained by 64 yards in Edmonton last week, but were +4 in turnovers. Last eight Calgary games, five of last six Roughrider games went over the total.
Edmonton (0-1) @ Hamilton (0-1) — Home side won five of last six Eskimo-TiCat games, with Edmonton losing 51-8 (+3) here LY, then winning 35-20 (-2.5) at home three weeks later. Last five series games were all decided by 15+ points. TiCats gave up 489 yards in 39-34 (+3.5) loss in SkyDome last week, allowing 10.8 yards per pass attempt- they’ve lost five of last six games overall, but have won three of last four at home. Eskimos were down 22-1 at halftime of 39-18 home loss to Riders last week, turning ball over four times (-4), allowing Saskatchewan 144 rushing yards. Over is 7-0-1 in last eight Edmonton games, 8-3 in last eleven Hamilton tilts.
Armadillosports.com
Thursday, July 4
WINNIPEG (0 - 1) at MONTREAL (1 - 0) - 7/4/2013, 7:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
WINNIPEG is 5-3 against the spread versus MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
MONTREAL is 4-4 straight up against WINNIPEG over the last 3 seasons
4 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO (1 - 0) at BRITISH COLUMBIA (0 - 1) - 7/4/2013, 10:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
BRITISH COLUMBIA is 3-1 against the spread versus TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
BRITISH COLUMBIA is 4-0 straight up against TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
Friday, July 5
CALGARY (1 - 0) at SASKATCHEWAN (1 - 0) - 7/5/2013, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SASKATCHEWAN is 45-25 ATS (+17.5 Units) in July games since 1996.
CALGARY is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) when playing on a Friday over the last 2 seasons.
CALGARY is 17-6 ATS (+10.4 Units) when playing with 6 or less days rest over the last 3 seasons.
SASKATCHEWAN is 7-17 ATS (-11.7 Units) when playing with 6 or less days rest over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
CALGARY is 5-3 against the spread versus SASKATCHEWAN over the last 3 seasons
CALGARY is 7-1 straight up against SASKATCHEWAN over the last 3 seasons
4 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
Sunday, July 7
EDMONTON (0 - 1) at HAMILTON (0 - 1) - 7/7/2013, 5:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
EDMONTON is 3-1 against the spread versus HAMILTON over the last 3 seasons
EDMONTON is 3-1 straight up against HAMILTON over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
WINNIPEG vs. MONTREAL
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Winnipeg's last 9 games
Winnipeg is 2-10 SU in its last 12 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Montreal's last 12 games when playing at home against Winnipeg
Montreal is 4-11 ATS in its last 15 games at home
TORONTO vs. BRITISH COLUMBIA
Toronto is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against British Columbia
Toronto is 2-5-1 ATS in its last 8 games when playing on the road against British Columbia
British Columbia is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Toronto
The total has gone OVER in 4 of British Columbia's last 6 games at home
CALGARY vs. SASKATCHEWAN
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Calgary's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Calgary's last 6 games when playing on the road against Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Calgary
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Saskatchewan's last 6 games
EDMONTON vs. HAMILTON
Edmonton is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Hamilton
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Edmonton's last 6 games when playing on the road against Hamilton
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Hamilton's last 7 games when playing Edmonton
Hamilton is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
CFL Thursday Football: What Bettors Need to Know
By Covers.com
Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Montreal Alouettes (-7, 52)
Dan Hawkins began his tenure as coach of the Montreal Alouettes by defeating the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and spoiling the debut of their new stadium. The Blue Bombers (0-1) will be out for revenge when they visit Montreal (1-0) on Thursday. Hawkins relied heavily on quarterback Anthony Calvillo and receiver S.J. Green in his first CFL regular-season game, but the Blue Bombers got to Calvillo on numerous occasions and the veteran pivot finished the game with tape on his throwing hand.
Winnipeg held a nine-point lead heading into the fourth quarter last week but was unable to produce offense in the final 15 minutes en route to a 38-33 setback. Blue Bombers quarterback Buck Pierce threw an interception on his final play of the game but can build on his 258-yard performance as Winnipeg looks for a rare road victory. The Blue Bombers' defense averaged 29.5 points against per game last year.
ABOUT THE BLUE BOMBERS (0-1): James Green has rejoined the team with fellow linebacker Rene Stephan out for a month with a hamstring injury. Green spent three campaigns with the Blue Bombers but was released after last season and spent the previous week helping the effort in his hometown of Calgary following devastating floods in the area. Defensive end Zach Anderson was promoted to the main roster and former Winnipeg defensive lineman Marquis Frazier was added to the practice roster with JT Gilmore suffering from a calf injury.
ABOUT THE ALOUETTES (1-0): Rookie Tyron Carrier recorded Montreal’s first punt return for a touchdown in three years in the season opener. Carrier, who finished with 103 yards on six returns, gives the Alouettes a special teams threat they have lacked in recent seasons. Green finished with 119 yards, although no other Montreal receiver accounted for more than 37. The latter number could be a concern, considering how pass-heavy the Alouettes have been in recent seasons.
TRENDS:
* Blue Bombers are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 Thursday games.
* Alouettes are 5-0 ATS in their last five games in Week 2.
* Under is 5-2 in Blue Bombers last seven vs. East.
* Blue Bombers are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 meetings.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. Montreal was 7-2 at home last year while Winnipeg finished 2-7 on the road.
2. Pierce threw three interceptions in Week 1, including two in the first half that resulted in 10 points for the Alouettes.
3. These East Division foes will not face each other again until Oct. 14 in Montreal.
Toronto Argonauts at B.C. Lions (-6, 52.5)
The BC Lions opened this season like they finished the last one: with a loss to the Calgary Stampeders. The Lions (0-1) will attempt to put that season-opening setback behind them when they host the defending Grey Cup champion Toronto Argonauts (1-0) on Thursday. Lions quarterback Travis Lulay finished Week 1 with three touchdown passes on 283 passing yards and added 55 rushing yards, but BC could not overcome a 25-point first-half deficit en route to a 44-32 loss.
Toronto posted a 39-34 triumph over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to open its season after raising the banner for its Grey Cup victory. Quarterback Ricky Ray’s 368 passing yards and four touchdown tosses paced the Argonauts, who also received 112 rushing yards from Grey Cup Most Outstanding Player Chad Kackert. Toronto’s defense allowed just three points in the second half of Friday’s victory.
ABOUT THE ARGONAUTS (1-0): Chad Owens, who set a professional football record for all-purpose yards last season with 3,863, amassed 235 combined yards in Week 1. Fellow slotback Jason Barnes caught two touchdown passes to go with 85 total yards and wide receiver Spencer Watt scored his fourth career touchdown, giving Toronto depth in its receiving corps. Kicker Swayze Waters is expected to miss at least two weeks with an injury suffered on Friday, leading the Argonauts to re-sign veteran Noel Prefontaine.
ABOUT THE LIONS (0-1): Wide receiver Emmanuel Arceneaux led the team with 103 receiving yards, surpassing the 2,000-yard plateau in his career to start his third CFL season. Arceneaux, who last played for BC in 2010, spent three seasons trying to earn a spot on an NFL team, trying out with Minnesota, Washington and the New York Jets. Arceneaux’s return helped blunt the loss of CFL all-time receiving yards leader Geroy Simon, who was traded in the off-season. K Hugh O’Neill missed an extra point attempt in the first half of Week 1, but converted the next two and made a 40-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
TRENDS:
* Argonauts are 7-1 ATS in their last eight road games.
* Lions are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 home games.
* Over is 5-1 in Argonauts last six games overall.
* Under is 14-4 in the last 18 meetings.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. Toronto, which finished 6-4 against West Division last year, was the only East Division team to secure a winning record versus the West.
2. The Lions were 8-1 at home last year en route to a league-best 13-5 regular-season record.
3. Kackert, who recorded 638 rushing yards on 100 attempts last year, has already surpassed his longest career regular-season run with a 57-yard touchdown dash on Friday.
Stamps at Roughriders: What Bettors Need to Know
By Covers.com
Calgary Stampeders at Saskatchewan Roughriders (-2, 54)
The Calgary Stampeders emerged from Week 1 as the top-ranked team in the CFL following a dominant showing at home against the BC Lions. The Stampeders (1-0) will try to defend their ranking when they visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders (1-0) on Friday. Saskatchewan, which is ranked fourth, is also off to a strong start after controlling its game against the Edmonton Eskimos from the opening kickoff despite missing new addition Geroy Simon on offense.
Calgary defeated the Roughriders 36-30 in the West Semi-Finals last year en route to an appearance in the 100th Grey Cup in Toronto. Saskatchewan will host this year’s Grey Cup, adding extra weight to its home opener. The Roughriders kept the Eskimos out of their end zone through three quarters last week, a defensive showing they would be happy to duplicate against the high-octane Stampeders offense.
ABOUT THE STAMPEDERS (1-0): Defensive lineman Charleston Hughes and running back Jon Cornish both received player of the week honors after their strong showing in Week 1. Hughes, who was named defensive player of the week, led Calgary with three sacks. Cornish, who was named the top Canadian player, ran for a league-best 172 yards and two touchdowns. Cornish, who also caught one pass for 20 yards, pledged to donate $10 to Calgary flood relief for every yard he earned in the game, totaling $1,920 that he rounded to an even two thousand dollars after the game.
ABOUT THE ROUGHRIDERS (1-0): Running back Kory Sheets paced Saskatchewan’s offense in Week 1, carrying the ball 17 times for 131 yards and one touchdown. Sheets’ effective running opened up the field for slotback Chris Getzlaf, who caught three passes for 67 yards and a touchdown. Getzlaf only had two touchdowns last season. Getzlaf’s resurgence and the impending return of Simon from injury crowds a backfield that already includes 2012 CFL All-Star slotback Weston Dressler. Rookie defensive lineman Levi Steinhauer, who is from nearby Moose Jaw, Sask., forced two fumbles in his CFL debut.
TRENDS:
* Stampeders are 4-1 ATS in their last five meetings in Saskatchewan.
* Over is 10-1 in Stampeders’ last 11 games overall dating back to last season.
* Roughriders are 6-1 ATS in their last seven Week 2 games.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Calgary defeated Saskatchewan in three of four meetings last year - including the West Semi-Final. Cornish was held to just 67 rushing yards in the Roughriders' only victory.
2. Stampeders QB Drew Tate showed no ill effects of last year’s injury-riddled campaign last week, throwing for 237 yards and three touchdowns.
3. Saskatchewan released WR Greg Carr on Tuesday after he caught one pass for five yards in the season opener.
Eskimos at Ti-Cats: What Bettors Need to Know
By Covers.com
Edmonton Eskimos at Hamilton Tiger-Cats (-7, 55.5)
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats will open their home season at their home-away-from-home when the Edmonton Eskimos visit Sunday. Ivor Wynne Stadium was demolished in February to make way for a new stadium the Tiger-Cats will call home in 2014. Until then, Hamilton will play its home games in nearby Guelph, Ontario, at Alumni Stadium - home to the University of Guelph Gryphons, which has a normal seating capacity of 7,600, but is expected to hold 12,000-15,000 for CFL games.
Edmonton finished Week 1 at the bottom of the CFL power rankings after a lacklustre showing at home against the Saskatchewan Roughriders when they recorded one point in the first half. Eskimos quarterback Mike Reilly, who made his debut as Edmonton’s starter and threw three interceptions in the 39-18 loss, vowed to be better in Week 2. The Eskimos’ defense, which was supposed to be their strength, will have to be better as well after it failed to contain a Roughriders' offense that was without Geroy Simon.
ABOUT THE ESKIMOS (0-1): One bright spot for Reilly was his connection with veteran SB Fred Stamps, who caught six passes for 125 yards and one touchdown in the season opener. Unfortunately, Edmonton’s running game was non-existent, combining for 88 yards - 43 fewer than Kory Sheets recorded for Saskatchewan. LB JC Sherritt was the only member of the Eskimos' defense to record a sack, along with a team-leading seven tackles. DB Donovan Alexander, who missed last week’s game with a muscle strain, will be in the lineup against Hamilton, which should bolster Edmonton’s pass defense.
ABOUT THE TIGER-CATS (0-1): Hamilton QB Henry Burris picked up where he left off after a career year, throwing for 361 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for another 36 yards to open the season. The 38-year-old looked as fresh as ever, connecting with WR Andy Fantuz for 155 yards and rookie WR Greg Ellingson for another 120. But the most surprising performance belonged to rookie KR Lindsey Lamar, who returned a kickoff 104 yards for a touchdown in the first regular-season touch of his career after recording kick return touchdowns in each of Hamilton’s two preseason games.
TRENDS:
* The Eskimos are 1-4 ATS in their last five road games.
* The Tiger-Cats are 7-0 ATS in their last seven games in July.
* Over is 7-0-1 in Eskimos last eight games overall.
* The Eskimos are 5-12 ATS in their last 17 meetings.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. Hamilton scored three touchdowns and a field goal in its first four possessions, but only managed a field goal in the second half of its 39-34 loss to Toronto.
2. Edmonton was 2-7 on the road last year.
3. The only other player in CFL history to return a kickoff for a touchdown in his first career touch is former Tiger-Cat RB Marcus Thigpen, who is entering his second season with the Miami Dolphins.
CFL Betting Recap - Week 2
VegasInsider.com
League Betting Notes
Favorites went 2-2 straight up in Week 2
Favorites went 2-2 against the spread in Week 2
Home teams notched a 2-2 record in Week 2
The 'under' went 3-1 in Week 2
Team Betting Notes
After an impressive Week 1 win over Hamilton at home, Toronto (1-1) took the cross-country trek to Vancouver to square off with the BC Lions (1-1) in Week 2. The Argos made a late charge, but BC held on for the win and cover at home.
Saskatchewan (2-0) continued their impressive start, winning their home opener against Calgary (1-1) in convincing fashion. The Roughriders are 2-0 SU and ATS, and the 'over' has cashed in each of their games.
Montreal (1-1) suffered a shocking, low-scoring home loss against Winnipeg (1-1). Perhaps the Blue Bombers learned something in their 38-33 setback to the Alouettes just a week ago. The game was a complete opposite from Week 1, as this was a defensive slog after a fairly wide-open game in the opener.
The highest scoring game of the weekend was the Calgary-Saskatchewan game, as the Stamps fell 36-21. The two sides just inched past the total of 55.5 for an 'over'.