The defending Grey Cup champion Saskatchewan Roughriders will meet the Edmonton Elks, the team tied for the best record in the CFL, in the banner showdown of Week 8. The Roughriders are coming off a big win over the Hamilton Tiger-cats, while the Elks narrowly squeaked by the B.C. Lions in Week 7. Who will prevail in this early clash of titans, and what other bets can you make in Week 8? SportsLine expert Emory Hunt has looked over the schedule and given his best bets for the week.Born and raised in New Orleans, Hunt played running back at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette and coached high school football before starting Football Gameplan, an in-depth analysis site. Over the past three seasons, Hunt is 132-111-2 on NFL bets. Here’s a look at his picks for Week 6.
CFL Week 8 picks
- Edmonton +4.5 vs. Saskatchewan
- Calgary +1.5 vs. Winnipeg
- Toronto -3.5 vs. B.C.
- Hamilton +10.5 vs. Montreal
Edmonton +4.5 vs. Saskatchewan
Entering this matchup against Edmonton with heavy hearts, the Saskatchewan Roughriders will be mourning the loss of their beloved teammate Jayden Dalke, who tragically passed away last weekend. You never know how a team will respond when something tragic like this happens. Strictly from an Xs and Os perspective, however, the matchup is even across the board. I like the way Edmonton’s defense matches up against Saskatchewan’s passing game. It’ll be important for the Elks offense to get off to a great start, otherwise they’ll find themselves in a disadvantageous situation. Expect a tighter game on the road.
Calgary +1.5 vs. Winnipeg
Winnipeg was on the verge of being upset last week against Ottawa, but still found a way to pull it out at the end. However, some of the weaknesses that showed up against the Redblacks are the type of areas that Calgary can expose. For the Stampeders, they welcome back stellar wide receiver Damian Alford, who excelled with them last season before getting an NFL opportunity. I like how Calgary has the offensive explosiveness to put strain on any team, and I expect them to give the Blue Bombers more than they bargained for in this game.
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Toronto -3.5 vs. B.C.
It has just been an unfortunate start to the season for the B.C. Lions. Between close losses and now the injury to QB Nathan Rourke, the Lions are in danger of having their season slip away. Now, a few weeks ago we thought the same thing and all they did was get their first win of the season against the red-hot Elks. With that being mentioned, the Argos offensively have too much firepower for the B.C. Lions to match their output. I don’t foresee them being able to match that output with a backup QB.
Hamilton +10.5 vs. Montreal
The Ti-cats secured an upset victory last week thanks in part to Tre Ford’s ability to find first downs and a defense that made key stops and turnovers. If the effort from last week carries over to this week, they’ll be a feisty opponent. That level of unknown can give teams problems. This week they face an Alouettes squad that may arguably be the best team in the CFL, so the Ti-cats will need to be more consistent than they showed at times last week. Confidence can carry a team a long way, and the way Hamilton won last weekend can give them more than enough momentum to keep this game within the point spread.
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