Week 3 CFL Picks: Expect Stamps, Ticats To Play Better


It was a 1-1 split for our Week 2 CFL betting picks, and both games were decided very tight to the number.

Our winner came on the Lions +0.5 in the first half against Toronto, with B.C. carrying a 1-point lead into halftime before pulling away in the second half. Our losing bet was on the Roughriders as a small home underdog to Winnipeg, as Saskatchewan covered the spread in regulation time but then lost the game in overtime.

With that loss, the Green Riders became the first underdog not to cover the point spread this CFL season. Calgary has struggled out of the gate by its lofty standards, going 1-0-1 overall but failing to cover in each of its first 2 outings. The Alouettes lost 23-19 last week in Edmonton but still covered the spread as +4.5 point dogs.

Our 2017 CFL betting season record is now 2-1 for +0.9 units. Let’s try to build on that with our Week 3 CFL picks.

 

Week 3 CFL Betting Lines

The Lions were underdogs last week in Toronto, but they’re now laying 2.5 points at Montreal against an Alouettes team that covered a big number last week in Edmonton.

It looks like oddsmakers are putting some stock in BC’s fourth-quarter performance against the Argos, when the Lions blew open what was a tight game to win 28-15.

The Stampeders have been moved down to favourites of just a field goal this week after failing to cover in each of their first 2 games. Winnipeg needed OT to get past Saskatchewan last week in its season debut.

Toronto goes from being a 1.5-point favourite at home against BC to a 5-point dog in Ottawa, where the Redblacks seek their first win of the season. Ottawa blasted the Argos 29-12 in their most recent meeting.

Week 3 of the CFL concludes Saturday night with a meeting between the winless Tiger-Cats and Roughriders. Saskatchewan is the 1-point favourite in that matchup.

 

Week 3 CFL Betting Picks

1. Stampeders at Blue Bombers Betting Pick


Apologies to Blue Bombers fans, but we’re still not sold on this Winnipeg team. The Bombers collected just 18 first downs last week to Saskatchewan’s 23, but continue to win because of turnovers. Winnipeg picked off 2 passes and recovered a Saskatchewan fumble, enabling the Blue Bombers to escape with a 43-40 victory over a Roughriders team that isn’t exactly the best the CFL has to offer.

Now Winnipeg has to step way up in class against a Calgary squad that toyed with the CFL during the regular season a year ago. The Stamps have yet to hit their stride this season, but we think that makes them bring even more focus to this one, plus we get Calgary in a point spread range that we rarely see them in. Calgary is 21-6-1 against the spread in its last 28 games as a favourite of a field goal or less, and we love them to cover the short number here.

Pick: Stampeders -3 -106 at Pinnacle.com

2. Tiger-Cats at Roughriders Betting Pick

We have been on the Roughriders in each of the first 2 weeks of the season, and should have been rewarded with 2 winners. So too should the Roughies, losing by 1 point in their opener at Montreal and then by 3 points in OT last week at home to the Bombers.

One thing is clear about Saskatchewan: They excel in the underdog role when they’re catching a few points, but they’re not good at actually pulling out victories. So when they’re a small favourite like they are this week against Hamilton, we have to look to bet against them.

Hamilton is coming off a bye, following a poor performance at Toronto in its season opener. The Ticats are as good as any team in the East and have serious Grey Cup ambitions, and we think they’ll bring a terrific focus to this contest. They’ll be without injured star receiver Terrence Toliver for this game, but that should also elevate the intensity and focus of the rest of the receiving corps looking to make up for his absence.

Expect the better team to pull out the victory against a Green Riders squad that always plays teams tough, but just can’t quite get over the hump.

Pick: Tiger-Cats +1.5 -104 at Pinnacle.com