3rd & 1: Three picks to consider in the CFL this week

It really felt like Dustin Crum and the Ottawa Redblacks were going to come up with another late victory last weekend, but watching Tiger-Cats defensive tackle Casey Sayles knock down the potential game-clinching pass was heartbreaking for the parlay.

It’s okay, though. The Montreal Alouettes’ defence put together some late-game heroics, as well, so it’s probably better that we weren’t let down by the final leg on last week’s four-leg parlay.

We’re now two months into the season, but there’s still plenty of time left for teams to make a run and for players to turn things around.

Aside from the Toronto Argonauts/Calgary Stampeders game, every matchup is pretty even this week, so we’re going to go back to some alternative spreads for our weekly parlay.

Here are three plays I like this week in the Canadian Football League.

BC LIONS +6.5

This is the second matchup of the season between the Lions and Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The Lions did something in their first matchup that not many teams have been able to do over the past few years: make the Bombers look like an average football team. Sure, the Lions will be without Vernon Adams Jr. again this week, but Dane Evans has more than enough experience as a starter, and let’s not forget about his five-touchdown performance against the Bombers last season.

Aside from Adams being sidelined yet again, both teams are pretty healthy coming into this one, which should make for a tight football game. The Bombers are favoured by 5.5 points, and while I think there’s a chance the Lions could win this game, we’ll add on a point to the spread and take BC +6.5 because this should make for a close game, regardless of who wins.

MONTREAL ALOUETTES MONEYLINE

I went against the Montreal Alouettes last week, but this week we’re rolling with the Als to get the job done in Hamilton, and it’s not just because the Ticats’ quarterback situation is once again up in the air. Montreal hasn’t exactly lit up the league on offence, but their defence has been one of the best this season. They’ve allowed the third-fewest points so far, and their run defence has already shut down James Butler once this season. The Als defence is allowing the fourth fewest points per game, while the Ticats’ defence is averaging the most points against per game. I definitely liked the Als a lot more before the news came out that Kaion Julien-Grant would miss the contest, but I think their defence can take care of business and there's a chance they get some reinforcements at the receiver position this week.

CALGARY STAMPEDERS +11.5

Will this be the week the Toronto Argonauts finally lose a game this season? Probably not, but I don’t think they’ll blow out the Stampeders. This is not last year’s Argos team, but Calgary has won eight of its past 10 matchups against Toronto, including both last year, where the Stamps outscored the Argos 51-21. I think the Argos extend their winning streak this week, but I expect the Stamps to keep it within double digits as long as the few offensive studs listed as game-time decisions are able to suit up and contribute. It might get ugly for Calgary if all of them are ruled out, but let’s hope not for the parlay’s sake.

A three-leg parlay with these three plays on it pays +424 on FanDuel.

HONOURABLE MENTION - MOST RECEIVING YARDS WEEKLY SPECIAL

Earlier this season we cashed a weekly special when Dedrick Mills finished with the most rushing yards in the week, and we did it again last week thanks to Taquan Mizzell’s huge performance in his return to BC’s lineup.

This week, we’re going to turn our focus to the Most Receiving Yards weekly special and sprinkle on Tevin Jones at +1400 and Shawn Bane Jr. at +2600. The Riders are going up against the Redblacks, who allow the second most passing yards per game, and Jones and Bane have been getting a lot of targets since Mason Fine took over for Trevor Harris. Over the past two weeks, Bane has caught 20 of his 22 targets for 218 yards and touchdown, while Jones has caught 16 of his 21 targets for 208 yards.

Share your CFL bet slips with us on Twitter (@TSN_Edge) and good luck this week!