The 2026 Canadian Football League season begins on Thursday, June 4 with a rematch of last year’s division semifinal with the Montreal Alouettes visiting the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Montreal prevailed in that contest 19-16 but was unable to defeat the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Grey Cup. Week 1 action will also feature the Edmonton Elks battling the Ottawa Redblacks and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers taking on the Calgary Stampeders. Before you make your wagers for Week 1 of the 2026 CFL season, you should see what SportsLine expert Emory Hunt is playing for his best bets.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 1.
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CFL Week 1 picks
- Hamilton +1.5 vs. Montreal
- Calgary +1.5 vs. Winnipeg
- Ottawa -3.5 vs. Edmonton
Hamilton 1.5 vs. Montreal
What a fantastic game to open the 2026 CFL season! These two teams are evenly matched and boast some of the best collections of receivers in the game. Defensively, the Allouettes have a slight edge in that department, as well as along the offensive line. However, all things being equal, I struggle to see the Tiger-Cats taking a loss here against Montreal in the opener.
Calgary +1.5 vs. Winnipeg
Another good matchup in Week 1 featuring one of the more exciting quarterbacks in Stamps signal-caller Vernon Adams Jr. and one of the more stable organizations over the past decade in the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Where the Stampeders are strong is in the passing game, which is where the Bombers can be a bit vulnerable from a matchup perspective. What usually saves Winnipeg is its ability to get to the QB, and we’ll see if that is still the case this season. This game will ultimately come down to which QB, Vernon Adams Jr. or Zach Collaros, can get off to a fast start and avoid the costly mistakes.
Ottawa -3.5 vs. Edmonton
The Elks built up a ton of goodwill toward the back end of last season, and the hope is that positive momentum carries over into 2026. It’s whether or not they can get consistency from the QB position throughout the year. If so, this team can find itself winning more games. Ottawa has an impressive backfield with Greg Bell and Daniel Adeboboye. Look for them to help this offense ease into the season with balance before the defense closes out the Elks.
Tail Hunt’s Week 1 CFL picks with the recent FanDuel promo code.
