CFL
Saturday, July 8
Saturday's CFL doubleheader betting preview and odds
Ottawa Redblacks quarterback Trevor Harris received one of the CFL Top Performer of the Week honours after throwing for 425 yards and two touchdowns in Week 2.
Toronto Argonauts at Ottawa Redblacks (-4, 55.5)
The Ottawa Redblacks look for their first win of the season when they host the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday. The Redblacks have stumbled out of the starting blocks as they played out a 31-31 tie with the Calgary Stampeders before dropping a 43-39 decision in the Week 2 rematch, and the defending Grey Cup champions hope to find their groove in their first East Division clash of the campaign.
"If you let losses stick with you they're going to leak into the next week," Ottawa quarterback Trevor Harris told reporters. "We have an Eastern game and we have to come out fighting and ready to roll." The Argonauts came crashing down to earth after a promising Week 1 victory as they fell 28-15 to the BC Lions. Toronto was held to one touchdown after piling up 524 yards of total offence in its season-opening 32-15 victory against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, but were held to 143 net yards against the Lions, and hope to put the loss in the rearview mirror as the Argonauts prepare for their first road trip of the season. "They are the defending champs and in reality this is going to be a statement game for us," Toronto defensive back Rico Murray told reporters. "It will tell us where we're heading as a team and what direction."
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, TSN, RDS
LINE HISTORY: The Redblacks opened as 5.5-point home chalk against the Argos and that spread has been bet steadily down to four. The total hit the betting board at 55 and was bet up to a full point to 56, before fading down to 55.5. Check out the complete line history here.
ABOUT THE ARGONAUTS (1-1 SU, 1-1 ATS, 0-2 O/U): Ricky Ray completed 30-of-45 passes for 327 yards and a touchdown against BC to move within two passing TDs of becoming the sixth quarterback in CFL history to throw for 300 in his career. Armanti Edwards, who led Appalachian State to its historic upset of Michigan in 2007, continued his hot start to the season as he caught 10 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown against the Lions. Veteran running back Brandon Whitaker is expected to return to the lineup after missing a game as he took reps with the first-team offence during the week.
ABOUT THE REDBLACKS (0-1-1 SU, 2-0 ATS, 2-0 O/U): Diontae Spencer was named one of the CFL Top Performers of the Week after racking up 351 yards of total offence and two touchdowns, including an electrifying 96-yard punt return score in the loss to Calgary. Trevor Harris also received one of the CFL Top Performer of the Week honours after throwing for 425 yards and two touchdowns. Running back William Powell missed last week's game through injury, but is expected to return after practicing during the week and A.J. Jefferson, who spent the previous two years with the Argonauts, could recover in time after sitting out last week with an ankle problem.
TRENDS:
* Argonauts are 2-12 ATS in their last 14 games overall.
* Argonauts are 0-7 ATS vs. a team with a losing record.
* RedBlacks are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games overall.
* Over is 6-0 in RedBlacks last 6 home games.
* Over is 5-0 in RedBlacks last 5 games overall.
CONSENSUS: The road dog Argos are getting 52 percent of the action from users and the Under is picking up 51 percent of the totals wagers.
EXTRA POINTS:
* Harris has thrown for 725 yards and five touchdowns through two games.
* Toronto DE Victor Butler leads the CFL with four sacks.
* The Argonauts have won five of the last seven meetings.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Saskatchewan Roughriders (-2.5, 51.5)
The Saskatchewan Roughriders host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in a battle of winless teams Saturday. The Roughriders have dropped their first two games of the season by a combined four points, including a heartbreaking 43-40 double-overtime loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the first CFL game at the new Mosaic Stadium on Canada Day, and hope to turn their fortunes around by beating Hamilton for only the second time in six meetings.
"We have to play better," Saskatchewan coach Chris Jones told reporters. "We have to find a way to do things the correct way 100 percent of the time and not just some of the time." The Tiger-Cats had a week off to lick their wounds following a disappointing 32-15 setback to the Toronto Argonauts. Many experts considered Hamilton to be the main challenger to the Ottawa Redblacks in the battle for the East Division title but the Tiger-Cats looked anything but contenders as they were held to 232 yards of net offence and surrendered five sacks against the Argonauts. Hamilton has dropped six of its last seven regular-season games dating back to last year, but fared well recently against the Roughriders, winning four of the last five meetings, including a 53-7 thrashing Aug. 20, 2016.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, TSN, ESPN2
LINE HISTORY: The Roughriders opened as two-point home chalk against the Tiger-Cats and that line was quickly bet up to 2.5, then faded as low as -1 before rebounding back to 2.5 as of Friday night. The total hit the betting board at 53.5 and was bet down to 51, it has since bounced up slightly to 51.5.
ABOUT THE TIGER-CATS (0-1 SU, 0-1 ATS, 0-1 O/U): Terrence Toliver, who caught 65 passes for 1,036 yards and nine touchdowns in 2016, was put on the six-game injured list after suffering a knee injury in the first quarter against Toronto. Hamilton's secondary was torched for 506 passing yards in its opener and will once again be without two defensive backs in all-star Abdul Kanneh and Emanuel Davis, who was placed on the six-game injured list. "We had some guys that had a lot of mental errors and it starts there," Hamilton coach Kent Austin told reporters. "We're looking forward to seeing some improvement going into the second game and we're going to tinker early and find out the most competitive team."
ABOUT THE ROUGHRIDERS (0-2 SU, 1-1 ATS, 1-1 O/U): Kevin Glenn threw for 377 yards and four touchdowns including a scoring toss to Nic Demski, who finished with seven receptions for 82 yards against Winnipeg. Defensive end Jonathan Newsome, who appeared in all 18 games for Saskatchewan last season, was released Tuesday while linebacker Henoc Muamba could be in line to make his season debut after being taken off the six-game injured list. Tyler Crapigna missed a potential game-winning field goal for the second week in a row, prompting Jones to hold an open kicking competition between Crapigna and Quinn Van Gylswyk at practice this week.
TRENDS:
* Tiger-Cats are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a road underdog of 0.5-3.0.
* Roughriders are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games as a favorite.
* Under is 7-1 in Tiger-Cats last 8 games as an underdog of 0.5-3.0.
* Under is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings.
* Tiger-Cats are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 meetings.
CONSENSUS: The home chalk Roughriders are getting 62 percent of the money line action from users and the Over is picking up 54 percent of the totals wagers.
EXTRA POINTS:
* Saskatchewan is tied for the league lead with four turnovers.
* Hamilton DB Will Hill blocked two kicks in his CFL debut in Week 1.
* The Roughriders are 5-15 under Jones
