The Ottawa Redblacks head to Mosaic Stadium to face the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday afternoon.
Ottawa would clinch a playoff spot with a victory, but my Redblacks vs. Roughriders predictions expect the home side to prevail here.
Here are my best free CFL picks for this Week 17 showdown on September 28.
Redblacks vs Roughriders prediction
My best bet
Roughriders -3.5 (-115 at DraftKings)
My analysis
The Ottawa Redblacks are just a win away from making the playoffs for the first time since 2018. However, wins have been hard to come by lately, with the Redblacks losing three of their last four games by double-digits.
Injuries have piled up on both sides of the ball for Ottawa, with quarterback Dru Brown the latest player to hit the IL. Veteran pivot Jeremiah Masoli will replace him and should be solid, but there are bigger drop-offs at other key positions, including left tackle, where Dino Boyd remains sidelined.
On defense, two stud linebackers (Adarius Pickett and Jovan Santos-Knox), a pair of starters in the secondary (Brandon Dandrige and Alonzo Addae), and DE Bryce Carter have all been ruled out. That hurts a defense that already struggles away from home, allowing 35.0 points per game.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders snapped a seven-game winless skid with a 37-29 win against the Stampeders last week. Their offense is picking up steam with a healthy Trevor Harris back at QB and newly signed RB Ryquell Armstead, who rushed for 207 yards in his team debut.
On defense, the Riders have an opportunistic stop unit that has a league-high 35 takeaways, while the Redblacks have eight turnovers over the last two weeks. That should help them win and cover at home here.
Redblacks vs Roughriders same-game parlay (SGP)
Roughriders -3.5
Trevor Harris Over 290.5 passing yards
Justin Hardy Over 74.5 receiving yards
The Riders struggled when Harris hit the six-game IL earlier this year, but he's back and balling out. He's thrown for 903 passing yards with 9.03 yards per attempt over the last three weeks, despite two of those games coming against Winnipeg's elite pass defense. He should pick apart a banged-up Redblacks defense here.
Justin Hardy is second in the CFL with 1,130 receiving yards through 14 games. He's been getting plenty of targets from Masoli, hauling in eight of 12 targets for 103 yards in Week 15 before grabbing nine receptions for 117 yards last week.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
Redblacks vs Roughriders odds
Redblacks vs Roughriders live odds
Redblacks vs Roughriders opening odds
- Spread: Ottawa +2.5 | Saskatchewan -2.5
- Moneyline: Ottawa +120 | Saskatchewan -140
- Over/Under: Over 51.5 | Under 51.5
Redblacks vs Roughriders spread and Over/Under analysis
- Early money has poured in on the Roughriders, moving their line from -2.5 through the key number and as high as -4.
- The Roughriders won five of their first six games this year, but are just 1-1-6 straight up and 3-5 against the spread in their last eight.
- The Redblacks are 6-1-1 SU and 6-2 ATS at home but have gone 2-4 SU and ATS on the road.
- These teams tied 22-22 in Ottawa back in Week 10, but the Riders were missing Harris, and Ottawa had Dustin Crum at QB for most of the game.
Redblacks vs Roughriders trend
The Redblacks are 3-9 ATS in their last 12 games on the road. Find more CFL betting trends for Redblacks vs. Roughriders.
Redblacks vs Roughriders game info
| Location: | Mosaic Stadium, Regina, SK |
| Date: | Saturday, 9-28-2024 |
| Kick-off: | 3:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | TSN |
Redblacks vs Roughriders key injuries
Redblacks: Dru Brown QB (Out), Dino Boyd LT (Out), Adarius Pickett LB (Out), Jovan Santos-Knox LB (Out), Brandin Dandrige DB (Out), Alonzo Addae DB (Out), DE Bryce Carter, Frankie Griffin LB (Out), DeVonte Dedmon RB/KR (Out), Jamal Morrow RB (Out), Devonte Williams RB (Out).
Roughriders: Bryan Cox Jr. DE (Questionable), C.J. Reavis DB (Out), Peter Godber C (Out), Zack Fry G (Out), Dohnte Meyers WR (Out), Jermarcus Hardrick RT (Out), Ryan Sceviour G (Out), AJ Ouellette RB (Out), Malik Carney DE (Out).
Find our latest CFL injury reports.
Redblacks vs Roughriders weather
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