Canadian Football League Week 5 Betting Recap
By Ian Cameron
SportsMemo.com
Here is my recap of Week 5 in the Canadian Football League as I provide quick hitter, team-by-team analysis…
Montreal Alouettes (2-3 SU/ATS)
It wasn’t pretty but the performance was effective enough for Montreal to snap its three-game losing streak with a 32-27 win that included a controversial finish. Edmonton appeared to have the go ahead touchdown with 10 seconds left only to be stopped at the goal line but no replay was ordered on the play. So the games carried on and the Eskimos got stopped on a run play from the 1-yard line and Montreal hung on for the win. The Alouettes were better offensively but they still went through stretches where it looked like nobody was on the same page. The defense made a few key stops down the stretch none more vital than the goal line stand at the end of the game. This was baby steps forward for Montreal but they still were life and death to win at home against a very poor Eskimos squad.
Toronto Argonauts (3-2 SU/ATS)
Welcome to the Canadian Football League Zach Collaros! The kid had himself a night and it came against arguably the best defense in the CFL that being the BC Lions. This was his first CFL start but it was so impressive that it already has drawn comparisons to former CFL legend Doug Flutie. For Collaros to have 21 completions on 25 pass attempts for 253 yards and 3 TDs against a terrific defense in his first ever start in the CFL is remarkable. Collaros used his ability to move around in the pocket to his advantage as he was able to scramble his way out of pressure throughout the game when the pocket collapsed. He was in control of the offense all night despite being a true CFL rookie. The Argos defense deserves accolades for the 38-12 win as well as they shut down BC’s potent offense led by dual threat quarterback Travis Lulay. They got pressure throughout the game and kept the Lions out of the end zone. It was a complete performance that gave us all a glimpse of the kind of team Toronto was when they won the Grey Cup last year. Now, the key for Toronto is whether or not they can sustain it. It will be interesting to see how quickly no. 1 quarterback Ricky Ray will return to the lineup especially in light of the sudden emergence of Collaros.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats (1-4 SU/ ATS)
Sometimes life isn’t fair. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats sure know it isn’t. The Ticats are being forced to gut their way through a sickening amount of injuries and it got to the point of being ridiculous in their 32-20 loss to the still undefeated Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday. Hamilton has a dozen players on their current injury report and it got even worse with starting center Marwan Hage, linebacker Brandon Isaac and running back/kick returner Lindsey Lamar banged up. And the team’s best receiver Andy Fantuz remains out of action for at least another week. One of the most telling quotes from head coach Kent Austin about the high volume of injuries: “We would like to be able to figure out how to field a football team. We are gonna have to bring in some players cause we are short right now.” Hamilton has a winnable game in Edmonton against the 1-4 Eskimos but the ongoing lack of continuity caused by the overload of injured players could once again negatively impact a chance for a win.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1-4 SU/ ATS)
Winnipeg turned to their backup quarterback Justin Goltz due to an injury to Buck Pierce but the offense fizzled once again. The Blue Bombers had a decent first half but were shut down completely in the second half by a very strong Calgary defense en route to suffering their third straight loss. Winnipeg simply has too many bodies out of the lineup at receiver for them to have the explosive enough passing attack that is required for success in this league. The defense is also underachieving and should be a lot better than it has played in their last two games against Toronto and Calgary (72 points allowed). The Winnipeg defense was supposed to be the strength of this team and far ahead of the offense but they were gashed by a Calgary’s third-string quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell who was making his CFL starting debut. If the defense doesn’t improve, there is nothing Winnipeg can do to win games or cover pointspreads right now because their offense is just so far behind the curve. Winnipeg will get a nightmare matchup next week in BC against what should be an angry and motivated Lions team after a very rare poor outing in Toronto.
Saskatchewan Roughriders (5-0 SU/ATS)
No Darian Durant, no problem for the rolling Riders! Durant was a late scratch due to his foot injury swelling up and that allowed Drew Willy to make just his third start for Saskatchewan. Willy struggled early in the game against Hamilton but eventually settled in and played very well. He completed 14-of-25 passes for 3 TDs and no INTs and relied on running back Kory Sheets to do the rest as Sheets delivered an extraordinary fifth consecutive game of 100 yards or more. The defense once again showed why they rank right up there with the likes of BC and Calgary as they pitched a near second half shutout against Hamilton allowing just a field goal the last 30 minutes of play. The special teams even deserves mention for Saskatchewan as they barely let Hamilton get 10 or more yards on punt and kickoff returns. This is still the most complete team in the CFL and for them to keep playing that well on the road minus their starting quarterback is impressive. Saskatchewan will enjoy a bye week this week and hope to have Durant back next week when they travel to Calgary.
Edmonton Eskimos (1-4 SU/ATS)
The talk around Edmonton this week is that they got jobbed in their loss to Montreal but the bottom line was they just didn’t make enough plays. Quarterback Mike Reilly started off the game poorly and was pulled by head coach Kavis Reed in favor of backup Jonathan Crompton who came in and played even worse. Reed then went back to Reilly who to his credit shrugged off the benching with a fairly good second half performance. But in the end, Reilly and his subpar offense couldn’t get the football in the end zone in the final seconds. The Eskimos defense has also been a disappointment this season after having a very strong 2012 season. For the second straight week, they allowed over 30 points in a losing effort and this time it came against a struggling Montreal Alouettes offense that had been lifeless for the better part of the season. This is a team that I do not want any of my $$ on right now as they are out of sync on both sides of the football.
Calgary Stampeders (4-1 SU/ATS)
Calgary was yet another example this week of a team that just kept on running smoothly despite the switch to third-string quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell. Mitchell went 29-of-33 and threw 3 TDs against Winnipeg in a 37-24 win. Running back Jon Cornish was solid running the football again and the defense completely shut down Winnipeg in the second half. Calgary’s 4-1 record is very good but only one of the four wins came against a team with a winning record (vs. BC) so I still think there is room for Calgary to prove themselves as a great team and they have a wonderful opportunity next week following their bye against the 5-0 Saskatchewan Roughriders at home. Calgary is on a long-term 11-1 run to the Over dating back to last year including 4-1 this season. It’s an embarrassment of riches at the quarterback position as this squad can boast that they’ve won at least one game with three different signal callers this season.
BC Lions (3-2 SU/ATS)
The BC Lions didn’t look at all like their usual self in an awful 38-12 blowout loss in Toronto. Toronto’s backup quarterback Zach Collaros had his way against one of the best defenses in the CFL. BC had numerous chances to sack Collaros but rarely did they bring him down and when they didn’t, Collaros would make some kind of terrific play either running or throwing it downfield. The Lions offense played equally as bad with quarterback Travis Lulay having a poor showing (226 yards, 1 INT). BC was held out of the end zone without a TD for the whole game. Keep in mind that BC had an equally rough performance in Week 1 against Calgary losing 44-32 and bounced back strong in their next game at home against Toronto in Week 2 with a 24-16 win. I wouldn’t want to be in the Winnipeg Blue Bombers shoes next week when they travel to BC.
Friday, August 2
HAMILTON (1 - 4) at EDMONTON (1 - 4) - 8/2/2013, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
HAMILTON is 0-6 ATS (-6.6 Units) as a road underdog of 3 points or less over the last 3 seasons.
EDMONTON is 65-93 ATS (-37.3 Units) as a favorite since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
EDMONTON is 4-1 against the spread versus HAMILTON over the last 3 seasons
EDMONTON is 4-1 straight up against HAMILTON over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
Monday, August 5
WINNIPEG (1 - 4) at BRITISH COLUMBIA (3 - 2) - 8/5/2013, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BRITISH COLUMBIA is 5-19 ATS (-15.9 Units) as a favorite of 10 or more points since 1996.
BRITISH COLUMBIA is 21-39 ATS (-21.9 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a losing record since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
WINNIPEG is 3-2 against the spread versus BRITISH COLUMBIA over the last 3 seasons
BRITISH COLUMBIA is 3-2 straight up against WINNIPEG over the last 3 seasons
4 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
HAMILTON vs. EDMONTON
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Hamilton's last 5 games when playing on the road against Edmonton
Hamilton is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Edmonton is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Hamilton
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Edmonton's last 5 games when playing at home against Hamilton
WINNIPEG vs. BRITISH COLUMBIA
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Winnipeg's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Winnipeg's last 9 games when playing on the road against British Columbia
British Columbia14-5-1 SU in its last 20 games
British Columbia is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Winnipeg
CFL Betting Notes - Week 6
By David Schwab
VegasInsider.com
The CFL only has two games on the slate for Week 6 with half the teams on a bye. After the first five weeks of action there is a clear separation between the haves and the have nots in the league. Last Thursday night Montreal started Week 5 with a 32-27 victory over Edmonton as a four-point home favorite. On Friday night, Calgary moved to 4-1 straight-up with a 37-24 romp of Winnipeg as a 5½-point favorite on the road.
Saskatchewan remained the only undefeated team in the CFL with a 32-20 pasting of Hamilton last Saturday night as a four-point road favorite and in a rare Tuesday night clash, Toronto stunned British Columbia 38-12 as a 6½-point underdog at home.
The following is a brief betting preview for Week 6 of the CFL regular season with the opening pointspread and ‘over/under’ lines provided by The Greek.
Friday, Aug. 2
Hamilton Tiger-Cats vs. Edmonton Eskimos
Pointspread: Edmonton -3
Total: 54
Something has to give in this matchup with each team sporting just one win on the year. The Tiger-Cats have lost their last two games after beating Winnipeg 25-20 as a 5½-point home favorite in Week 3 for their only win on the year. They are 1-4 SU and a costly 0-5 against the spread. The total has stayed UNDER in their last four games.
The problems with this team are twofold. It has an offense that is ranked last in the league in scoring and a defense that has been torched for an average of 31.6 points a game, which is the most points allowed in the CFL. It is hard to blame quarterback Henry Burris for the slow start given that he leads the league in passing yards with 1,510 while completing 64.2 percent of his throws.
The Eskimos’ current losing streak now stands at three games both SU and ATS and they are also 1-4 SU (1-4 ATS) on the year. The total has gone OVER in their last two games and in three of five overall.
This is another team that has had trouble finding the end zone this season especially at home. Edmonton has averaged 26 points in three road games but it only managed 18 in its home opener against Saskatchewan and three points in a Week 3 loss to BC. Mike Reilly has taken the majority of the snaps at quarterback but he has only completed 56.3 percent of his passes and he has six interceptions verse five touchdown throws.
The home team in this series is 8-2 SU and 7-3 ATS in the last 10 meetings and the total has gone OVER in three of the last four games. Edmonton struck first blood this season with a 30-20 victory in Week 2 as a seven-point road underdog. The total stayed UNDER the 55½-point line.
Monday, Aug. 5
Winnipeg Blue Bombers vs. British Columbia Lions
Point-spread: BC -10
Total: 47.5
The Bombers come into this inter-division clash with just one SU victory on the year and they are 2-3 ATS. They are actually 2-0 ATS on the road this season and the total has gone OVER in three of their first five games.
Quarterback Buck Pierce remains ‘questionable’ for this contest with a lingering abdominal injury so look for Justin Goltz to once again get the start if Pierce cannot go. Last week against the Stampeders he completed just 54.3 percent of his attempts for 194 yards and while he did toss two scoring strikes he was also picked-off once.
BC will have to quickly regroup after Tuesday’s ugly loss dropped it to 3-2 SU and ATS on the year. The total went OVER the 49-point line in that game and it has now gone OVER in three of the Lions first five games this year.
The Lions return home where they are 2-0 SU and ATS this season while averaging 27.5 points a game. Their defense has also played well in front of the home-two crowd this season; allowing a total of just 37 points in those two games. Travis Lulay is the third leading passer in the CFL with 1,200 yards while running back Andrew Harris is third in rushing with 403 yards.
This will be the first meeting this season, but BC holds a 15-6 SU edge in the last 21 games. The Lions are 8-3 SU in their last 11 home games against the Blue Bombers, but just 2-5 ATS in the last seven meetings overall. The total has stayed UNDER in eight of the last nine meetings in BC.
Week 6 CFL
Hamilton (1-4) @ Edmonton (1-4) -- Eskimos (+7.5) won 30-20 at Hamilton in Week 2, its only win of year, running ball for 177 yards with three takeaways, Edmonton's sixth win in last eight series games. TiCats lost last six visits here by 2-5-1-2-18-15 points. Five of last seven series games went over total; three of last four Hamilton games stayed under, three of last four Eskimo games went over. Edmonton lost its last three games by 14-10-5- they are 0-2 at home, losing 39-18/17-3 to western rivals. TiCats are 0-2 on road, losing by 5-37 points; they've allowed 30+ points in all four of their losses.
Winnipeg (1-4) @ BCLions (3-2) -- Road team covered all five Bomber games; Winnipeg is 2-0 as road dogs, winning SU at Montreal, losing 25-20 at Hamilton for TiCats' only win. Bombers allowed 38-25-35-37 points in their four losses, 16 in their win. Lions has short week after losing 38-12 in Toronto Tuesday; they're 2-0 as home favorites, winning 24-16 over Toronto, 31-21 vs Edmonton- all three of their wins are by 8+ points. Under is 13-3 in last 16 series games, including last eight played here. Lions won last three series games by 11-17-3 points, streak that started with 34-23 BC win in '11 Grey Cup.
Armadillosports.com
Ti-Cats at Eskimos: What Bettors Need to Know
By Covers.com
Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Edmonton Eskimos (-3, 53)
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are reeling after back-to-back losses to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in which they were outscored 69-20 and surrendered 298 total rushing yards. On Friday, quarterback Henry Burris and the Tiger-Cats will try to recover when they visit the floundering Edmonton Eskimos. Burris leads the league with 1,510 passing yards, but Hamilton has only managed 99 points - tied with Edmonton for lowest in the league - because of its lack of a running game.
The Eskimos’ only win came against Hamilton in heavy rain at the Tiger-Cats’ temporary home in Guelph, Ont., in Week 2. Quarterback Mike Reilly was pulled briefly after a poor start in last week’s loss to the Montreal Alouettes, but returned to bring Edmonton within one yard of winning on a long final drive. Reilly has completed only 72-of-128 passes and has thrown more interceptions (six) than touchdowns (five) in his first stint as a CFL starter, but the Eskimos are short on options to replace him as they look for their first home win of 2013.
ABOUT THE TIGER-CATS (1-4): Running back Lindsey Lamar appeared to have solved Hamilton’s running issues with more than 100 total combined yards in a little over one quarter of action last week before he was injured by a high hit during a kickoff return. Lamar, who has 564 return yards as a rookie, was on the sidelines at practice Monday, along with newly signed linebacker Brandon Isaac. Veteran wide receiver Dave Stala caught two passes for 33 yards in his season debut, which was delayed because of injury.
ABOUT THE ESKIMOS (1-4): Running back Hugh Charles had his strongest performance of the year in Edmonton’s 30-20 victory over the Tiger-Cats. Charles ran for 119 yards, including a 70-yard dash that resulted in his only touchdown of the season. The Eskimos defense has 10 sacks, while linebackers Damaso Munoz and JC Sherritt lead the team in tackles with 34 and 31, respectively. Slotback Fred Stamps leads the team with 315 receiving yards and slotback Cary Koch returned a punt 81 yards for a touchdown filling in for injured kick returner Joe Burnett last week.
TRENDS:
* Tiger-Cats are 0-6 ATS in their last six games overall.
* Over is 9-2-1 in Eskimo's last 12 games overall.
* Under is 4-0 in Tiger-Cats last four games overall.
* Tiger-Cats are 1-4 ATS in their last five meetings.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. Edmonton is 0-2 at home; Hamilton is 0-2 on the road.
2. Burris, who is the only Tiger-Cats player with more than 100 rushing yards (139), is on pace to reach 5,000 passing yards for the third time in his career. The veteran pivot is fourth all-time in CFL touchdown passes with 308.
3. Hamilton has surrendered a league-worst 158 points and is 0-3 against West Division opponents.
Blue Bombers at Lions: What Bettors Need to Know
By Covers.com
Winnipeg Blue Bombers at B.C. Lions (-11, 49.5)
A week after naming Justin Goltz their starting quarterback for the remainder of the season, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers face yet more questions under center. Goltz was hurt in his first career start and might not be available as the Blue Bombers try to snap a three-game skid when they visit the BC Lions on Monday. Goltz replaced struggling veteran pivot Buck Pierce, who is suffering from an abdominal injury, meaning that third-string quarterback Max Hall may get a chance to helm Winnipeg’s lacklustre offense.
The Lions' defense had trouble with a backup quarterback last week in a 38-12 road loss to Zach Collaros and the Toronto Argonauts. BC could not contain Toronto’s shifty offense, while quarterback Travis Lulay couldn't manage a touchdown on four separate trips to the red zone as the Lions failed to execute plays on both sides of the ball and saw their three-game winning streak come to an end. The Blue Bombers should not be as difficult for BC to defend, but Lulay will need to regain the form that saw him complete seven touchdown passes in the first four weeks.
ABOUT THE BLUE BOMBERS (1-4): Winnipeg’s defensive line is no longer as fearsome as it appeared to start the season. Only defensive end Alex Hall and defensive tackle Zach Anderson have sacks in the last two weeks after the team recorded 18 over the first three. Hall leads the team with six sacks. Cornerback Jovon Johnson and defensive back Demond Washington are questionable for Monday’s game, while cornerback Jeremy McGee and defensive back Desia Dunn are expected to return from injury.
ABOUT THE LIONS (3-2): Linebacker Adam Bighill finished with two sacks in his return after missing two weeks with an ankle injury, but missed numerous other opportunities against the mobile Collaros. Running back Andrew Harris has 403 yards and is on pace for a career highs in yardage and touchdowns, while Lulay has added 180 yards on the ground. Slotback Nick Moore has 357 receiving yards - 42 shy of the mark he set last year in his sophomore season.
TRENDS:
* Lions are 4-0 ATS vs. a team with a losing record.
* Blue Bombers are 4-0 ATS in their last four Monday games.
* Under is 6-1 in Lions last seven games in August.
* Under is 8-1 in the last nine meetings in BC.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. Max Hall, who started three games at quarterback for the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals in 2010, has yet to run a play in a CFL game.
2. BC has given up five touchdowns in each of its two losses while allowing three total in its three victories.
3. The Lions are 2-0 at home.