slushie007

SK -2.5 @ MTL
The Riders D are absolute monsters in the trenches and sacked Fajardo 8 times last week. Harris continues to be efficient at QB. Alford, Carney, Busby, Emilius and Reavis didn't practise on Tue. The Riders got up to a 21-4 lead before letting the Elks get back in the game. This could be a bit of a letdown spot for the Riders.

Montreal won last week but only did after VA got hurt. Their defence continues to confuse opposing offenses and they are very well coached. Alexander is out so MBT will be starting again and he played pretty well last week. If Alexander was playing I'd be on Montreal, but I can't get against the red hot Riders playing against an older close to washed up MBT. Shut down the run, get after the QB, cover the short dump off passes. Riders win and cover in a low scoring game but I am not super confident in it.
24-21 Riders

TEASER: 6.5pts

OTT +3.5
Ottawa really needs this game and has a great chance to steal this one with the Stamps missing their QB1 and 3-4WRs and we have a 3 point cushion.

WPG +3.5
I know I know...giving them one more chance here even with Strevler starting. 3 point cushion incase they lose again.

SK +4
MBT will be in tough against the Riders D and the Als D will also make it hard on the Riders offense, but give me a vet QB and fire defense against an aging backup QB and we have a 4 point cushion to boot.

MY POWER RANKINGS:
1)Saskatchewan (2)
2)Hamilton (3)
3)Calgary (1)
4)Montreal (4)
5)Toronto (7)
6)Winnipeg (5)
7)BC (6)
8)Edmonton (8)
9)Ottawa (9)

Good luck!

CAL @ OTT -3
VA got hurt last week and the Stamps didn't score a single point after that and ended up losing the game and messing up the pick. It doesn't look like he will be playing. QB2 PJ Walker looked terrible and the Stamps will be without Alford and Barnes and are already missing Begelton. Philpot is also questionable, that's all of their WRs injured with a backup QB. Calgary will struggle to move the ball and put up points. If VA was playing I'd be on the Stamps.

Ottawa is coming off a bye and Dru Brown had a week off to get healthier. Ottawa needs this game more then Calgary does and when you don't have your QB1, you are going to be in for a tough game on the road. RedBlacks win and cover.
29-19 RedBlacks

TOR @ WPG -3
Arbuckle has been playing great the past couple weeks and Coxie is a star at WR who lit it up last week for 6 rec 145 yards and 1 TD. Toronto has sure had the Bombers number the past few years.

What is going on with Collaros? I am going to give him one more chance if he plays. Bombers at home where they are hard to beat coming off double revenge losing to the Argos last week and in the Grey Cup last year. The Bombers step up in a must win game and stop the 3 game losing streak and cover. Collaros has been ruled out and Strevler is starting, I still like the Bombers.
27-20 Bombers

HAM -3.5 @ EDM
Hamilton continues their ascension up the CFL ladder with their 5th win in a row and take over 1st place in the East. Bo Levi has been reborn and he has had great blocking by his OL.

The Elks OL got absolutely destroyed by the Riders last week and they still only lost by 3 points. Fajardo played pretty decent for the blocking he had. The Elks are still a young team finding their way on defense and don't have a true QB1 nor identity at QB. If this game turns into a shootout then give me the TiCats to win and cover but this game does make me nervous.
36-29 TiCats

HAM +3.5 @ BC
Hamilton has been playing great ball the last couple weeks led by By Levi and Lawler. Dru Brown did get hurt early in the game which he is basically the whole team for the RedBlacks and it messed up the Ottawa pick last week.

BC got outplayed badly by the Riders but Rourke still managed to put up 337 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT. No running game whatsoever for the Lions. I really don't know what to think of BC yet but they will improve as the year goes on. I also am not high on Hamilton yet but they are starting to prove me wrong. This game should be a shootout, I am going to roll with the Lions to just win that shootout but not cover.
34-31 Lions

TEASER: 7pts

CAL +1.5
Just need the Stamps to win with a 1 pt cushion. Like I said, I will not go against the Stamps freight train until they prove otherwise. Montreal is also missing their starting QB and most of their DL.

SK -2.5
Riders at home against one of the worst teams in the league with poor coaching who are coming into Mosaic Stadium and aren't even sure which QB they're starting/will be playing the whole game.

WPG +4.5
I just can't see the Bombers dropping this game and losing 3 in a row if Collaros is healthy, and we have a 4pt cushion just incase they do lose.

MY POWER RANKINGS:
1)Calgary (1)
2)Saskatchewan (2)
3)Hamilton (5)
4)Montreal (4)
5)Winnipeg (3)
6)BC (6)
7)Toronto (8)
8)Edmonton (9)
9)Ottawa (7)

Good luck!

Well I am sucking the last 2 weeks. I got my lines and bets in as soon as they dropped this week. The lines fluctuate so much.

MON @ CAL -5.5
No Alexander for the Als and they are missing 3/4 of their DL to injury including stud Mustafa Johnson. They barely beat a battered Argos team playing with their backup QB with Alexander playing basically the whole game.

Calgary is the best team in the CFL and they are a freight train I don't want to go against anymore until proven otherwise. VA looks like the best QB, they have the best defense, and a longtime established coach. Calgary wins and covers.
29-21 Stampeders

EDM @ SK -9.5
The Elks are coming off a bye with huge question marks at QB and a defense that isn't helping either.

The Riders look like the 2nd best team in the league and completely dominated the Lions. The score was not indicative of the game. Harris threw for almost 400 yards and just ripped apart the secondary while Ouellette added 72 yards on the ground. Carey got injured and it didn't look pretty. Alford and Bane are out for this one. The Riders are still missing 3 OL which isn't ideal, but over 4 quarters of play and inconsistent QB play with the Elks compiled with the Riders defense playing at home and Harris playing a weak defense, Riders win and cover.
32-18 Riders

WPG -2.5 @ TOR
The Bombers got spanked (again) by Calgary with Collaros going down early in the game and the Argos have to be a little drained after the heartbreaking loss last night after being up by double digits a good chunk of the game.

Collaros has been a full participant in practise on Tue and Wed so looks like he will play. The only significant player the Bombers are missing is Stanley Bryant who hasn't practised yet this week. The Bombers lost 2 games in a row, both against the Stamps and they lost both games by exactly 3 TDs. I would think the Bombers will be up and ready for this game not wanting to lose 3 in a row against an Argos team still missing their starting QB and possibly McManis and Lanier. Winnipeg wins and covers after the Argos gave it their all last week and came up short.
28-19 Bombers

HAM @ OTT +1.5
Short one here but I am taking Ottawa. They play much better at home, I have a feeling Dru Brown will ball out this game. How Dru Brown goes, is how the team goes. These teams played each other last week and came down to the wire. Ottawa gets the win in the home to home.
30-26 RedBlacks

TEASER: 7pts

MTL -2.5
Montreal smells blood and will be hungry to lay it all on the field and only need to cover a field goal.

WPG +3.5
Revenge game for Bombers off the bye with the Stamps coming in on their 2nd straight road game and if the Bombers lose by 3 we still win the teaser.

MY POWER RANKINGS:
1)Calgary (2)
2)Saskatchewan (1)
3)Winnipeg (3)
4)Montreal (4)
5)Hamilton (5)
6)BC (6)
7)Ottawa (9)
8)Toronto (8)
9)Edmonton (7)

CGY jumps to top spot after 2 impressive wins against the Riders and Bombers
SK drops down 1 spot to 2 after getting their butt kicked by CGY
WPG stays at 3 coming off a bye
MTL stays at 4 coming off a bye
HAM stays at 5, they are not better then any of the top 4 teams
BC stays at 6 but almost makes the jump to 5 (they will be a better team then HAM as the season goes on)
OTT lost but jumps up 2 spots due to TOR and EDM being so bad
TOR stays at 8 coming off a bye
EDM drops to 2 spots to the basement after another lopsided loss

Good luck!

Been really busy sorry for the short write-up this week and the bad picks last week.

TOR @ MTL -9.5
Montreal coming 2 losses in a row and a bye and getting their starting QB back. They'll be ready and hungry.

Toronto just lost their best OL to a shoulder injury after he got hit by a car while riding a scooter. Prayers going out to him. Toronto is getting healther on D and getting McManis back.
Montreal wins and covers.
31-16 Alouettes

CAL @ WPG -3.5
Calgary is coming off 2 huge wins against 2 previous undefeated teams in Winnipeg and the Riders, players and coaches had to sleep spread out in hotels, and the University of Regina college dorms. 4 players to 1 dorm room. That's rough, but that's some real team bonding. They spanked the Riders.

Winnipeg is coming off the bye and O'Shea's record coming off the bye with Collaros as his QB since 2019 is 17-0. This is also a revenge game after getting crushed by the Stamps by 3 TDs a few weeks ago. This is Calgary's 2nd road game in a row against a team with revenge on their minds coming off the bye. Winnipeg wins and covers.
34-27 Bombers

SK +2.5 @ BC
The Riders laid an egg coming off a bye last week. They'll be much better prepared for this game and are in better shape health wise then I expected. Campbell, Emilius, Milligan, Sayles all practised in full. Ray and Bane were limited. Alford will not be playing this game. The Riders go back to old school ball and pound the rock against a weak lions run defense and shut down Rourke and the high flying BC passing attack after the embarassing game last week.

The Lions offense is clicking, Rourke throwing for 345 yards and Butler adding 172 yards on the ground but lets not forget the Elks have the worst defense in the league. Back to back road wins for the Lions and now they are back home.
Riders win making their physical presence known and cover.
26-24 Riders

It wasn't just the Riders decision, it was the CFL and both teams. 

I'm a non smoker, haven't hit 40 yet and I had troubles breathing outside today and I didn't do anything physically exerting. It's pretty hazy and thick. It is bad. 

Now Calgary will need to find a place to stay and likely not in Regina. Advantage Riders.

BC @ EDM +3.5
BC eked out a last second 1 point win last week in Montreal after being down a TD early in the game. Rourke accounted for all but 35 of BCs total yards, he threw for 352 and ran for 43. BCs run defense is clearly the worst in the league, and Edmonton looks to take advantage of that with the 1-2 punch of Ford-Rankin. The Lions are a 'soft' team, not very physical and can be pushed around. BC has not had a bye yet this year.

Last week was pretty exciting, lots of points scored including 4 kick return TDs! 2 in HAM TOR and 2 in OTT EDM and also 1 new millionaire. Looks like Calgary should have started the Stampede Bowl a long time ago. Montreal, Winnipeg and Toronto have byes this week.


CAL @ SK -5
Just like the Argos blowing their load against the RedBlacks in week 4 after Dinwiddie tore into his players, we have a similar situation here. The Stamps gave it their all last week coming off the bye and definitely got up and were ready to play in the Stampede Bowl. VA finally threw a TD pass and Calgary had good balance on offense. Their defense was also flying all over the field with the Bombers never really getting anything going on offense. Oliveira only had 61 yards on 13 carries. Calgary has shown great balance on both offense and defense.

I can see the top of Mosaic Stadium from my office window, can't wait for tonight! It's a rainy, messy and smoky day in Regina, which fits right into the Riders hands. The Riders have been absolutely dominating in the trenches on both sides of the ball. The Riders are coming off a bye and will get Trevor Harris back but they'll be missing Tate on the OL and Campbell in the secondary which are big blows. Bane is still out but the Riders are deep at WR. The Riders aren't going to win every game but this is not the week to pick them to lose. They are also 4-0 ATS. They'll be well rested, playing at home where it's extremely hard to play for the visiting team, and I expect Calgary to be flat after the huge win against the Bombers last week. Riders win and cover.
29-20 Riders

Rourke is in, Alexander is out

BC wins and covers +3

Also adding a 7 pt teaser on BC +10

Good luck

TEASER: 7pts

WPG +3.5

Bombers SHOULD win this game and we have a 3 pt cushion just incase

HAM +8

Argos on a short week with a boatload of injuries and an 8 pt cushion? Sign me up!

EDM +9

I like the Elks to win this game especially if Dru Brown is out and we have a 9 pt cushion

MY POWER RANKINGS:

1)Saskatchewan (2)

2)Winnipeg (3)

3)Montreal (1)

4)Calgary (4)

5)Hamilton (7)

6)BC (6)

7)Toronto (9)

8)Ottawa (5)

9)Edmonton (8)

SK moves to #1 after showing another way they can win a game: without their QB1

WPG moves up one spot to #2 after another impressive win missing their RB1

MTL drops to #3 after getting crushed by the winless Ti-Cats, be it without their QB1

CAL stays put at #4 coming off a bye

HAM jumps up two spots to #5 after a convincing win in Montreal

BC doesn't move from #6 spot, they are better then they are playing and will end up better then HAM come end of year

TOR moves up two spots from the grave to claim #7 after a huge win

OTT drops three spots to #8 after losing a very winnable game

EDM drops down one spot to #9 in the basement, only winless team in the league

Good luck!

BC @ MTL

BC has underwhelmed this year but I think they will start to come around especially when Rourke is healthy. I expect more out of BC. We still don't know who is playing QB for either team. I don't think Pierce is a good fit as a head coach, he's better off as an offensive coordinator but it is only week 5 so let's see. Betts is also questionable.

Montreal's offense sputtered hard without Alexander last week. I do expect a bounceback performance from the Als after getting spanked by Hamilton. If Alexander plays and Rourke is out then Montreal wins and covers. If Rourke plays and Alexander is out then BC wins and covers. If both play then Montreal wins, BC covers. I will update my pick for this game closer to kickoff.

OTT @ EDM +2

Ottawa really needs Dru Brown back, he did take first team reps but still is questionable and how healthy will he really be if he plays? Ottawa has a dominant DL and weak secondary, something that should fall right into the Elks hands. With Ford running circles around the DL it will make Ottawa's rush non-existent and Ford should be able to pick apart the RedBlacks secondary extending plays and finding his WRs.

Edmonton played the Bombers tight for 3 quarters last week and was actually tied with Winnipeg going into the 4th quarter. The Elks have improved every week. Desperation mode sets in for the Elks as they get their first win of the season.

27-20 Elks

I should have just kept all my picks the same and I would have had a perfect week! 

Let the QB carousel continue.

WPG -3.5 @ CAL

The Bombers are getting Oliviera back and are looking pretty healthy. Winnipeg has looked impressive in all 3 wins including 1 without Collaros and 2 without Oliveira. It's hard to pick against them against the Stamps, but I think this will be a closer game than most people think.

Calgary is coming off a bye and usually plays well in this spot at home against Winnipeg and the Calgary Stampede is starting tomorrow with this game being the Stampede Bowl. Calgary has a potent offense but their defense will be their downfall in this game. Should be a fun game to watch and a high scoring one at that. VA still hasn't thrown a TD pass!

32-27 Bombers

HAM +1 @ TOR

Did Hamilton and Toronto both blow their load last week? The Ti-Cats looked great against the Als but let's not forget who was playing QB for Montreal and how desperate Hamilton was for a win coming off their bye. Hamilton is going into this game pretty healthy.

The Argos gave it their all last week after Dinwiddie tore into them after the Rider game. But just take a look at their injury report and see why I love Hamilton to win this game. 2 OL, 3 LBs (including McManis), both their RBs, QB, and 1 DL all announced OUT. And the Argos are also on a short week playing Sunday night.

29-19 Ti-Cats

@Cowbeagle yessir.

Maier starting for Riders, Rourke a GTD but likely out as he didn't take any reps in practise yesterday.

Backing out of my teaser on the Riders, but sticking with the Riders to win and BC to cover from earlier in the week.

Still like the Argos to win. Kelly is out until week 7 and Dru Brown was announced out.

Riders backup (Maier) looked awful in the preseason.

He was Calgary's QB1 last year.

Harris is out and Rourke is a GTD.

Changing my Hamilton pick to Montreal to win, Hamilton to cover. Locked it in at +3.5.

I also may be removing the Riders from my teasers as it looks like Harris may not play.

Will post an update tomorrow.

TOR +2.5 @ OTT
Dinwiddie was HEATED after the Rider game last week, calling players out and even calling one player fat and was wondering what he was doing during the offseason!? Holy shit. The Argos backs are right up against the wall and they'll respond, Kelly or not.

Ottawa had a surprisingly good game last week winning as underdogs on the road with a backup QB in terrible weather conditions. Letdown spot for them at home this week. Argos win and cover.
22-17 Argos

TEASER: 7pts

WPG -2.5
Bombers just need to cover a field goal, they should handle the Elks

SK +1.5
I like the Riders to win here even though I don't like them to cover. This will be a tighter game, but the Riders D and home field advantage comes out ontop.

MY POWER RANKINGS:
Montreal
Saskatchewan
Winnipeg
Calgary
Ottawa
BC
Hamilton
Edmonton
Toronto

Good luck!