| Record | Last Week | Season |
|---|---|---|
| Game Picks | 2-1 | 23-14 |
| Player Props | 1-0 | 11-4 |
| Overall | 3-1 | 34-18 |
White pants are put away after Labour Day. The easily stained summer style that signalled a Gilded Age status was no longer suitable for the return to city, school, and work. Wet and windy weather stirs up sediment that will be part of your ensemble by the end of the day. Then there’s always a potential mustard or spaghetti sauce mishap. But the danger can also come from within. We’ll see who has the intestinal fortitude, and who soils themselves down the stretch.
Ottawa Redblacks at Toronto Argonauts
“Playoffs? You kidding me? Don’t talk about playoffs… I just hope we can win a game.”
Jim Mora’s infamous soundbite from 25 years ago when he was head coach of the Colts would have made perfect sense coming from Ryan Dinwiddie at any point this season. The Redblacks have lost 17 straight games. The franchise’s last win was over a year ago. Jake Maier is in danger of tying the longest losing by a quarterback in league history. He’s lost 12 straight starts dating back to last season with the Riders. Ottawa is coming off a bye, it’s last one of the year, but they continue to turn over the roster like it’s extended training camp. Meanwhile, the Argos biggest strength is Chad Kelly’s arm, but their weakness is his decision-making. He leads the CFL in passing yards but also has a head-scratching 18 interceptions in 12 games, four more than any other QB. He’s thrown four interceptions in a game twice this season. The first of which was against the Redblacks back in week 3, and the Argos still won by 20 points.
THE PICK: ARGONAUTS -10.5
PLAYER PROP PARLAY
Damonte Coxie is third in CFL receiving yards with over a thousand already. But since week 10, when Makai Polk went down, Coxie leads all receivers in yards, explosive catches (15+ yards), and contested catches. He’s only had fewer than 70 yards in a game once since week 3.
As bad as the Redblacks have been, Justin Hardy is a model of consistency. He’s tenth in CFL receiving yards and will likely eclipse a thousand for the fourth straight season. He’s only gone under 50 yards once since week 3. Toronto’s pass defence is only slightly better than Ottawa’s at the bottom of the league.
DAMONTE COXIE 70+ RECEIVING YDS / JUSTIN HARDY 50+ RECEIVING YDS (-111)
Saskatchewan Roughriders at Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Bombers have lost a couple of heartbreakers lately. After a dominant first half, they allowed the Elks to come back from a 10-point deficit to win in week 12. In last week’s Labour Day Classic, they came back to tie it in the final seconds only to lose in overtime. But since their week 10 bye, the Bombers have been much better. Two weeks ago, they beat up on the best team in the league. Brady Oliveira leads the CFL in rushing yards and needs just 16 more to tie Andrew Harris for the most one-thousand-yard seasons by a Canadian with five. There’s also an obvious trend in recent years. The Riders usually win the Labour Day Classic in Regina, while Winnipeg is 8-2 in the last 10 Banjo Bowls a week later.
THE PICK: BLUE BOMBERS +1.5
Calgary Stampeders at Edmonton Elks
The Stamps’ recent struggles are mostly self-inflicted. They had what should have been a comfortable lead in all three of their losses since the start of August. Last week, they led by 11 entering the fourth quarter, only to be outscored 24-3 the rest of the way. Calgary is now last in the West with a 5-7 record. It’ll be interesting to see how they respond in what is now a must-win game in Edmonton. I can’t decide if they deserve better, or whether we can count on Calgary making the same mistakes.
THE PICK: NO PICK
Montreal Alouettes at BC Lions
The Lions were leading at the half last week in Montreal. The two teams had exchanged touchdowns in the 3rd quarter before one bad decision from Nathan Rourke altered the game irreparably. Tyrice Beverette read Rourke’s eyes, jumped the route and took it the house for a pick-six. That was the difference. Luckily, I stayed away from last week’s line because I was leaning toward the Lions +3.5. Seems a little odd that the best team in the league could win by seven, play the same opponent the next week and be an underdog but that’s the reality. The Als have some mounting injuries to their secondary, and Travis Theis was placed on the 6-game injured list. Besides a depleted roster for a long flight against the jet stream, the Als can afford to look ahead. They’re coasting to an East division title, while the Lions are clawing to make the playoffs after a 1-5 start to the season.
THE PICK: LIONS moneyline (-126)
