I’m backing two underdogs to cover the spread in the CFL this week.
The pregame narrative: The Ottawa Redblacks are catching the defending Grey Cup champions at the right time and are worth backing as home underdogs. Elsewhere, take the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to make things interesting in Toronto.
Check out the best CFL Week 16 picks below.
CFL Week 16 picks
Full CFL Week 16 betting markets
Best Bet: Redblacks +2.5 (-110)
The Montreal Alouettes looked every bit like the reigning champs through the first 13 weeks of the season.
But lately, not so much.
Montreal eked out a 19-19 tie in overtime against the Calgary Stampeders one game after getting thrashed by the BC Lions, 37-21.
Before that, it scraped out a pair of one-score wins against the Edmonton Elks (21-17) and Saskatchewan Roughriders (27-24).
The Redblacks are far from an offensive juggernaut but they’ve been really solid at home.
Ottawa is 6-0-1 on home field this season, scoring 30-plus points in each of its last four games at TD Place. That includes blowout victories against the Argonauts and Lions.
Cody Fajardo hasn’t taken over a game since returning from injury while Dru Brown has been much better than expected in his first year as a starter. He is coming off his worst start of the season but I’ll put my faith in a bounce-back performance.
Key stat: Ottawa has a +60 point differential at home.
Quick pick
Tiger-Cats +6.5 (-103): Hamilton will need to run the table for a chance at the CFL playoffs, and with the way its offence is playing, that might just be possible.
The Tiger-Cats have won back-to-back games, scoring 31 and 37 points to bring their record to 4-9.
Bo Levi Mitchell has been a gunslinger this season. He leads the league in passing yards (3,682) and touchdowns (23). He put up 646 yards and four TDs in the last two weeks alone.
One of those games was against the Argonauts, which the Ti-Cats won, 31-28.
Unfortunately for Hamilton, its defence is awful. The squad is giving up the most points per game (31.5) and the third-most rushing yards per game (106.2).
Toronto has a bruising rush attack and logs the second-most rushing yards per game (116.8). It has struggled through the air, though, and a running clock should benefit an underdog to cover the spread.
I like Hamilton’s chances of keeping up if this turns into a shootout.
Picks made at 2:07 p.m. ET on 09/18/24.
Avery joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2022 before stepping into a full-time role soon after. He loves betting on and analyzing golf — mainly because it’s easier than actually playing — but is a fan of all sports, from the NFL to the UFC.