CFL Sunday 10* Top Play Toronto Argonauts +6 vs Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ 6 ET in Saskatchewan - A lot of things have to go right to win the Grey Cup. Then, to win two in a row, the odds are even slimmer. As for getting a trifecta of Grey Cup Championship titles the odds are even slimmer yet. All the pressure is on Winnipeg here as the Blue Bombers are going for the 3-peat after winning it all in 2019 and 2021 - there was no 2020 season due to covid. That said, underdog Toronto is not really being given a chance here by most pundits. That is the part of the reason the line has moved toward Winnipeg also. I have a strong feeling the Argonauts get the shocking upset here but I will grab the points as added insurance. Toronto was 6-3 in road games this season and the Blue Bombers were 7-2 away from home. This game is being played at Mosaic Stadium in Regina SK so it is a neutral site game. Granted Regina much closer to Winnipeg than it is to Toronto but you can bank on Riders fans being in attendance for this one and so plenty of fans will be cheering AGAINST the Blue Bombers in this one. History buffs will be glad to know that Toronto has won the Grey Cup EACH of the last SIX times they have reached the big game. The loss before that was by just 2 points and that was preceded by a 1-point win. Excellent line value here and there are many intangibles for liking the underdog Argos including RB Andrew Harris, a sure Hall of Famer, going against his former team and ready to show he still "has it" on the biggest of stages in the CFL. There are also still some questions about how healthy Winnipeg QB Zach Collaros is here as well. 10* TORONTO +6

CFL Sunday 10* Top Play BC Lions +4 or +4.5 @ Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ 4:30 ET - It will be very cold in Winnipeg - as you would expect for November - and so there is a lot of talk of whether or not the Lions can handle that. BC plays their home games in a dome. However, it is not as if their roster is loaded with players who have not played cold weather football. It is also not as if Winnipeg has played a ton of cold weather football this season either. It is just now getting cold in Canada and both teams will be prepared for it. That aside, I feel all the pressure is on Winnipeg here. The Blue Bombers are trying to make it a 3-peat. They have won the Grey Cup each of the last two seasons so certainly they have post-season experience and know how to handle all the various playoff pressure scenarios. However, they had a bye last week and also had a bye right before the final game of the regular season for them which was also essentially a bye because it was a meaningless game for both the Bombers and the Lions when they met in Week 21. So, considering all these factors, I like the fact that BC has played more meaningful football recently as they just faced Calgary last week to open up the post-season in a win or go home game! Now the Lions have an "us and against the world" mentality and they know they are the big dogs here and everyone expects Winnipeg to advance for another Grey Cup. Don't be surprised when this one turns into an upset. Lions now have Rourke back under center and they are a high quality team even without WR Whitehead. They beat a great Calgary team last week and keep the momentum going here. I look for the Lions to advance to their first Grey Cup since, ironically, they beat the Blue Bombers to win it all about a decade ago in 2011! Grab the points here. 10* BC +4 or +4.5

CFL Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 50 in BC Lions vs Calgary Stampeders @ 4:30 ET - BC will have Bryan Burnham available for this game at WR. They also welcomed back star QB Nathan Rourke late in the season. Remember this team is a different animal on offense when he is under center as he had a breakout season for the Lions. The thing is, Calgary can put up huge points too. I look for this one to turn into a back and forth shootout. I know it is playoff football time but these two offenses are just too good. The Stampeders averaged 31 points per game this season. The Lions averaged 29 points per game this season and that was even with Rourke out injured for a significant number of games. I am expecting this to be a 31-28 type game at a minimum and the fact it is at BC Place in Vancouver means we have no weather concerns with this one either as the roof will be closed. Look for a ton of offense in this one. 10* OVER 50 in BC Lions

CFL 10* Top Play Hamilton Tiger-Cats +1.5 @ Montreal Alouettes @ 1 ET - Montreal has the home field edge here but there is a reason this line is practically a pick'em even though Hamilton was 2-7 SU on the road this season! Keep in mind the Ti-Cats are loaded with experience from key playoff runs in recent seasons plus they were the hotter team down the stretch this season. Montreal faded a bit late in terms of level of play and I am taking the team that is peaking at the right time to get the job done Sunday in the opener of the post-season. 10* HAMILTON +1.5

CFL Friday 10* Top Play OVER 50 or 50.5 in Winnipeg Blue Bombers vs BC Lions @ 8:30 ET - Rourke is back for BC at QB. They want to get him into rhythm before the playoffs start. This is the regular season finale. It really carries no meaning and I do not expect a lot of defensive intensity because of that key factor. Both teams are going to the playoffs and are hosting playoff games in the coming weeks. That means this game is all about staying in rhythm on offense. The weather is going to be nice in Winnipeg too by late October standards. Both offenses can air it out in this one. The Blue Bombers and Lions are both averaging 30 points per game. Don't be surprised if, based on that fact as well as the spread for this game, we see a 34-31 type game. Winnipeg has averaged 39 points per game last 5 games. BC has averaged 31 points per game last 4 games and now Rourke is back and he was phenomenal early this season before getting hurt. 10* OVER 50 or 50.5 in Winnipeg

CFL Saturday 10* Top Play Saskatchewan Roughriders +2.5 vs Calgary Stampeders @ 7 ET - Yes the Roughriders have been slumping but they are at home and off a bye week and, before the bye week, they fought hard at Hamilton in a tight loss. Calgary saw BC win last night to end their hopes of hosting the Lions in the playoffs. The Stampeders really do not have anything to play for here now. They just want to stay healthy as they are effectively locked into their playoff seeding. That said, even though Saskatchewan has struggled they are the play here. They are making a QB switch and they have the motivational edges and the home field edge and I just can't see Calgary putting up much of a fight in this one given the situation. 10* SASKATCHEWAN +2.5

CFL Friday 10* Top Play Edmonton Elks +7 vs BC Lions @ 9:30 ET - BC is off big win versus Winnipeg last week. But the Lions scored 40 points on only 266 yards of offense! The key was 2 Blue Bombers interceptions and they also turned the ball over once on downs. BC clinched a playoff spot with that win but they actually were outgained by over 100 yards in that game. The Lions are still motivated to win this game because of playoff hosting scenarios, etc. But the Elks have not won at home all season long and this is their season finale. Edmonton really wants this game badly after falling just short when they hosted Toronto last week. The yardage was roughly equal in that game and the Elks are even hungrier this week as a result of falling just short against the Argonauts. Perhaps the hosts will indeed finish the season with an 0-9 record at home but I do see them getting at least a cover here and certainly would not be surprised to see the outright upset given the situation as the Lions are over-rated here plus could be a little flat in this game after knocking off the top team in the league last week. 10* EDMONTON +7

CFL Friday 10* Top Play UNDER 49.5 in Hamilton Tiger-Cats vs Ottawa Redblacks @ 7 ET - I know both teams are coming off high-scoring games last week but it is going to be windy in Hamilton for this one. Also, this game has huge playoff implications. Though Ottawa's chances of making the post-season are extremely slim, they can at least keep hopes alive for one more day with a win here. As for Hamilton, they need a win too as the bigger battle is between the Tiger-Cats and Saskatchewan for that final playoff berth. That said, both teams will play this game with playoff intensity plus it is a division rivalry plus the weather should help us. 10* UNDER 49.5 in Hamilton

CFL Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 50.5 in Edmonton Elks vs Toronto Argonauts @ 7 ET - Decent weather in this one in Edmonton with light winds and cool, but not cold, temperatures. That means both offenses are fully functional for this one. I feel certain the Elks, still winless at home this season, are going to do everything they can to win this game. However, that will mean reliance on offense and QB Taylor Cornelius had been playing better for Edmonton before a tough game against the league-best Blue Bombers last week. That said, Cornelius and Company should bounce back big here at home but the issue will be stopping the Argonauts. That is an issue the Elks just can't seem to solve. They are allowing an average of 34 points per game on the season! Toronto is favored by 5 in this game. Assuming the line is right then that would put this game finishing in a range of 34-29 Argos! That would total 63 and we are dealing with a total a dozen points below that. I love the value here as a game finishing in that range would not surprise me in the least. 10* OVER 50.5 in Edmonton

CFL Friday 10* Top Play Hamilton Tiger-Cats +7.5 @ Calgary Stampeders @ 9:30 ET - Just too many points here. Yes, this game holds importance for the Stampeders too but the Tiger-Cats are fighting for their playoff lives. They are chasing Saskatchewan who is idle this week and Hamilton can tie them up in the standings with a win here. The Roughriders also have the tougher end to their season with their final 2 games in comparison with the Ti-Cats. Now, I am not saying that means Hamilton wins this game outright but I am saying they are going hard for it and they are healthier than they have been in quite some time. I look for them to give Calgary all they can handle here and this game will end up being decided by just a one-score margin in my opinion. Yes the Stamps are off a bye week that was preceded by a 29-2 win over Toronto but that final score in the victory over the Argonauts did not correlate to the boxscore so don't let the final score fool you. We are getting line value here because of that final score and this one will go down to the wire in my opinion so huge value with the points. QB Dane Evans off a bad game for the Tiger-Cats but yet they still got the comeback win over the Riders last week so that says a lot too. Evans had been playing better so I look for a big bounce back here. 10* HAMILTON +7.5

CFL Monday 10* Top Play OVER 47 or 47.5 in Montreal Alouettes vs Ottawa Redblacks @ 1 ET - First off both teams get their top running backs for this game. Establishing the run will open up the passing game. Secondly, there have been a lot of points when these teams have met. Thirdly, Ottawa just fired their head coach after the loss to BC. The Redblacks will be highly motivated here but the Alouettes also can clinch a home playoff game by getting a victory here. So this rivalry game will have even more energy than usual on this Thanksgiving Monday in Canada. The Redblacks just threw for a pile of yards last week. The passing attack for the Als has thrived against Ottawa's defense this season. It will be cool in Montreal today for this one but not cold. Temperatures right around 50 degrees Fahrenheit and light winds. Nice conditions for both offenses to open things up. With this total also dropping down after opening up near 50, I feel we have excellent line value here. 10* OVER 47 or 47.5 in Montreal

Rickenbach CFL 10* OVER 50.5 in Winnipeg Blue Bombers vs Edmonton Elks @ 7 ET - Winnipeg has the best record in the league but they only have 3 regular season games left (including this one) and they still have not locked up the division just yet let alone the best league record. So the point is that the Blue Bombers still have plenty of motivation here. They are favored by two touchdowns for a reason here. They will not stop scoring in this one. The Bombers can do some damage here against a bad Elks defense. Additionally, Edmonton will score some points here. I know they just lost leading WR Kenny Lawler to season-ending surgery. However, Dillion Mitchell is off a big game and fully capable of big games. Also, Derel Walker off a quiet game but he has been solid this season too. That means QB Taylor Cornelius still has plenty of talent to work with and he had been playing well prior to throwing 2 picks last week. The Elks will move the ball some in this game and score decently but Winnipeg will be scoring like a machine. I am looking for at least a 35-21 game and that gets past the current total sitting in the 50 range and again I am looking for mid-50s at the very least here. Elks allowing 33 points per game this season but they are 4-4 on the road this season so they actually have been better away from home. They are winless at home this season but playing .500 ball on the road. Edmonton, prior to last week's low-scoring loss, had averaged 24 points per game last 6 games. But again Elks can't stop Blue Bombers and there you have it. 38-24 sounds about right here on second though and that would be double digit cover on this total. 10* OVER 50.5 in Winnipeg

CFL Friday 10* Top Play Hamilton Tiger-Cats -2 vs Saskatchewan Roughriders @ 7:30 ET - The Tiger-Cats are off a bye week. That was preceded by a loss at Montreal but they outgained the Alouettes in that game but turned the ball over twice - once on downs and once on a fumble. Prior to that loss they had a big home win over a strong Winnipeg team. That victory brought Hamilton to 4-1 last 5 home games. Conversely, this Roughriders team is on a 4-game losing streak. I know Saskatchewan is trying to make the playoffs but the Ti-Cats still have hope too and the Riders are known for being a bad road team. We have solid line value here with the home team at a short number and I am looking for another strong game from Tiger-Cats QB Dane Evans as he has been in fine form recently. 10* HAMILTON -2

CFL Saturday 10* Top Play Edmonton Elks +3.5 vs Montreal Alouettes @ 4 ET - The Elks should win this outright but I am grabbing the value of the 3.5 points here. However, the fact is that Edmonton is hungry for their first home win of the season and this is the perfect spot to get it. The Elks catch Montreal off a big home win over Hamilton. That divisional win could leave them a little flat here plus Edmonton has the rest edge since they are off a bye week. Additionally, Edmonton has been playing better of late. Getting solid QB play from Cornelius and now they get a top WR back from injury this week too. Montreal, on the other hand, will still be without their star RB Stanback here. On defense the Elks also are fired up off a huge performance piling up sacks versus Saskatchewan two weeks ago. Now fresher legs off the bye and note the Als are 2-4 on the road this season while the hosts here have a sweet 3-1 record versus East Division teams this season. Lot to like with the home team in a great spot here. 10* EDMONTON +3.5

CFL Friday 10* Top Play Ottawa Redblacks +7 @ BC Lions @ 10:30 ET - Surprisingly, the Redblacks are 3-3 SU on the road this season which is nearly as good as the 4-3 home record that BC has. Both teams off bad losses last week but I think we have excellent value here with the big points with Ottawa. The Redblacks had 5 interceptions in last week's ugly home loss to Toronto so they managed to lose by 30 points despite having a yardage edge of 80 in the game! Unheard of variance between the scoreboard and the statsheet. That said, another key is that of course BC has been a different team since their star QB Nathan Rourke got hurt. This week they will be without one of their best wide receivers too as Bryan Burnham is out. He had been strong for the Lions in recent weeks so this certainly will further hurt a passing game that is not the same without Rourke at the controls. BC barely snuck by the Redblacks when these teams met in Ottawa and I am forecasting another tight game here which means the points are ultra-valuable in this one! 10* OTTAWA +7 

CFL Friday 10* Top Play UNDER 48.5 in Winnipeg Blue Bombers vs Saskatchewan Roughriders @ 8 ET - Both teams coming off a bye week preceded by a loss. Winnipeg allowed a ridiculous 48 points in their loss at Hamilton. Speaking of ridiculous, it was only 3 weeks ago that Winnipeg embarrassed the Roughriders by hanging 54 on them right here. That said, I feel both defenses are going to come to play here. Saskatchewan off a home loss to Edmonton and the D will want to respond after the 54-point debacle the last time here. As for the Blue Bombers, their defense also has had two weeks to think about the debacle at Hamilton as Tiger-Cats QB Dane Evans had a career day against them there. Don't expect a repeat of that here for sure as the Riders offensive line was a big reason they allowed 8 sacks in the loss to the Elks and the Blue Bombers should be getting QB pressure for sure. That is why I feel this one could finish as more of a defensive battle than most are envisioning. Also, the Blue Bombers can lock up a home field playoff game with a win here so their defense has some extra motivation because of that as well. 10* UNDER 48.5 in Winnipeg

CFL Saturday 10* Top Play Calgary Stampeders +1 @ BC Lions @ 10 PM ET - Yes the Lions managed to sneak past the Stampeders last week but it was in OT and BC still has not won a game in regulation time since week 11 and we are now in week 15. Calgary is 5-2 on the road this season and the only two losses away from home were at Winnipeg. Of course the Blue Bombers have been the best team in the league this season so no shame in those two defeats and one of the losses was by just a 2-point margin. The Stamps QB Maier had 3 touchdown passes last week while the Lions Adams did not have a single one. Yes, BC is a quality football team but they are not the same team without Rourke at QB. He was lost to a season-ending injury about a month ago and the Lions have struggled since then. After the Lions clawed their way to a tight OT victory last week at Calgary, look for the Stampeders to return the favor at BC! Note that the Stamps are 8-0 this season against teams not named Winnipeg or BC. The Lions have beaten them twice but by a total of just 3 points. There is a reason this game is priced at nearly a pick'em even though the Stampeders are on the road. This time the Stamps get over the hump and beat BC as I liked what I saw last week despite them falling just short on the scoreboard. Payback time in a key game for the visitors here. 10* CALGARY +1

CFL Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 46.5 in Ottawa Redblacks vs Toronto Argonauts @ 7 ET - These teams are off a bye week last week and had met the week before. The bye week means fresh legs here and the offenses will push the pace. The meeting the week prior staying under the total despite both teams putting up very impressive yardage numbers means line value here. The game two weeks ago should have easily gone over the total and yet ended up an under. The result is we have a total lower than it should be here and we have false perception in the marketplace. We'll take advantage. This one flies over the total as both offenses move the ball very well again and, this time, the points scored are commensurate with the yardage being piled up! 10* OVER 46.5 in Ottawa

CFL Friday 10* Top Play Hamilton Tiger-Cats +2.5 @ Montreal Alouettes @ 7:30 ET - Look for Hamilton to build off their big upset win last week at home versus the Blue Bombers. Of course Winnipeg the best team in the CFL this season so the Tiger-Cats upsetting them is nothing to sneeze at. The fact is this Ti-Cats team is much better than their record shows. Lets not forget they have been a threat for the Grey Cup title each of the past two seasons. Now Hamilton is still looking up in the standings at Montreal but can equal them with a win here and improve their playoff chances. Look for the Ti-Cats to do just that as they also have a revenge from a tight 1-point loss in the last meeting between these teams and they want payback against the Als. I  know Montreal is off a bye week but the Alouettes had allowed 31 points per game in 8 games before a 31-10 win over a badly wounded BC team before their bye week last week. I just do not trust the Als defense and feel the Ti-Cats unit is the better unit even though some of their recent points allowed totals would not lead you to believe that. There is a reason that a Tiger-Cats team that is 0-6 SU on the road this season is catching such a small number here. Don't let the line fool you. The road team is the play here and I look for them to get revenge and finally get a road win! Grab the points just in case. 10* HAMILTON +2.5

CFL Saturday 10* Top Play Hamilton Tiger-Cats +7.5 vs Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ 4 ET - The Blue Bombers have the best record in the CFL but the Tiger-Cats are getting healthier and coming off a bye week. This sets up well for home underdog to give the highly touted visitor all they can handle in this one. Perhaps Winnipeg gets caught looking ahead to their upcoming bye week or still relishing their home blowout win over Saskatchewan last week. Either way, these Ti-Cats are much better than their record shows. I know they have a bad record but they entered this season 23-9 the past two seasons and they are not that bad of a football team. They will be excited here about exacting revenge too as Winnipeg has won each of the last two Grey Cup titles at the expense of Hamilton. When these teams met earlier this season, the Tiger-Cats lost by a two TD margin and they want payback here at home. They may not get that full revenge, though it would not surprise me, but they should at least get the ATS cover here which, of course, is our concern! 10* HAMILTON +7.5

CFL Friday 10* Top Play OVER 50 in Saskatchewan Roughriders vs Edmonton Elks @ 9:30 ET - Good weather expected in Regina for this one. The Elks offense has been looking better the way Taylor Cornelius has played recently. That means Edmonton should score plenty of points here. The Roughriders and Elks each gave up a bunch of points in their games last week. Yes, the Riders defense can be tougher when at home but, again, really like what I saw from Elks offense last week and that was against a solid Stampeders defense. Yes, the Saskatchewan offense struggled last week but the faced the best team in the league and it was a road game at Winnipeg. Compared to facing the Blue Bombers on the road, Saskatchewan will enjoy a lot more success here hosting an Elks team with horrible defense. On the season, Edmonton has allowed 34 points per game. If the oddsmakers are also correct about the 7 points spread here, that puts this game at 34-27 and totaling 61 points. Given all of the above as well as the situational value here the way Cornelius has been playing, I like the over here. Little side note here that QB Cody Fajardo's wife gave birth to a son on Tuesday. Everyone is doing well and Fajardo was back at practice yesterday and feeling good. He and the Riders offense will be able to exploit a struggling Elks defense Friday. 10* OVER 50 in Saskatchewan

CFL Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 49.5 in Edmonton Elks vs Calgary Stampeders @ 8 ET - Spectacular weather expected in Edmonton for this one and both teams will be airing it out. I realize last week's game between these teams in Calgary totaled only 44 points. However, turnovers were the story. That kept points off the board and I do no expect a repeat here. As Elks were turning it over on downs, etc. but will be stronger here at home. At the same time, they are not going to be able to shut down this Stampeders offense. The end result is this one flies over the total as Elks so hungry for that first home win of the season but their defense is always a concern. Edmonton scores well here but just can't keep Calgary from doing the same and I expect a high-scoring shootout on a day more like summer than autumn in the province of Alberta this evening. 10* OVER 49.5 in Edmonton

CFL Saturday 10* Top Play Saskatchewan Roughriders +7.5 @ Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ 5 ET - The Riders actually outgained the Bombers by about 100 yards last week! Saskatchewan lost the game by only 2 points and got the cover but one could argue, and correctly by the way, that the Rough Riders should have won the game outright! Not saying they will this week as it will be tougher with this one being at Winnipeg but still do think it is going to be again be tough for the Blue Bombers to cover. This one now is at 7.5 points and it offers huge value to the hungry underdog as Winnipeg continues to have a target on their backs courtesy of their torrid start this season. This is also a rivalry game and just too much value with the points here. 10* SASKATCHEWAN +7.5

CFL Friday 10* Top Play Montreal Alouettes +3.5 vs BC Lions @ 7:30 ET - Love the angles here. BC is just not the same team now without Rourke at QB. He will be out for a bit after surgery on his foot. As for QB O'Connor, he is just not at the same level. So BC went out and got Adams from Montreal and he might play some here immediately against his former team. Guess who knows QB Adams and his tendencies very, very well? The Alouettes of course. That said, this is a tough match-up for the Lions even though they are off a bye week. The QB position is a major question mark for BC while Montreal is very much settled on Harris at QB and he beat out Adams for the top spot with the Als for a reason. The Alouettes had recent key wins over Hamilton and also handed Winnipeg their only loss of the season but then lost last week at home so you know Montreal is going to be ready to roll here. This is a great situational spot for them as Lions make their longest road trip of the season across the country too. Again, I know that BC is off a bye week but this is still not a great spot for them. Also, note that Lions have played only 4 road games so far this season while others have played as many as 7 games. The home dog plus the points gets it done here. 10* MONTREAL +3.5

CFL Monday 10* Top Play OVER 49.5 in Calgary Stampeders vs Edmonton Elks @ 4:30 ET - This line dropped because the top receiver for Edmonton is out. However, Calgary does allow the most passing yardage of any team in the league. That said, the Elks may still get some yardage through the air. They still have a veteran WR and young dynamic talented WR that they even use out of backfield packages and for trick plays. They find a way to get the ball in his hands and he makes things happen. We get some line value here because the total is being held lower due to the injury situation for Edmonton at WR. I like the fact that some defensive injuries are getting less attention from the markets and note that Elks have been horrible against the run. So the Stampeders will get their run game going plus had a huge game through the air in their most recent game. Once you establish the run the passing game becomes more and more wide open. Hence that is why the Elks are so bad this season. They can't stop teams on the ground and then they get burned through the air. That is why I expect Stamps, coming off a loss, to have a huge game here and put up a ton of a points. But I am not comfortable laying double digits with Calgary as I am a contrarian by nature. I fully expect the Elks to surprise some people by moving the ball better than most expect here. That turns this one into a shootout. 10* OVER 49.5 in Calgary

CFL Monday 10* Top Play Hamilton Tiger-Cats Pick -110 vs Toronto Argonauts @ 1 ET - The standings show Toronto 5-5 and Hamilton 3-8 on the season. This is after Argonauts beat the Tiger-Cats 37-20 last week. However, the Ti-Cats are 3-2 this season at home while the Argos are 1-2 on the road this season. Also, in last week's game at Toronto, Hamilton actually won the yardage battle 452 to 301. The reality is the Tiger-Cats dominated statistically but yet lost by 17 points due to turnovers. That sets this one up absolutely beautifully and we get extra line value here too. The Ti-Cats are much better than their current record shows and Toronto is a bit over-rated plus has been helped by playing 70% of its games at home so far this season. 10* HAMILTON -110

CFL Sunday 10* Top Play Saskatchewan Roughriders +3.5 vs Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ 6 ET - Home dog is getting much healthier now and also has the added confidence of a road win at BC last week under their belts. The Roughriders handed the Lions just their 2nd loss of the season and now they can do the same to the Blue Bombers this week. Winnipeg had a target on their backs off their unbeaten start and now they are off an OT loss and a very tight 2-point win the past two weeks! This is going to be another very tough battle for the Bombers because they are on the road and Saskatchewan is not an easy place to play. Also, the Riders confidence is starting to grow as they have won 2 of 3 since a much needed bye week 4 weeks ago. 10* SASKATCHEWAN +3.5

CFL Friday 10* Top Play Montreal Alouettes -4 vs Ottawa Redblacks @ 7:30 ET - Montreal has a huge situational edge here as they were off last week. So Alouettes enter off a bye week while Ottawa played in the final game of last week's schedule and it was out west at Edmonton. The Alouettes already defeated the Redblacks this season and that game was at Ottawa. Now they get this rivalry match-up at home and they have the rest edge. Additionally, Redblacks win last week was a bit fortunate as they were outgained by Edmonton in that one but the Elks turned the ball over 5 times - 1 fumble, 1 interception, and 3 times on downs. I like the value here with laying the low number on the home team that should dominate in this one. The Als bye week was preceded by B2B wins and their confidence is growing as they are in the mix for the East Division title for sure. 10* MONTREAL -4

CFL Saturday 10* Ottawa +3.5 @ 7 ET - It is the match-up everyone in the CFL has been patiently waiting for all weekend. All kidding aside, this is a match-up of the last place teams from the respective divisions and will have few eyes on it. But, for our purposes, this one is actually a gem. Ottawa got hammered last week at home by the Elks on the scoreboard courtesy of a bad 2nd half. However, the yardage for the game was nearly equal! Now we get line value backing the Redblacks on the road at Edmonton catching a field goal plus the hook. This is a revenge special and the road dog will be dialed in after what happened last week in Ontario. 10* OTTAWA +3.5

CFL Friday 10* Top Play BC Lions -4 vs Saskatchewan Roughriders @ 10:30 ET - Yes, the Lions lost QB Nathan Rourke to injury but Michael O'Connor relieved him and went 5 for 5 and he has some CFL experience and had preparation time to now get ready for this start. The Rourke injury is what has the full attention of the marketplace. But the Roughriders are loaded with injuries. Multiple receivers including top guys and also their top running back all out for this game. I feel Saskatchewan is highly over-valued here because they are going to have trouble completing passes downfield without their usual receivers out there. This is a cluster injury situation and even their RB caught 4 targets last week too. The Riders hurting without guys and Lions have been so strong this season and are so tough at home. Feel we have excellent line value with the short home favorite that is a high quality team and back-up QB O'Connor is surrounded by one of the most talented teams in the league. This makes a difference too of course. BC won 28-10 at Saskatchewan last week and I fully understand the loss of Rourke to injury is big but the Lions just far too undervalued here. With a win they are within one win of Winnipeg for the top spot in the division. Look for the Lions to get it. 10* BC -4

CFL Friday 10* Top Play OVER 48.5 in Toronto Argonauts vs Hamilton Tiger-Cats @ 7:30 ET - This is a bitter rivalry but the defensive intensity sure has not resulted in many stops. Both of these teams have moved the ball well in the first two meetings this season and they scored 54 in the first one and 61 in the 2nd one. I know the weather may not be ideal tonight but I do think it will be decent enough and we get this game into the 50s the way these teams have been able to move the ball against each other. Take advantage of a rather low total here. Keep in mind, Hamilton has scored 26.5 points per game last 4 games and the Argonauts have scored 27 or more points in 4 of last 5 games. 10* OVER 48.5 in Toronto

CFL Thursday 10* Top Play Calgary Stampeders +6 @ Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ 8:30 ET - Winnipeg will suffer unbeaten letdown here. The Blue Bombers are off a bye week which followed a loss in Week 10 in OT versus Montreal. It was Winnipeg's first loss of the season after opening the year 9-0. Now the Bombers will feel the pressure of trying to get right back into the win column and they are facing the wrong team at the wrong time. Calgary is one of the top teams in the league and the Stampeders only have 3 losses on the season. One was by just a single point to another very strong team, BC, a few weeks ago. The other two losses were by just 7 points apiece and both were to this Blue Bombers team. The Stamps actually led Winnipeg heading to the 4th quarter of the most recent game but fell just short. Getting a full 6 points here and I really like the QB battle going on between Maier and Mitchell right now with Calgary. Maier getting the nod here and this will spark the team just like it did in their win last week when the switch was made. The world will back Blue Bombers here thinking they must bounce back off the loss but this Stamps team is extremely good, very focused, solid defensively, force turnovers, solid pass protection, and ready for payback here. Love the value of having the 6 points here should the Stampeders fall short of the upset win. We'll take it. 10* CALGARY +6

CFL Saturday 10* Top Play Calgary Stampeders -130 @ Toronto Argonauts @ 7 ET - Toronto is off a loss at Hamilton last week. The Tiger-Cats are their biggest rival. They will get caught looking ahead to their game hosting the Ti-Cats next week. That said, the Argos could be in trouble here against the Stampeders. I know Calgary has first place Winnipeg on deck but the Blue Bombers only have 1 loss on the season and the Stamps have 3 already. Calgary is focused on the task at hand here and is a perfect 3-0 SU this season against teams from the East Division. Overall, we have seen the West dominate the East throughout this season. The West is 17-4 SU this season in games with the East and I look for Calgary to improve their part of that record to 4-0 on the year. I will also recommend the money line here because we are seeing it as low as -130 in some places and that is a great value compared to laying 2.5 points. 10* CALGARY -130

CFL Saturday 10* Top Play Montreal Alouettes -125 vs Hamilton Tiger-Cats @ 4 ET - This one is all about the big situational edges here. Montreal catches Hamilton off huge rivalry win over Argonauts and with another big game against them at Toronto on deck. That is a major rivalry. Arguably the biggest in the CFL. That said, this is a great spot for the Alouettes to pick up a home win. The Tiger-Cats are 0-4 SU on the road this season and the money line is available in the -125 range on this game so I will lay it rather than risk laying any points here. 10* MONTREAL -125

CFL Friday 10* Top Play OVER 52 in Saskatchewan Roughriders vs BC Lions @ 10 ET - These teams met a few weeks ago and the game landed on 49 and pushed the total. There is good reason this total is a full 3 points higher. This BC offense is simply a well-oiled machine right now. It is very unlikely they will be slowing down anytime soon. Saskatchewan just allowed a bunch of yardage in their win at Edmonton last week so don't be surprised if the Lions pile up big numbers here. BC has averaged 40 points per game last 3 games and is averaging 37 points per game this season! Lions are 3-0 on the road this season thanks in part to averaging 36 points per game away from home on the year. The Riders offense is different when they are at home and they were averaging 30 points per game in home games before being slowed down a bit the first time hosting the Lions this season. They will be better in round two here and that helps push this one over the total because I just do not see this BC offense being stopped the way it is flying so high right now. 10* OVER 52 in Saskatchewan

CFL Friday 10* Top Play Edmonton Elks +4.5 @ Ottawa Redblacks @ 7 ET - Situational edge for Redblacks coming off bye week and Elks playing final game on last week's schedule. Still I can not see Ottawa as being worthy of being a 4.5 point favorite here. Yes, Edmonton just lost at home to Saskatchewan but they actually outgained the Roughriders 365 to 261 in that game. The Elks had a fumble lost and threw an interception in the game and turned it over on downs once also. That was the difference in the game and now we are getting line value this week as a result. Keep in, both Edmonton's win this season have come on the road. In fact the road team is now 6-3 SU in Elks games this season. Edmonton is perfect 2-0 SU against East Division teams this season. Redblacks are 0-5 SU this season against West Division teams and also 0-4 SU this season in home games. As you can see, that makes this a triple perfect spot in favor of the Elks. Given the above being all SU stats we may not even need the points here but I will grab them as added insurance. 10* EDMONTON +4.5

CFL Saturday 10* Top Play Saskatchewan Roughriders -5.5 @ Edmonton Elks @ 10 ET - Great spot here as Saskatchewan off a home loss to a tough BC team two weeks ago and now has had a bye week to fully prepare for this one in a bounce back spot. The Roughriders will take advantage of facing an Elks team that just got hammered by the same Lions team 46-14. The problem for Edmonton is they can't stop anyone. The Elks are allowing 36.3 points per game on the season and are winless at home. The Riders have struggled recently but have had a chance, with a bye week, to hit the reset button now and have allowed only 15.5 points in their 4 victories this season. The Roughriders won the first meeting here in Edmonton by double digits and I expect another big road win here as the Elks struggles continue. 10* SASKATCHEWAN -5.5

CFL Friday 10* Top Play Hamilton Tiger-Cats +1.5 vs Toronto Argonauts @ 7:30 ET - Yes, Hamilton lost at Toronto last week but the Ti-Cats outgained the Argos and blew a 4th quarter lead. Toronto won the game courtesy of an INT returned for a TD and a punt returned for a TD. Yes I know that QB Dane Evans is out for Hamilton for this game and Matthew Shiltz is getting this start. He has been in the league for 5 seasons and I like him to get the job here. In fact, when in Montreal he was called upon for a spot start in a similar situation and played very well against these same Argonauts. Once again, look for him to beat Toronto here. The Tiger-Cats defense played well last week and the Argos defense got some key plays but overall allowed a lot more yardage than did the Ti-Cats. We have excellent line value here with the hungry home dog in this rivalry game and seeing the Argonauts where they want to be...first place in the division. 10* HAMILTON +1.5

CFL Thursday 10* Top Play Montreal Alouettes +12 @ Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ 8:30 ET - The Blue Bombers are 9-0 on the season but have their first bye week of the season on deck. Don't be surprised if Winnipeg gets caught starting their bye week early. You see this so often with teams off to red hot starts in football and then they have an off week on deck that they are so excited about they get caught taking "off" a little bit too early. Yes, the Bombers just beat the Alouettes by 15 at Montreal last week but that game was tied at 14 entering the 4th quarter! Also, statistically there was not a huge gap between the two teams in that game but the bigger plays went the way of Winnipeg in that one. This is helping to give us line value here as this line is inflated and I fully expect the Als to give the Blue Bombers another challenging game and, this time, the underdog stays inside the number. 10* MONTREAL +12

CFL Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 51 in BC Lions vs Edmonton Elks @ 10 ET - Edmonton had been playing a little better prior to a 24-10 loss to Winnipeg prior to their bye week last week. The Elks certainly want revenge here as they got hammered 59 to 15 at BC earlier this season. I do expect, rested and off a bye week and playing better overall than earlier this season, the Elks will put up a fight here. However, the problem is that BC has been rolling on offense all season and now gets WR Burnham back for this one too. That said, the Lions are going to be hard to stop in this one. BC is averaging 35 points per game this season. The line on this game is around a 10 and the Elks are allowing 35 points per game this year. That said, 35-25 sounds about right here and that puts this total close to 60. The fact is the Lions have allowed 26 points per game last 4 game and I know Edmonton is hell bent on being competitive here after how ugly the first meeting was. The Elks will have to score well to compete here and hence that is why I love the over in this match-up. 10* OVER 51 in BC

CFL 10* Top Play Hamilton Tiger-Cats +2 @ Toronto Argonauts @ 7 ET - Hamilton is looking up in the division standings at Toronto and they have extra motivation here and are the better defense. The Tiger-Cats have allowed just 19 points per game in their 3 games since a bye week. As for Toronto, they have allowed 29 points per game last 5 games. This is a value spot because the Ti-Cats are winless in road games this season but, in my opinion, are the better team and that is precisely why the odds makers have priced this game the way they have. The road team is a very small dog for a reason and I sense an upset here but will grab the couple points being offered just in case. 10* HAMILTON +2

Friday CFL 10* Top Play OVER 50 in Ottawa Redblacks vs Calgary Stampeders @ 7:30 ET - Ottawa is off their first win of the season and it came by a 23-13 final. That Redblacks defense must really be firing on all cylinders, right? Hardly! Ottawa actually allowed 340 passing yards in that game and was very fortunate to only allow 13 points. The fact is that the Redblacks entered that game allowing an average of 27.5 points per game and they are in trouble here against an angry Stampeders team. Calgary is off their 2nd loss of the season to Winnipeg and there is no shame in that as the Blue Bombers remain undefeated on the season and are now 9-0 on the year! I love the fact that Calgary is averaging 31.5 points per game on offense this season and they will be relentless here and put up big points. However, I also expect the Redblacks to hang around in this game and score plenty. Keep in mind, the Stamps had one game this season in which they allowed only 6 points but in their other 5 games they have allowed an average of 28.2 points per game. Evans is off a strong game at QB for the Redblacks so the entire offense has more confidence here and this one should turn into a shootout as a result. 10* OVER 50 in Ottawa

CFL Thursday 10* Top Play Montreal Alouettes +5.5 vs Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ 7:30 ET - After this week is in the books Winnipeg will be the only team that still has not had a bye week as Saskatchewan is finally getting theirs this week and some teams have already had multiple bye weeks. That said, the undefeated Blue Bombers are in a bit of a tough spot here. Winnipeg is on short rest and pretty worn out for this Thursday game considering the huge effort that has gone into their season thus far. With consideration to that, I love the home dog Montreal here. The Als have played only 2 home games so far this season and no team has fewer. So they have had a bit of a tough schedule, to say the least, and though only 1-1 at home, one was a 1-point loss to a West Division team and the other was a 37-13 win over a West Division team. That said, the Alouettes fully capable of hanging tough with Winnipeg here and will do just that. An outright upset will not be a shock to me but I am grabbing the generous points here as added insurance. 10* MONTREAL +5.5

CFL Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 47.5 in Toronto Argonauts vs Ottawa Redblacks @ 5 ET - The Redblacks will keep going hard here as they remain the only winless team in the CFL. In fact, every other team has at least 2 wins this season! As for Ottawa, a big problem is a defense that has allowed 32 points per game in their 4 games since they had a bye in Week 3. As for Toronto, they have scored at least 30 points each of their last two games but have allowed 28 points per game last 4 games. You can see, given these numbers, why I am expecting this game to get into the 50s. 10* OVER 47.5 in Toronto

CFL Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 46 in Calgary Stampeders vs Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ 7 ET - The Stampeders ran the ball for over 100 yards but QB Bo Levi Mitchell had a rare bad performance at Winnipeg two weeks ago after starting the season strong. That said, coming off a bye week and now back home, Calgary will get much stronger QB play here. However, there also is no slowing down a Winnipeg team that is undefeated on the season and had over 300 yards through the air in the big win two weeks ago. The Blue Bombers are off a bit of a ho-hum 24-10 victory at Edmonton last week but know they must do much more on offense against this talented Calgary team this week. That was a "sandwich game" for the Bombers after beating the Stamps at home the prior week and then knowing they had this game on deck to again face the Stampeders. The set up is a good one for plenty of points and the Stamps are averaging 32 points per game this season. Winnipeg has averaged 28 points per game last 5 games. This one should get well into the 50s given all of the above. 10* OVER 46 in Calgary 

CFL Friday 10* Top Play Saskatchewan Roughriders +115 vs BC Lions @ 9 ET - The Lions are still over-rated in my opinion. Yes they are 4-1 on the season but they have played only one road game so far. Also, in their last divisional game they allowed 43 points. In the only road game BC has had they allowed 31 points and that was at Ottawa and the Redblacks remain the only winless team in the league. Every other team now has at least two wins. As for the Roughriders, they are traditionally one of the best home teams in the league but coming off a home loss last week in a game that got away from them late versus Toronto. They had been 3-0 at home on the season and Saskatchewan should bounce back here with the expected return of QB Cody Fajardo also. Love the long-term home records of the Riders and the fact that the Lions have been a pleasant surprise this season and are a bit over-rated as a result and so we get line value here as a result. You can grab the 1 and 1/2 points or 2 points if you want but I really do not think we'll need any points and I am going with the money line here. 10* SASKATCHEWAN +115

CFL 10* Top Play Hamilton Tiger-Cats -3 vs Montreal Alouettes @ 7:30 ET - The Tiger-Cats are the much better team defensively and deserved a better fate last week at BC. Montreal rallied late to win at Ottawa last week but their defense continues to struggle. Hamilton has allowed an average of 24 points last 4 games. The Alouettes have allowed an average of 35 points last 3 games. Also, Ti-Cats are 15-4 SU in home games dating back to 2019 season. The Alouettes, even with last week's rare road win, are on a 12-26 run in road games the past 4+ seasons. Home field edge and situational edge (hungry off loss and facing opponent off win) and the better defense. As a result, I have no hesitation in challenging the Als to win two straight road games! 10* HAMILTON -3

CFL Sunday 10* Top Play Saskatchewan Roughriders PK -110 vs Toronto Argonauts @ 7 ET - This line would have been around a full TD but has dropped to a pick'em because of the covid issues, injury issues, and suspension issues surrounding this game. Long-time followers know I am a contrarian and this one sets up perfectly to fade the huge move from a team being a TD favorite to being a pick'em even though they are at home. Saskatchewan loves its team and has the most passionate fanbase in the league and is known for being a very tough place for opponents to travel to and face them. That said, lets talk some facts, the Argonauts are 0-1 on the road so far this season and the past 5 seasons went a combined 10-33 on the road! This is also a revenge game since the Roughriders lost to Toronto last week in the Touchdown Atlantic game in Nova Scotia. Saskatchewan is 3-0 at home this season and entered this season having gone 19-6 at home the past 3 seasons. Watch all the Riders step up here to make up for the guys that are out and they get the big win here. 22-6 run at home versus a 10-34 run on the road. Yes I will take pick'em odds on this plus let us not forget the West has dominated the East this season in interdivisional match-ups. More of the same here as last week's Riders loss to the Argos proves to be an aberration in the way the East-West battles have gone this season. 10* SASKATCHEWAN Pick -110

CFL Friday 10* Top Play OVER 48 in Edmonton Elks vs Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ 9 ET - This is a tough scheduling spot for the Blue Bombers so I do expect the Elks to come up with a big effort here and be able to score plenty. Winnipeg is the only undefeated team left in the league and off a win against the previously unbeaten Stampeders. That was huge win last week for the Bombers and now next week they face Calgary again! That said, a game at Edmonton in a sandwich spot is the perfect letdown spot for the Winnipeg defense. They will give up plenty of points here as a result as the rejuvenated Elks have won 2 of last 3 games and scored at least 29 points in each win. The problem for Edmonton is they are allowing 36.7 points per game. 10* OVER 48 in Edmonton

CFL Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 51.5 in BC Lions vs Hamilton Tiger-Cats @ 10 ET - BC has allowed 37 points per game last two games. They are off their bye week and have scored points like crazy this season. Lions averaging 40 points per game. Hamilton is allowing 28 points per game this season but, on the other side of the ball, the Tiger-Cats did pile up yardage in last week's tight 25-23 win versus the Redblacks. That said, I love the over here. Hamilton is on a short week and traveling and their defense will struggle to slow down a Lions team determined to get back on track after suffering their first loss of the season. However, at the same time, BC defense just can not be trusted in my opinion. As I mentioned earlier this season, they were a little over-rated after first two games. Their true colors are starting to show now their past two games and the Ti-Cats have the firepower to take advantage. Lions score well but Hamilton answers throughout this contest and this should be another high-scoring match-up involving a home game at BC Place in Vancouver. 10* OVER 51.5 in BC Lions

Thursday CFL 10* Top Play Ottawa Redblacks +3 vs Montreal Alouettes @ 7 ET - Both teams off tight losses last week but the Redblacks remain the only winless team in the league. Ottawa is very hungry for that first win here, they are at home, they put forth a very strong effort against a quality opponent last week and they should have recently acquired Nick Arbuckle available at QB for this one. The change of scenery will serve Arbuckle well plus the Redblacks showed against the Tiger-Cats that they absolutely are not ready to throw in the towel on the season just because they lost starting QB Jeremiah Masoli to injury. That said, look for a huge effort from the home team here and note that Montreal is on an 11-26 run in road games the past 4+ seasons. I do look for the Redblacks to get their first win of the season but will grab the 3 points in case they fall just short. 10* OTTAWA +3

CFL Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 44.5 in Hamilton Tiger-Cats vs Ottawa Redblacks @ 5 ET - Long-time followers know I am a contrarian and that goes for all sports. That said, the fact that Ottawa just loss QB Masoli to injury and then acquired Arbuckle (but unavailable for this game) is even more reason I like the over here. We get a low number because Evans will be under center for the Redblacks. Now in his 2nd CFL season and getting his first significant work of the season Saturday, don't be surprised if Caleb Evans has a big game both through the air and with his legs in this one - as he is a running threat too. The Tiger-Cats also have a QB by the name of Evans and Dane Evans gets the start here. He is off to a shaky start this season but the Redblacks have some injuries in the secondary and we've seen Evans average 270 yards per game through the air this season but he has been done in by interceptions. This is a match-up of two very hungry teams each seeking their first win of the season and also each dealing with some injuries on the defensive side of the ball. The weather is going to be good for this one too and all signs point to a higher-scoring game than many expect here. Take advantage of the low total here and don't be surprised when this one gets into the 50s for total points scored. 10* OVER 44.5 in Hamilton

CFL Saturday 10* Top Play Toronto Argonauts +2.5 or +3 vs Saskatchewan Roughriders @ 2 ET - The location of this Touchdown Atlantic game in Halifax certainly favors the Argonauts. The fact Toronto has fresh legs and has only played 3 games this season, compared to Saskatchewan having played 5 games already, certainly favors the Argos as well. I know the Riders are 4-1 this season and the Argos are just 1-2. However, other than 1 blowout loss Toronto has played quite well and their only other loss was by 1 point to a Winnipeg team that remains undefeated on the season after last night's win over the only other team, Calgary, that was also undefeated on the year. In other words, this Argonauts team deserves some credit plus note that the Roughriders historically do not play as well when they are away from home. Situational edges and I will grab the home dog in this one. Again, is not a true home game for them but certainly the location in Atlantic Canada favors the Argos over the Riders. 10* TORONTO +2.5 or +3

CFL Friday 10* Top Play Calgary Stampeders +4 @ Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ 8:30 ET - Just too many points here. Match-up of unbeatens and Blue Bombers have home field edge and are the 2x defending champs. However, it was not that long ago that Calgary was in the Grey Cup championship 3 straight years and 5 of 7 years. The Stampeders appear to be back this season and also have a dual rest edge here. Not only did they play earlier in the week last week than Winnipeg did, they also had their bye week the week before. The Blue Bombers have yet to have a bye week and will be playing on short rest and a 6th straight week. Also, Winnipeg off the blowout win over a previously unbeaten BC team. The Lions were a bit over-rated in my opinion and yet that big Bombers win last week is giving us extra line value this week. 10* CALGARY +4

CFL Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 49 in Montreal Alouettes vs Edmonton Elks @ 7:30 ET - The Elks are changing things up at QB and that will be a good thing as they are off a 49-6 loss last week. Ford is listed as out for this week and Arbuckle was traded to Ottawa. That means Edmonton wanted change and they got it. Most likely Taylor Cornelius under center for this one and remember he averaged, before a dismal final game of the season last year, about 250 yards per game with a 6-1 TD-INT ratio over a 4-game stretch. No matter who is under center for the Elks, they will enjoy success against an Als defense that has allowed 26 points per game game this season. The key here though is Montreal is off a bye week which followed their own blowout loss, 41-20, at Saskatchewan. That said, the Alouettes are primed for a huge bounce back effort and they are scoring an average of 26 points per game this season and facing an Elks team that is giving up 38 points per game this season. So worst defense in CFL against highest scoring team from the East Division. Perfect set-up too considering each team off an embarrassing loss. Focused efforts here and solid offensive production with Edmonton buoyed by the QB change as well. 10* OVER 49 in Montreal

CFL Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 50 in BC Lions vs Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ 7 ET - I know the Blue Bombers defense has been solid in the red zone and in terms of takeaways this season. However, Winnipeg has still given up a pile of yardage and this includes through the air where they have been particularly weak. That does not bode well for now facing a BC team that has been lighting up opposing defenses so far this season. In fact, it should mean a ton of points here because the Lions are likely to move the ball very well at home in this match-up as they look to take down the defending champs. BC is out to prove their hot start this season is no fluke and I do expect them to achieve that goal with offensive production here as they have been the offensive juggernaut of the CFL so far this season. However, I do not trust this Lions defense. They have faced some weak offensive units so far this season. I know the Blue Bombers have not put up big points on offense so far this season but the 2x defending champs are more than capable on that side of the ball and they will need to (and can) score plenty to keep up with high-flying Lions. A match-up of unbeatens in a Week 5 game might have you thinking under and certainly intensity will be high here. But the offenses are going to be the story here. BC dictates flow of game at home and this will be another shootout at BC Place in Vancouver! 10* OVER 50 in BC

CFL Friday 10* Top Play Ottawa Redblacks +6 @ Saskatchewan Roughriders @ 9:30 ET - The Redblacks had been playing well, despite their record, but were then severely out-statted by BC in last week's 3-point loss. Ottawa should bounce back here and is a much better team their winless record on the season would lead you to believe. I know that Saskatchewan is off big win last week but Redblacks have the rest edge here as they played earlier last week and were coming off a bye entering that one. Additionally, the Riders off a very satisfying and dominating win. They could be a little complacent here as a result. There will be nothing complacent about this Redblacks team as they are very hungry with an 0-3 SU record on the season and an average margin of defeat of only 4 points. An outright win here would not shock me at all but I am, of course, even more confident with having the points on our side. Let's grab them for a big play here. 10* OTTAWA +6

CFL Thursday 10* Top Play UNDER 52 in Edmonton Elks vs Calgary Stampeders @ 9 ET - This total opened up at a 50.5 and has risen to a 52. That gives us some line value here because actually the yardage stats were way down in the Elks upset win at Hamilton last week even though the game found its way over the total. Also, when the Elks visited Calgary a few weeks ago that game had late scoring as a key in getting to a total of 53 points. That said, we really have some solid line value here with this total at a 52 as I feel strongly that it will prove to be too high. Edmonton has the confidence in going toe to toe with the Stampeders earlier this season and nearly getting the upset. The Stamps come into this one with fresh legs off a bye week and will put the clamps down defensively on the Elks in this one. Calgary looks to grind out a road win and control the clock and I look for that to help key a low-scoring battle here. 10* UNDER 52 in Edmonton

CFL Monday 10* Top Play Toronto Argonauts +5.5 vs Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ 7:30 ET - This is a contrarian play all the way but, as per usual, it is not without good reasoning either. The Blue Bombers are undefeated on the season and, overall, the West has absolutely dominated the East so far this season. However, Winnipeg is 3-0 but the only two teams they have played are a combined 0-7 on the season. They are the only two teams in the league that remain winless after Week 4 action is in the books. Not only that, the Blue Bombers off huge win versus Hamilton in a Grey Cup rematch game. On deck for Winnipeg is a huge game versus fellow undefeated foe BC next week. That said, this is absolutely a tricky spot for the Blue Bombers and they are facing an Argos team that has another bye week on deck and that is coming off a 44-3 thrashing at the hands of the Lions last week. Simply put it is the ideal set-up for a huge effort from Toronto here. The Argonauts are very fresh as they have played only 2 games this season and, by the way, one was against a BC team that remains undefeated and the other was an Argos win over a Montreal team that is the other East Division team, besides Argonauts, that also has a win this season. Based on all of the above we have a lot of line value here with a big home dog. Keep in mind, it is hard to cover 5 points on the road when you are in a tough scheduling situation plus have averaged scoring only 21 points per game this season. By the way the Blue Bombers vaunted defense did give up big yardage to the now 0-3 Redblacks in the first two games of this season. Of course the defending champs are strong team but they are simply over-rated here! 10* TORONTO +5.5

CFL Saturday 10* Top Play Saskatchewan Roughriders -4.5 vs Montreal Alouettes @ 7 ET - Special teams and turnovers were the difference in last week's Als blowout win in their home opener. Now the Riders are back at home and angry and will get their revenge. Note that yardage was roughly equal in last week's game so the 37-13 final was deceiving. Certainly Montreal deserved the win and they got it but now it is time for Saskatchewan payback! The West has dominated the East so far this season as the Riders loss to the Als is actually the only such loss for a West team versus an East team. We'll lay the points here. I know Sask is without Evans at WR but they still have Williams and many other weapons at the WR position. Additionally, I like the fact that the Roughriders went 5-2 at home last season and 4-1 against teams from the East. The Riders already won their first home game this season and are now 14-3 SU last 17 home games. We'll lay the very fair number here and look for immediate payback from the hosts this week. 10* SASKATCHEWAN -4.5

CFL Friday 10* Top Play OVER 46 in Hamilton Tiger-Cats vs Edmonton Elks @ 7:30 ET - We are getting some line value here because this total is being held lower due to the treat of rain in the forecast for this game. The key here is I do not expect it to be full-on rain event. Rather look for some scattered storms which means it may or may not happen during the game. Additionally, the winds are not expected to be too bad. That said, I love the over here. Edmonton allowing 38 points per game this season and Hamilton allowing 30 points per game this season. Each team has allowed at least 26 points in all 3 of their games. Given those numbers you can see why I am fully expecting this non-divisional match-up to get into the 50s for total points. 10* OVER 46 in Hamilton

CFL Thursday 10* Top Play Ottawa Redblacks +2.5 vs BC Lions @ 7:30 ET - Yes the Lions are 2-0 this season and the Redblacks are 0-2. However, a ton of edges for the home team in this one. First off BC playing their first road game of the season. The Lions also are on short rest and will be without wide receiver Burnham. Conversely, Ottawa is coming off a bye week. The Redblacks are 0-2 on the season but they outgained Winnipeg in each of the first two games of the season. Keep in mind, this Blue Bombers team is a very strong team and now 3-0 on the season after beating a strong Hamilton team last week. The point is that Ottawa is playing much better than their record indicates and this includes against strong competition too. As for the Lions, they are 2-0 this season but played a bad Edmonton team and a Toronto team known for inconsistency. The Argonauts seemed to not show up last weekend at BC. You can bet (literally) the Redblacks are going to show up here and I expect the hosts to hand the Lions their first loss of the season but will grab the added insurance of the points here. 10* OTTAWA +2.5 

CFL Saturday 10* Top Play Toronto Argonauts +5.5 @ BC Lions @ 10 ET - The Lions are off a bye week and they rolled 59 to 15 in Week 1 but are they really that good? Or is Edmonton just that bad? The Elks were plagued by turnovers in that game and BC will face a much tougher test this week with the Argonauts in town. Toronto had a bye in Week 1 so that negates some of the Lions rest edge here. There is truly not a big edge in terms of rest as a result. That said, like getting the points here with a scrappy Argos team that is facing a bit of an over-rated BC team in this one. Lions are going to be better this season than last season but this line has gone from around a 3 to a 5.5 and this is excellent line value on the under-valued road dog in this one. 10* TORONTO +5.5

CFL Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 48.5 in Calgary Stampeders vs Edmonton Elks @ 7 ET - The Elks are so bad defensively and then you look at all the points the Stampeders have given up this season and you can see how this one should play out. This should be an absolutely shootout with both offensive units on full display and we get some added value because Edmonton's game last week stayed under the total. Lets not forget the Elks are allowing 42.5 points per game this season and the Stampeders first two games both have gone over the total. More of the same expected here. 10* OVER 48.5 in Calgary

Friday CFL 10* Top Play Hamilton Tiger-Cats +4.5 or +5 @ Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ 8:30 ET - Revenge game for the Tiger-Cats as they lost the Grey Cup to Winnipeg last year. Not only that, Hamilton also lost the Grey Cup in the prior season played (2019) and that makes this a double-revenge spot for the Ti-Cats. Yes it is now Dane Evans at QB rather than Jeremiah Masoli for Hamilton but I do feel he is settling in nicely. Also, this is similar situation to last night's play on Montreal which won 37 to 13. Here we have an 0-2 underdog against a 2-0 favorite and I like the extra hunger that will mean for this highly motivated Tiger-Cats team. Also, the Blue Bombers are indeed 2-0 this season but they were outgained in both games and are down big in the yardage differential department so far this year. In other words, though Winnipeg is indeed a good team, they have been fortunate, to say the least, early this season and we take advantage with the substantial value being offered to the underdog. 10* HAMILTON +4.5 or +5

CFL Thursday 10* Top Play Montreal Alouettes +3.5 vs Saskatchewan Roughriders @ 7:30 ET - The Alouettes have a two day rest edge here compared to the Roughriders. Also, the Als have the home field edge. Montreal is off B2B tight losses to start the season. Extra hunger here for the 0-2 host facing a 2-0 Saskatchewan team. We get line value with as many as 3.5 points available for this one and looking at statistical factors, these teams are much more evenly matched than their records would suggest. Turnovers have been the difference early this season and now we take advantage of the added line value as a result of those factors. 10* MONTREAL +3.5

CFL Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 49.5 in Edmonton Elks vs Saskatchewan Roughriders @ 9:30 ET - These are the perfect type of set-ups I like to look for when it comes to an over. Edmonton has a leaky defense and allowed 59 points last week at BC. The Elks are back home and their offense will respond after moving the ball but having too many turnovers last week. As for Saskatchewan, they are on the road now and coming off a huge win over a Hamilton team that was playing for the Grey Cup in November! In other words, that was a huge win for the Riders and their defense gave a massive effort at home and now they go on the road to face an Elks team that is off to a horrific start and had a horrible season last year too. In other words, this is the perfect set-up for a flat-footed performance from the Riders defense. So Elks offense bounces back and Riders offense responds against a bad defense as the game goes on and "Voila" the perfect set up for a high-scoring game comes to fruition. 10* OVER 49.5 in Edmonton

CFL Saturday 10* Top Play Hamilton Tiger-Cats Money Line -115 vs Calgary Stampeders @ 6:30 ET - Love the setup here with Calgary off a hard-fought time win over Montreal and Hamilton off an ugly loss at Saskatchewan. Now the Ti-Cats are at home and the Stamps are on the road. Hamilton went 4-2 against the West last season and Calgary went just 2-2 against the East last season. Also, the Tiger-Cats did go 5-2 in home games last season. With this line coming down to a -1 we can get the money line in nearly a pick'em range so that is the way to play this one in my opinion. 10* HAMILTON -115

CFL Friday 10* Top Play OVER 45.5 in Ottawa Redblacks vs Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ 7:30 ET - These teams just met last week in the season opener and Ottawa gave Winnipeg all they could handle. However, the Redblacks managed just 17 points despite new QB Masoli throwing for 380 yards. The way I see the rematch playing out in Ottawa is that the hosts will again pile up big yardage but this time the points will match it. However, can you really doubt the defending champion Blue Bombers here? I don't think so and I absolutely feel this one turns into a back and forth high-scoring affair. Instead of a 19-17 final look for a 30-27 type game but as to who the winner is it looks like another tight finish in my book. That said, over is the play. 10* OVER 45.5 in Ottawa

CFL Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 49.5 in Toronto Argonauts vs Montreal Alouettes @ 7:30 ET - Both meetings between these teams last season reached at least 53 points and now we have a total in the upper 40s for first match-up this season between these rivals. Keep in mind, scoring is expected to be up this season so this is a strong value. Montreal scored 27 points in week 1 despite 2 interceptions and turning the ball over 1 time on downs too. The Als issue this season, especially early on in my opinion, will be a defense with a lot of new faces. Toronto is also in the same boat in terms of a leaky defense in my opinion and though this is their first game of the new season I do expect the offense to do just fine. Rule changes are designed to help the offense this season and a match-up like this is conducive to offense. As we saw in Week 1 with two overs and two unders, you can not just blindly play overs that is for sure. But the scoring is expected to be up overall and this is the right match-up for another high-scoring game. 10* OVER 49.5 in Toronto

CFL Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 48 in BC Lions vs Edmonton Elks @ 10 ET - These teams are both coming off rough seasons and it had a lot to do with not being able to stop the opposition. Note that the BC Lions allowed 25 points per game last season and Elks allowed 27 points per game! Couple that with the fact that some rule changes were made coming into this season that are supposed to improve point production plus the fact that Edmonton wants to play fast and you have a great set up for an over here. The Elks and Lions both want to be very aggressive in the passing attack and that emphasis should help lead to a shootout here. Each team has some unproven areas defensively and I expect the quarterbacks to be successful in attacking those weaknesses. Look for an absolute shootout with a raucous atmosphere at BC Place in Vancouver for this one. Huge crowd expected and an electric atmosphere. Big scoring rules the night in this one. 10* OVER 48 in BC

CFL Friday 10* Top Play Ottawa Redblacks +9.5 @ Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ 8:30 ET - Early in the season it is tough to just come in and right away start blowing out teams by a double digit margin. That task becomes even tougher when you are the defending champs and everyone is gunning for you. That tasks becomes even tougher yet when you are facing a star QB that has revenge against you. Yes, Jeremiah Masoli is formerly with Hamilton and now with Ottawa. The Redblacks are off a 3-11 season but are totally rebuilt team and that includes much more than just Masoli. A stronger offensive line, good weapons on offense, a rebuilt defense. Ottawa is not going to be a dominant force this season but they are much better than they were last season and Winnipeg will have its hands full here. Yes the Blue Bombers are a great team but they will struggle to win this game by more than a margin of one possession. The Redblacks are hungry and Masoli wants revenge and, as you know, the QB position is key in the pass-happy CFL. Look for the big dogs to stay inside the number here. 10* OTTAWA +9.5

CFL Thursday 10* Top Play Calgary Stampeders -3.5 vs Montreal Alouettes @ 9 ET - The Alouettes are off a 7-7 season but were the only team to get bounced by a double digit margin in any of the post-season games last year. Montreal also went just 2-4 against West Division opponents last season and that means they are now 8-18 the last 3 seasons combined when facing teams from the West. I know the Stampeders disappointed last season but they lost in OT in first round of the playoffs and this Calgary team is hell-bent on a much stronger performance this season. Look for them to come into the new year and, especially this season opener at home, with a chip on their shoulder. The Stamps were 98-26-2 the last 7 seasons prior to last year's disappointing 8-6 result. This has been the class of the CFL for the past decade in terms of consistent results year in and year out and I do not trust the Montreal defense early in the season as they have a lot of question marks there in my opinion. That said, the better D, the long-term more consistent team, the motivational edge, and the home field edge - all of this adds up to a solid home win and cover in my opinion. 10* CALGARY -3.5

CFL Grey Cup Sunday 10* Top Play Hamilton Tiger-Cats +3 vs Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ 6 ET - I am aware the Ti-Cats have some injury issues heading into this one but it also is a revenge game from the most recent Grey Cup (2019) and Hamilton is also the host city for this one and we are getting a full +3 here. There is tremendous irony here in how this one will play out. In 2019 Hamilton had a huge season while Winnipeg caught fire late and it carried into a post-season run and the Blue Bombers rode the momentum all the way to winning it all. Now this season it is Winnipeg with the much better regular season record but the Tiger-Cats caught fire late in the season and now riding a post-season streak coming into this one. Again, just very ironic and I feel strongly the same script that played out in the most recent Grey Cup plays out in this one as Hamilton (8-6 regular season) gets it done against Winnipeg (11-3 - top regular season record). Remember we saw this happen in 2019 with Hamilton (15-3) losing to Winnipeg (11-7). Looking closer at this season's standings, note that Ti-Cats went 5-2 at home while the Bombers were 4-3 on road. Also, Winnipeg was 3-2 against the East while Hamilton was 4-2 against the West. Considering all of the above and the fact we can get a full 3 points, I like my changes with a Tiger-Cats team determined to get revenge here in the biggest game of them all. 10* HAMILTON +3

CFL Game of the Month - 10* Top Play Calgary Stampeders +3 @ Saskatchewan Roughriders @ 4:30 ET - The Roughriders are at home, have the better record on the season, and they did beat the Stampeders the last time they faced them. Yet they are a very small favorite here as low as 2.5 in most books as of game day morning. Why is that? You know why! Don't let the line fool you. This game has upset written all over it. Keep in mind, the Riders did lose each of the first two games against the Stamps this season plus they lost both games against Winnipeg. The Blue Bombers and Stampeders are the other two top teams in the West and the Roughriders went a combined 1-4 against those two teams this season. Calgary did go 5-2 on the road this season and will not be intimidated at all in this venue. The Stampeders seemed to get stronger as the season went on and, unlike Saskatchewan, also had some big margin wins in the latter stages of the season. I like the way this road team has been playing and sense a first round upset in this one but will grab the points for added insurance. 10* CALGARY +3

CFL Early Crusher - 8* Hamilton Tiger-Cats -4.5 vs Montreal Alouettes @ 1 ET - Hamilton has unfinished business from the most recent CFL season (2019) when they went 15-3 but then ended up losing in the Grey Cup title game 33 to 12 against Winnipeg. The Tiger-Cats did win a playoff game to get to the title game while Montreal was bounced in the first round of that post-season. I know Hamilton was not as impressive in this regular season but, trust me, they are where they want to be now. They are hosting a playoff game and have a chance to get another shot at the title. The Ti-Cats have the better defense in this match-up and the home field edge and I also love the fact that Alouettes linebacker Patrick Levels gave the home team some bulletin board material by guaranteeing a Montreal win and even calling out a couple Ti-Cats players. Not smart! The highly motivated home team lets their play on the field do the talking while Levels runs his mouth! 8* HAMILTON -4.5

Total of the Week - 10* OVER 46.5 in BC Lions - I know the Lions are starting Rourke here at QB but it is with good reason and he has already gained some experience this season and I expect the 23 year old to fare very well here. Keep in mind, the Elks are playing their 3rd game in 7 days in a scheduling quirk to close out the regular season. Edmonton is off an upset win at Toronto Tuesday. Look for BC to throw all over a tired Elks defense and stretch them out here. However, the Elks will have some success when they have the ball too. Edmonton had averaged 21 points per game last 3 games before the low-scoring win over the Argos. Keep in mind neither of these teams in tonight's match-up will be going to the post-season so this should be played as a rather wide-open affair. Note that Elks Cornelius has been gaining confidence at QB and they can attack a Lions defense allowing 33.3 points per game last 4 home games. 10* OVER 46.5 in BC Lions

Game of the Week - Rickenbach CFL Rotation #239 Saturday 10* Top Play Edmonton Elks +11 @ Saskatchewan Roughriders @ 4 ET - Taylor Cornelius continues to improve at QB for the Elks despite being without key weapons on offense. Last week he nearly rallied them to the outright win over the Roughriders. Yes, Saskatchewan is the better team in this match-up but this is too many points in my opinion. This is particularly true when you consider Edmonton is 2-2 SU in road games this season and the Riders are only 4-4 SU in divisional games this season. Also, the Roughriders only have a point differential of +22 on the season so their average margin on the season is 2 points per game this season. Give me the big points here! 10* EDMONTON +11

CFL Total of the Year - 10* Top Play OVER 45.5 in BC Lions - Both these teams have gotten stronger at the WR position as the Stampeders recently added Reggie Begelton to the roster again after the former Calgary WR had spent some time with the Packers in the NFL. As for the Lions, they welcomed back Lucky Whitehead from injury a few weeks ago and he is ramping back up into top form and is one of the most dangerous receives in the league as he has phenomenal speed. The Lions have allowed about 26 points per game game this season and this line has Calgary as a 1.5 point favorite which means you are looking at about a 26-25 game under normal circumstances here based on that line. However, I am expecting even much more than that because the Lions need this win to keep their playoff hopes alive but they allowed 39 points the last time they faced the Stamps and I feel this one is going to turn into an absolute shootout as BC going to have to rely on their offense in this one and they will be airing it out here. 10* OVER 45.5 in BC Lions

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CFL Saturday 10* Top Play Ottawa Redblacks +10.5 vs Toronto Argonauts @ 4 ET - The Redblacks lost and failed to cover last week but played better than the final score indicates. Also, this is their home finale and it is against the rival Argonauts. Adding to the value is the fact that Toronto has a big game with Hamilton on deck. In what has been a disappointing season for Ottawa this is essentially their Super Bowl. The Redblacks can finish the home part of their schedule with an upset win here and play the role of spoiler and of course that is their goal with this one. I look for them to achieve that goal in a big way in this one. Maybe they do fall just short of the upset but, if so, they should still keep this loss to a one-possession game and that would get us the cash as well. Coming off an OT win last week, the Argos are in the perfect spot to fade here and you know the Redblacks are going to give a huge effort as a double digit home dog in this one. 10* OTTAWA +10.5

ESPN+ Smash Pass - Rickenbach CFL Friday 10* Top Play BC Lions +7 @ Hamilton Tiger-Cats @ 7 ET - The BC Lions are off a tight OT loss at Toronto last week but had won all 3 of their non-divisional games prior to that. Hamilton is off a big win at Edmonton and has a game at first place Toronto on deck. The Ti-Cats are just behind the Argonauts in the standings so it could be tough for them to avoid looking ahead to that match-up. Hamilton is just 2-2 against West Division opponents this season and a rather unimpressive 3-2 in home games this season. In other words, that means a lot of line value here with getting a full TD with the visitors because all those stats are SU stats and this one is too: road teams in BC games are 7-4 this season. From a situational standpoint and with having the big points on your side, this is a great spot. 10* BC +7

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach CFL Rotation #673 Saturday 10* Top Play BC Lions +3.5 @ Toronto Argonauts @ 4 ET - Both teams off bad losses and will be looking to respond here. That said, I like having the value of the points on my side for this one particularly with the rainy weather projected in Toronto for this one as well. I know the Argonauts have played well at home this season but the Lions are a perfect 3-0 SU against East Division teams. Also, just playing the road team in BC games this season would have netted you a 7-3 record. I look for the Lions to be rejuvenated by the return of Whitehead as that will give a boost to the offense. Look for the road team, still alive for a playoff spot but needing to get back on track, to get it done here as they get a boost with the return of Whitehead and improve to 4-0 SU in non-divisional games on the season. Will grab the points just in case they do fall short of the outright upset win though. We should get at least the cover in this one. 10* BC Lions +3.5

Non-Conf Total of the Month - Rickenbach CFL Rotation #669 Friday 10* Top Play OVER 42.5 in Ottawa Redblacks vs Calgary Stampeders @ 7 ET - The Stamps are angry off a home loss to Saskatchewan in which interceptions were the difference. Calgary has a bye on deck so they will go all out here and that means plenty of points as they look to bounce back from the loss to the Roughriders last week. Ottawa has very ugly numbers on the season but they do tend to score better at home and this includes averaging 25 points per game the past two games as a host. The Redblacks can take advantage of a Stampeders pass defense which ranks among the worst in the league. 10* OVER 42.5 in Ottawa

Total of the Month - Rickenbach CFL Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 44 in Calgary Stampeders vs Saskatchewan Roughriders @ 9:45 ET - The Stampeders have been red hot and are off a 39-point outburst last week. The Roughriders had a much needed bye last week and have some key weapons entering the lineup this week to help out QB Cody Fajardo. Look for the rested Riders to enjoy some success on the offensive side of the ball but they also will struggle to stop this red-hot Calgary team. The last two games between these teams totaled right around 40 but I think the better health of each of these two offenses will lead to the 3rd game in this 3-game set getting into the 50s. That said, excellent line value with this total in the 44 range. 10* OVER 44 in Calgary 

Game of the Week - Rickenbach CFL Friday 10* Top Play Toronto Argonauts +1 @ Montreal Alouettes @ 7:30 ET - The Alouettes are at home and trailing the Argonauts by just one game in the division. However, Toronto is off a bye week and getting healthier while Montreal is down to their 2nd string quarterback. Also, the Argos are 4-1 in divisional games this season and the Als are just 1-2 in home games. The Argonauts defense has been much better since they hired defensive consultant Chris Jones. Hotter and healthier team on the road and that means line value so I am stepping out big with this one. 10* TORONTO

ESPN+ Smash Pass - Rickenbach CFL Saturday 10* Top Play Calgary Stampeders +3.5 @ BC Lions @ 7 ET - I am very tempted to take the Stamps on the money line here but the trade off of losing 3.5 points to have a +150 money line is just not worth it in my opinion. But I really do expect an outright win for the road dogs in this one. This line has gone from nearly a pick'em to now catching 3.5 points. Keep in mind, BC lost star WR Lucky Whitehead to injury. Yes the Lions are coming off a bye week and the Stampeders are off back to back wins over rival Saskatchewan, but I still feel we have excellent line value here. Calgary is a very strong team that is now finally starting to play back up  to their potential again. As for the Lions, they are only 1-4 in divisional games this season! I am still not sold on this BC team and also the road team has dominated their games this season. The Lions are 3-1 on the road and just 1-3 at home. So, playing the road team in BC games all season long would have netted you a 6-2 record. Again, I do expect an outright road upset here but getting 3.5 is a strong value to have and I will not pass that up. 10* CALGARY +3.5

West Div Game of the Month - Rickenbach CFL Rotation #672 Friday 10* Top Play Edmonton Elks +12 vs Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ 9 ET - If you look at this game on paper, the Elks have no chance. But, as the long-time saying goes, the games are not played on paper! The fact is that Edmonton is a huge home dog here and offering substantial value as I expect them to step up big after last week's embarrassing loss at Winnipeg. The Elks did not just lose to the Blue Bombers last week, they got destroyed. Now, coming back home and with an immediate shot at revenge, Edmonton can get some redemption here. Of course this does not mean they win the game outright, but I do expect them to be ultra competitive here and lose this game by no more than a single score margin. Note that Winnipeg has been rolling teams but this looks like a tough spot as they won big at Edmonton a few weeks ago as well and have BC on deck. This is the final meeting between these teams this season and the Elks have a bye on deck and will go all out here with a week of rest on deck. They have had enough of being embarrassed by the Blue Bombers and will put up a strong fight in this one. I know the Elks have an ugly record this season but they are better than their record shows and will prove to be a tough home dog to put away in this spot. 10* EDMONTON

Game of the Month - Rickenbach CFL Rotation #688 Monday 10* Top Play Hamilton Tiger-Cats -4.5 vs Toronto Argonauts @ 4 ET - Toronto is coming off a big win versus Ottawa on Wednesday but the Argonauts were fortunate. The Redblacks actually outgained them by 153 yards but interceptions where the difference in the game. That said, this is now a battle for first place at the top of the division and the team trailing, Hamilton, is the better team and is coming off a loss and has a rest edge here. Last week the Tiger-Cats lost in OT to Montreal so this is a great spot to back them. Toronto is just 1-3 on the road this season and the Ti-Cats can pull equal with them in the standings by notching a win in this one. Hamilton is allowing only 18 points per game this season while the Argos are allowing 23 points a game. Again, the home/road dichotomy for the Argonauts is another reason to look for the Tiger-Cats to bounce back big at home in this one. Hamilton's wins have been by an average margin of 13 points per game and that includes a big win over Toronto. Look for another dominating victory here. 10* HAMILTON -4.5

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CFL Rotation #685 Monday 8* Ottawa Redblacks (+) @ Montreal Alouettes @ 1 ET - I lost with the Redblacks at Toronto on Wednesday but that was a turnover-fueled loss. Ottawa QB Caleb Evans threw for 334 yards but 3 interceptions. The Redblacks outgained the Argonauts by over 150 yards but the turnovers were the difference in the game. That has led to solid line value in this spot on Thanksgiving Monday in Canada. Note that the Als are actually 0-2 at home this season and coming off an OT win at Hamilton. That makes this the perfect spot to fade them with a Redblacks team that has been playing better in recent weeks. Look for a cleaner game from the visitors here with fewer turnovers and, as a result, they easily stay inside the number here. 8* OTTAWA +9.5

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CFL Rotation #663 Saturday 10* Top Play Calgary Stampeders +4.5 @ Saskatchewan Roughriders @ 7 ET - I know the Riders outgained the Stamps last week but still lost the game. However, I am not taking the bait here on Saskatchewan. The Roughriders opened up as a 3.5 point favorite and are up to a 4.5 point favorite. Everyone seems to be liking the revenge factor here but this Stampeders team is better than their record shows and the Riders also have had trouble matching up with them. Look for the Calgary offensive line to again help key the victory as they win battles in the trenches. This is a battle of brothers in the coaching ranks and the Stamps hold a 3-0 edge in games in which they have squared off. Look for that to be 4-0 after today but I am grabbing the points also as added insurance in what could be a tight finish. 10* CALGARY +4.5

Total of the Week - Rickenbach CFL 10* Top Play UNDER 48.5 in Winnipeg vs Edmonton @ 8:30 ET - Edmonton's defense is not getting any respect here because of the ugly loss at Ottawa last week. However, the Elks have had a knack this season for allowing more points than they should have based on yardage allowed. This is shading some value toward the under in this one as a result as there should be a regression to the mean in that regard. Winnipeg is 7-1 this season and has been incredibly good on defense. In the 7 wins the Blue Bombers have allowed only 11 points per game. So if the odds makers are correct and Winnipeg wins this by 10 and has an "average" game for them in a victory (allowing around 11 points) that puts this game around 21-11. You can see why I feel we have some very solid line value here! This total, per the above as well as the simulation report, is simply too high. Also note that it did open up at 43.5 and has jumped to 48.5 and the odds makers likely had it in the better range with their original number and it will be the betting markets that are proven wrong in this one. 10* UNDER 48.5 in Winnipeg

ESPN+ Smash Pass - Rickenbach CFL Rotation #679 Wednesday 10* Top Play Ottawa Redblacks +9.5 @ Toronto Argonauts @ 7:30 ET - Ottawa was much better in last week's win versus Edmonton. That was a Wednesday game too so they are fine on rest here too. The Argonauts are off a bye week so they are set up well here but I feel this is a dangerous game for them. Toronto has a big game with rival Hamilton on deck and that is on Monday. The Redblacks also have a game Monday at Montreal but the point is those big Thanksgiving Day (Canada) match-ups are more of a lookahead for the Argos in this case. Toronto is 4-3 and Hamilton is right behind them in the standings at 4-4 plus coming off their huge 2019 season. It is hard for the Argonauts to not already be thinking about that key battle with the Tigercats. As for the Redblacks, their mindset is quite different. The win over the Elks was key and if they get a win here they are suddenly just a game out of 1st place in the division! I look for another very motivated effort, just like we saw from them last week, as Ottawa makes this a difficult match-up for Toronto. Yes the Argos are the better team and at home and they may still win the game here but I don't see them covering this large number. The Redblacks capable of making this one a battle all the way to the finish. The Argonauts 4 wins this season all by 7 or less points and, in fact, the average margin was just 3.5 points in those 4 victories. Look for another tight one here. 10* OTTAWA +9.5

ATS Game of the Week - Rickenbach CFL Saturday 10* Top Play Calgary Stampeders (+) vs Saskatchewan Roughriders @ 7 ET - This line may look funny but Calgary is way better than their record shows. Keep in mind, the Stampeders are coming off a huge season and have been looking better in recent games. Also, they enter this game off a bye week and are 14-2 SU the last 16 times when coming off a bye. I really don't think we'll need the points here but I am grabbing the 2.5 points. The Stampeders are only 2-5 on the season but only 1 of their losses was by more than 6 points. This is a team that has been within one possession of a 6-1 season thus far. The fact is the Riders are a strong team and they have the record to show for it too. However, they have played only 2 road games this season (went 1-1) and that has certainly helped their strong start. Also, the Roughriders are off a big comeback win last week and that was on the road and it took a lot in rallying for the win. The Stamps will be the more rested team and fresher team and they bring it big-time in what is essentially a must-win game for them to get back into the thick of things out west. Look for them to do just that as they improve to 15-2 when off a bye week! 10* CALGARY +2.5

Money Line Day Game - Rickenbach CFL Saturday 8* Hamilton Tiger-Cats -140 vs Montreal Alouettes @ 4 ET - This money line is low enough (-140 range) to make it worth laying the price to avoid getting burned should the Ti-Cats (currently -2.5) win this game by just a point or two. Hamilton was in the most recent Grey Cup and lost to Winnipeg. This season the Tiger-Cats and Blue Bombers are atop their respective divisions. Not only that, Hamilton is now betting healthier and getting some key star power back on the field this week with Masoli and Banks coming back plus Addison making his Ti-Cats debut. Montreal has been struggling and made a bunch of coaching changes on defense heading into this match-up. I know Alouettes are hoping the shake-up will provide immediate improvement but I do not feel this is the time or place for that. The Ti-Cats are the better team and note that the Als only have two wins this season and they were against Edmonton and Ottawa - a pair of 2-5 teams. The Tiger-Cats are 2-0 at home and 3-1 in divisional games and the Als already got blasted at home by the Ti-Cats earlier this season. More of the same expected now on the road. 8* HAMILTON -140

Money Line Game of the Month - Rickenbach CFL Friday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Blue Bombers -120 @ BC Lions @ 10 ET - The Blue Bombers have only 1 loss in 7 games this season. Both these teams have great offenses led by strong quarterbacks but the Winnipeg defense is what should key a win here. The fact the Blue Bombers are on the road is helping to give us line value here as otherwise they would likely be about a TD favorite if they were the hosts. That said I love the extra value here and instead of even laying the point and a half lets grab the very affordable money line which is in a -120 price range as of early game day morning. Another big variance here is that Winnipeg has a number of wins over strong teams. Unlike the Blue Bombers, the Lions wins have only come against teams that currently have losing records: Ottawa (2-5) twice, Calgary (2-5) and Montreal (2-4). The road team is the far superior team in this match-up in my opinion and has already handed Saskatchewan its only 2 losses and has wins over Hamilton and Toronto - both those teams have winning records this season. Last but certainly not least, the Blue Bombers are off a bye last week while BC was battling it out with Saskatchewan last week. Big rest edge for the road team. 10* WINNIPEG -120                                                          

ESPN+ Smash Pass - Rickenbach CFL Tuesday 10* Top Play Edmonton Elks -6.5 @ Ottawa Redblacks @ 7:30 ET - Both teams dealing with QB injuries but the situation for the Redblacks is even worse. Also I like what I saw from Elks QB Taylor Cornelius last week but he just needs to cut down on the turnovers. This is a revenge game for a week 2 home loss for Edmonton in which they lost 16 to 12 despite a massive yardage edge! The Elks outgained Ottawa by a 443 to 127 edge! I seriously do not know if there has ever been another CFL game in history with that type of yardage domination and yet a loss for the team with the big edge! It is payback time here and Ottawa is 0-3 at home this season and their win over the Elks is their only win this year! The Redblacks 5 losses have been by an average margin of 19.2 points! The very first number to come out on this game is 6.5 and I expect it to climb but, either way, expect a road rout by a double digit margin. Elks have #1 pass defense and #2 rush defense in the league in terms of yards allowed per game. 10* EDMONTON -6.5

CFL Friday 10* Top Play Toronto Argonauts -135 vs Montreal Alouettes @ 7:30 ET - Recommend laying the -135 price on the money line rather than the 2.5 points here. Feel it absolutely could prove worth the extra 25 cent price to do so. In terms of SU win this season, Montreal has just 2 and they were against a pair of teams that have a combined 3-9 record. Conversely, Toronto is 3-3 on the season and has a pair of wins against teams with a combined 10-4 record. The Argonauts also have not yet faced the worst team (Ottawa) in the league either. That said, I feel we have some solid line value here with the Argos at home and the Als being a bit over-rated at this point in the season. Toronto also hired long-time CFL veteran coach Chris Jones to be, essentially, their defensive coordinator. With him calling the plays now on defense, look for his presence to be felt immediately and the Argonauts respond well here. Yes I am aware of the QB situation for the home team here but Bethel-Thompson certainly use to being a starter so no issues there. 10* TORONTO -135

CFL Wednesday 10* Top Play Ottawa Redblacks +8.5 vs Hamilton @ 7:30 PM ET - Yes Ottawa has been a horrible team so far this season. Definitely the worst team in the league thus far. However, they have some big edges here as they are at home and playing with extra rest and they are catching Hamilton on the road and playing on short rest. Though the Tiger-Cats defeated the Stampeders last week at home, they actually were outgained in the game and were helped greatly by turnovers. The Ti-Cats are still down to their back-up QB and the Redblacks are going to make a game of this one in my strong opinion. Hamilton will get caught looking ahead to big game with Montreal coming up next week. 10* OTTAWA +8.5

CFL Saturday 10* Top Play Edmonton +7 - The Elks are starting back-up QB. I am well aware of this but, at home and with solid running skills, Taylor Cornelius is going to be a pleasant surprise. Getting a full +7 with Edmonton at home is a huge value. The Elks have been very strong statistically this season and should have a better record. They have a solid defense and added another key piece to that defense with a recent star acquisition. This team solid on both sides of the ball and they catch Winnipeg off a key divisional win over Saskatchewan. The set up here is perfect for a home dog upset. Yes the Blue Bombers have been very solid early this season but laying a full 7 on the road against a quality home team is simply too much. Yes the Elks Cornelius is making his first start at QB but he has solid QB skills and there is a big difference between making your first ever start at home comparted to on the road. He is going to have a solid game and this defense for the Elks also keys a very tight game decided by a single score margin in my strong estimation. 10* EDMONTON +7

CFL 8* Montreal Alouettes -2.5 - The Als are off a bye week and they also opened the season with a bye. Montreal is playing just their 2nd home game of the season and they lost their first one. They want this game and they will get it! BC has a solid record but 2 of their games were against a bad Ottawa team. The Redblacks are so much worse than everyone else in the league right now. One of the Lions road wins was at Ottawa and the other road win was at Calgary in a game in which the Stampeders threw 4 picks. The other road game was BC's season opener in which they only lost by 4 points but they were down huge early in that game. I do not see the Als being denied at home here and they have the fresher legs right now and the Lions simply a bit over-valued, particularly on the road, because of the reasons I just mentioned. 8* MONTREAL -2.5