We’ve reached Week 11 of the CFL season! Friday and Saturday feature a handful of divisional matchups that bring a number of interesting storylines.
This week’s slate of games is a little thin with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Toronto Argonauts, and Hamilton Tiger-Cats on a bye. We’ve also reached the unofficial two-thirds mark of the season, which means we’re entering a pressure-packed period to pontificate pertaining to the playoff picture.
Without further ado, here are the picks.
Friday, October 15
Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Edmonton Elks, 9:00 p.m. EST
Betting Line: Bombers -12.5
Jaime Elizondo has benched a healthy Trevor Harris in favour of Taylor Cornelius and Dakota Prukop, which is pretty shocking. It’s a desperate move from a desperate team that currently sits dead-last in the West Division, trailing B.C. and Calgary by four points. There’s not a lot of good news in Edmonton these days, but here’s a silver lining: this is the last time they have to play Winnipeg.
DUNK: Winnipeg clinches a playoff spot. BOMBERS
HODGE: Tickets for the West Final should soon be on sale. BOMBERS
ABBOTT: Benching Trevor Harris feels more like a white flag than a call to action in Edmonton. BOMBERS
BALLANTINE: Why would this be any different than last week? BOMBERS
FILOSO: Best vs. worst. BOMBERS
GASSON: Is there anything else going on? BOMBERS
HUDSON: If you are picking Edmonton at this point, no one believes you believe it. BOMBERS
LUDWIG: As if things weren’t bad enough, now Edmonton is self-sabotaging at quarterback. BOMBERS
MCGUIRE: At least the league office is getting the ugly duck of the weekend out of the way early. BOMBERS
SMITH: I wouldn’t take the Elks even if Doc Brown came back from the future and told me they won. BOMBERS
BOMBERS 10
ELKS 0
Saturday, October 16
Montreal Alouettes at Ottawa Redblacks, 4:00 p.m. EST
Betting Line: Als -5.5
Vernon Adams Jr. has hit the six-game injured list due to a shoulder injury, which means we’ll see Matthew Shiltz under centre for the Als. The four-year veteran moved the ball well last week — can he do the same at TD Place? Caleb Evans moved the ball well with his legs in a tight loss to Montreal last week, though he put up just 125 yards through the air.
DUNK: Coming off the bench and starting are two completely different things. REDBLACKS
HODGE: Holy Shiltz! Am I taking Ottawa? REDBLACKS
ABBOTT: Evans vs. Shiltz is hardly a battle of titans. Seems like the time for an Ottawa breakthrough. REDBLACKS
BALLANTINE: Ottawa’s defence steals one with V.A.J. on the bench. REDBLACKS
FILOSO: No Adams? No victory. REDBLACKS
GASSON: Shiltz may actually bring a little safety to the Als right now. Run the ball and play defence. ALS
HUDSON: I’m not sure it’s a good idea to pick Ottawa because you are bored of predicting they will lose, but here we are. REDBLACKS
LUDWIG: Last week’s game was a mess, but it’s Montreal for whom it was an outlier. ALS
MCGUIRE: I have no faith in Ottawa. ALS
SMITH: Ottawa played Montreal tough when Adams played, they’ll get the dub with Adams out. REDBLACKS
ALS 3
REDBLACKS 7
Saturday, October 16
Calgary Stampeders at B.C. Lions, 7:00 p.m. EST
Betting Line: Lions -1
Calgary just won two straight games over Saskatchewan and now have a chance to get back to .500 with a win on the west coast. The Lions haven’t been on the field since they got crushed two weeks ago by Winnipeg. Lucky Whitehead won’t play due to a broken hand but DeVier Posey could start in his place, providing Michael Reilly with a new deep threat.
DUNK: Dave Dickenson’s mini-heater is happening. STAMPS
HODGE: I’ll take Calgary against the spread but B.C. still wins. LIONS
ABBOTT: A healthy B.C. secondary is licking their lips over a painfully average Bo Levi Mitchell. LIONS
BALLANTINE: At the beginning of the year, Dave Dickenson warned the Stamps would take time to gel. That time is now. STAMPS
FILOSO: Calgary is getting hot at the right time. STAMPS
GASSON: Home team off the bye. LIONS
HUDSON: Edge to the bye and home team and yes I noticed Joel already said this after I wrote it. LIONS
LUDWIG: B.C. bounces back from the Winnipeg smashing. Calgary is benefitting from a ‘close wins’ mirage. LIONS
MCGUIRE: The Leos got ’em last time, but Calgary is much better now. Not sure that B.C. is. STAMPS
SMITH: Two fairly even teams, I’ll take the home side. LIONS
STAMPS 4
LIONS 6
2021 records
Gasson 23-16
Dunk 22-17
Hudson 21-18
McGuire 21-18
Hodge 19-20
Ludwig 19-20
Ballantine 18-21
Smith 17-22
Abbott 14-25
Filoso 13-26
