The CFL season began last weekend and almost every game was a contested affair except for the domination of the BC Lions over the Edmonton Elks. The Lions actually establish a new record for first-half points during their 59-15 victory.
Now, OddsTrader takes a look at the best bets for Week 2 of the CFL.
Calgary Stampeders vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Saturday, June 18, 2022 – 06:30 PM EDT at Tim Hortons Field
- Point Spread: Hamilton Tiger-Cats -2 (-110)
- Over/Under: 46 (-110)
Did the Cats Live Up to Expectations in Week 1?
It was a disappointing toothless display by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats who were comprehensively outplayed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders on the road. That begs the question, where do they go from here.
- The Hamilton Tiger-Cats struggled to get anything going on offense all game.
- That said, the Cats have the class and experience to pick themselves up having made the last two Grey Cup Finals.
- Expectations are high for the Tiger-Cats so they will be keen to impose themselves with home advantage.
- In the fourth quarter when Steven Dunbar scored a 71-yard touchdown from Dane Evans the Cats took the lead, so things maybe are not as bad as the scoreline suggests.
Will Calgary Stamp on the Cats?
CFL Week 1 saw the Calgary Stampeders come back to beat the Montreal Alouettes 30-27 after trailing 14-24 at half-time. Rene Paredes was the hero with a 38-yard field goal with 30 seconds remaining on the clock.
- Coach Dave Dickenson was pleased with the opening win as pulling out a victory in tight games, was a goal for the new season they had ‘talked about at training camp.
- Dickenson stated that his team will improve because they weren’t particularly ‘clean’ in any of the three phases but kept battling.
- Running back Ka’Deem Carey scored a brace of rushing touchdowns.
- Rene Paredes looks to be one of the most reliable kickers in the CFL.
- Richie Sindani posted a career-best 101 receiving yards against the Alouettes.
Conclusion
With the Calgary Stampeders getting out of a hole in the second half while this week’s opponent, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, fell in the last quarter hole we have an interesting dynamic for this weekend’s CFL Week 2 clash.
Dave Dickenson stated that he expects his Stampeders to play better for the experience while things seem a little subdued in Hamilton but I do expect them to step up on last week’s effort.
I tend to think this match will be a close one with Hamilton happy to have home advantage to help. Take the spread of less than a touchdown with Bet365 on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats amongst our best CFL Bets while doubling down on the money line too.
Week 2 Picks
CFL Pick: Hamilton Tiger-Cats -2 (-110) at Bet365
CFL Pick: Hamilton Tiger-Cats ML (-177) at Bet365
Saskatchewan Roughriders vs. Edmonton Elks
Saturday, June 18, 2022 – 09:30 PM EDT at Commonwealth Stadium
- Point Spread: SaskatchewanRoughriders -6.5 (-110)
- Total Over/Under: 48 (-110)
Elks Looking To Regroup After a Tough Road Trip to Open the Season
- Visiting the BC Lions always looked like a big task for the Edmonton Elks. So it proved with the Elks getting drummed in the first half 42-6, eventually losing 59-15.
- Quarterback Nick Arbuckle was intercepted and sacked three times.
- Chris Jones taking over as head coach has stirred things up. There seems acrimony between him and Arbuckle. That won’t be helped by the CFL week 1 display.
- Starting the season with the defense banged up, having Aaron Grymes and Nafees Lyon injured is hardly helpful to the cause and a contributing factor for the early drubbing in week 1, I suspect.
Saskatchewan Roughed up the Cats in Week 1
No doubt, one of the biggest takeaways from CFL Week 1 was the Saskatchewan Roughriders looking solid at home vs. the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. This was nothing unusual in recent times given the Roughriders have closed out their last 29 CFL regular-season matches since 2017 when leading after three quarters.
- Cody Fajardo got stronger at quarterback as the match progressed with a 66% completion rate, 311 yards, a touchdown pass and a touchdown run.
- Considering Fajardo got banged up in the second quarter, it was a creditable effort.
- Along with coach, Craig Dickenson, Fajardo wasn’t sold on their slow first-half performance but that’s an area they excelled in last season, so we can expect improvement there.
- With the offense taking time to find their range it was left to the defense who ruled the game throughout with 8 sacks and 2 interceptions.
Conclusion
It’s difficult to make a case for anything other than a Saskatchewan Roughriders win given the two teams look miles apart currently.
The slow start by the Edmonton Elks vs. the BC Lions won’t be repeated at home, but they will need to gain confidence quickly on Saturday. From the coach and quarterback at Saskatchewan, we heard they were a little surprised by their slow start given how well they perennially started CFL games in 2021.
Take a look around the props later in the week for the Saskatchewan Roughriders on the first-half spread. With the match handicap set at less than a touchdown, I think we can confidently add Saskatchewan Roughriders amongst our best CFL Bets.
Week 2 Pick
CFL Pick: Saskatchewan Roughriders -6.5 (-110) at Bet365
