Week 16 of the CFL season has arrived and with a full slate of games, two of which could still impact the playoffs as the regular season draws to a close.
This week will mark the final time we see B.C., Edmonton, and Ottawa on the field as all three clubs failed to qualify for the postseason. Saskatchewan is playing a bunch of backups against Hamilton, though it appears Winnipeg may keep a number of starters in the lineup after resting them in a loss to Montreal.
All eyes will be on the Als on Friday followed by the Ticats on Saturday as the results from their games will determine the location for the East Semi-Final.
Without further ado, here are the picks.
Friday, Nov. 19 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Ottawa Redblacks (2-11) at Montreal Alouettes (7-6)
Betting line: Als -13
The Redblacks are going back to Caleb Evans to close out their season after a poor outing from Devlin ‘Duck’ Hodges. Montreal has everything to play for in this one as they’ll look to sweep the season series against Ottawa in order to move into sole possession of second place in the East Division ahead of Hamilton’s final regular season game on Saturday.
DUNK: Trevor Harris carves up Ottawa. ALS
HODGE: Montreal finishes the season sweep. ALS
ABBOTT: This is unlikely to be competitive. ALS
BALLANTINE: Montreal have everything to play for, and Ottawa sucks. ALS
FILOSO: Montreal has so much more to lose. ALS
GASSON: Montreal wants to put the pressure on Hamilton. ALS
HUDSON: Montreal playing for something. ALS
LUDWIG: I’ve only been wrong picking against Ottawa twice. We don’t talk about those two. ALS
MCGUIRE: Montreal has something to play for and Trevor Harris is eager to remind Ottawa fans Marcel Desjardins was wrong not to pay him. ALS
SMITH: Montreal needs this to keep home playoff hopes alive. ALS
REDBLACKS 0
ALS 10
Friday, Nov. 19 at 10:30 p.m. ET
Edmonton Elks (3-10) at B.C. Lions (4-9)
Betting line: Lions -6.5
The Elks are playing their third game in seven days, which seems ludicrous. The club has kept its depth chart virtually unchanged since Tuesday win over Toronto, so don’t expect to see Nick Arbuckle under centre. Meanwhile, B.C. has elected to sit Michael Reilly in favour of Canadian rookie quarterback Nathan Rourke, who will be making his second career start.
DUNK: Nathan Rourke gets it done! LIONS
HODGE: A third game in seven days? Yeah, nobody’s winning that. LIONS
ABBOTT: Rourke > Cornelius. It’s that simple. LIONS
BALLANTINE: As in nature the Elks will be devoured. LIoNS
FILOSO: Canadian QB win alert! LIONS
GASSON: Someone has to win. LIONS
HUDSON: Edmonton half way on the plane since earlier this week. LIONS
LUDWIG: Edmonton looked pretty terrible against Toronto’s backups. B.C. isn’t good, but aside from Rourke they are fielding their usual team. LIONS
MCGUIRE: Winning road record could save Edmonton coaches and players jobs. Not so for Leos. ELKS
SMITH: Elks got their win on Tuesday. LIONS
ELKS 0
LIONS 10
Saturday, Nov. 20 at 4:00 p.m. ET
Saskatchewan Roughriders (9-4) at Hamilton Tiger-Cats (7-6)
Betting line: Ticats -6.5
The Riders will be resting a number of starters including quarterback Cody Fajardo as they’ve already clinched second place in the West Division. Hamilton, meanwhile, should be plenty motivated to win this one as a win over Saskatchewan would guarantee second place in the East Division, allowing them to host next weekend’s East Semi-Final.
DUNK: Tabbies clinch a home playoff game. TICATS
HODGE: The Riders are bringing the B-squad. TICATS
ABBOTT: Eat ’em raw includes backups. TICATS
BALLANTINE: Hamilton needs to win to clinch the home game, Riders trying to stay healthy. TICATS
FILOSO: Saskatchewan has nothing on the line. TICATS
GASSON: A long trip with nothing to play for. TICATS
HUDSON: Hamilton wants home field playoff double tap with Grey Cup. TICATS
LUDWIG: Big game for Hamilton, not so much for Saskatchewan. TICATS
MCGUIRE: If Montreal wins, Tabbies will have something to play for. Saskatchewan won’t. TICATS
SMITH: Riders have nothing to play for. TICATS
RIDERS 0
TICATS 10
Friday, Nov. 20 at 7:00 p.m. ET
Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Calgary Stampeders
Betting line: Bombers -4
This game will not affect the West Division standings, but that doesn’t mean it’s meaningless. Bo Levi Mitchell said his club want to cast some doubt in the minds of Winnipeg’s players, though Brandon Alexander said he doesn’t care about that. Both teams want to win this game, which could be key given there’s a chance they’ll meet in the West Final.
DUNK: Calgary wants to keep momentum going. STAMPS
HODGE: Calgary casts some doubt in Winnipeg’s minds. STAMPS
ABBOTT: Logic says Stamps, but Winnipeg did not take kindly to losing. BOMBERS
BALLANTINE: Bland vanilla game from both teams. STAMPS
FILOSO: Battle of the backups makes this game a coin flip. BOMBERS
GASSON: Winnipeg gets back on track. BOMBERS
HUDSON: Calgary has no bye so they will use this game as one, Winnipeg wants a groove before their bye. BOMBERS
LUDWIG: Collaros probably shouldn’t play, though that would mean Calgary has a good chance. BOMBERS
MCGUIRE: Winnipeg will play hard to stay crisp before bye week. Calgary will treat this like their bye week. BOMBERS
SMITH: CFL season ends with a whimper, as should be the case. BOMBERS
BOMBERS 7
STAMPS 3
Records to date
Gasson 38-20
Dunk 37-21
McGuire 36-22
Hudson 35-23
Hodge 34-24
Ludwig 33-25
Ballantine 32-26
Smith 31-27
Abbott 28-30
Filoso 28-30
