My CFL Week 13 expert picks feature bets for all four games. Of my picks, I dive into the Labour Day Classic slate that follows an UNDER trend between the Zach Collaros' Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Saskatchewan Roughriders (-2.5). Then, playoff implications unfold as the Calgary Stampeders (-3.0) hosts the rising Edmonton Elks.
In Week 13, I'm getting back on track and look to continue improving from last week's picks which went a 3-0-1, bringing my 2024 CFL expert picks to 23-21-2 on the season (-0.12 Units).
ottawa redblacks vs BC Lions Pick: OVER 51 Points (-110)
Ottawa (7-2-1 SU, 7-3 ATS) is on a heater, riding a six-game streak. But, BC (5-6 SU, 4-7 ATS) has gone ice cold and desperately trying to break free from its five-game skid.
Nathan Rourke gets another chance to prove himself, after his return from the NFL has seen 360 yards and three interceptions across two starts.
We saw signs of life from the Lions last week, tossing up a fair 27-points. And we know BC has the capability to be explosive with star-studded quarterbacks, RB William Stanback and the receiving tandem of Justin McInnis and Alexander Hollins. It's just a matter of time, folks.
The Redblacks have hit the OVER in two-straight and with the holiday weekend drawing in lots of thrill, I'm expecting another scoreboard blowout to kick-off the Labour Day Classics.
winnipeg blue bombers vs saskatchewan roughriders Pick: uNDER 47.5 (-110)
The UNDER has cashed in four of the last five Labour Day weekend meetings between these two. I'm thinking that trend is going to continue again on Sunday night.
Winnipeg's defense has ignited, coughing up a league-low 20 PPG and giving up just 34-points across its trio of recent outings. Saskatchewan (5-4-1 SU, 7-4 ATS) stands tall on the defensive front, too — sitting top three by allowing 24.5 PPG.
Meanwhile, both the Riders and Bombers (5-6 SU, 3-8 ATS) sit below the league-average offensively, posting 25 PPG or fewer.
toronto argonauts vs hamilton Tiger-Cats Pick: argos -5.0 (-110)
It's hard to give any grace to a group that has two wins in 10 games. Allowing 32.7 PPG, Hamilton (2-9 SU, 3-8 ATS) is the worst scoring defense in the CFL. I don't care how loud Steel Town can get, the Ticats defense won't feed off it.
I'm less than thrilled about Chad Kelly's return from suspension last week, where he tossed 322 yards and an interception. But, a stable, experienced quarterback is bound to give the Toronto (6-4 SU, 4-6 ATS) offense, which sits third in the league averaging 27.6 PPG, a boost.
edmonton elks vs calgary stampeders Pick: Elks +3.0
Covering four-straight, the Elks (3-8 SU, 7-4 ATS) are on a spread run. Not to mention, covering six of their eight underdog spreads of the season. I blinked and suddenly the Elks soared to the top and average 28.5 PPG and pocketing the most touchdowns in the league (34).
There's pretty strong playoff implications here as the West Division isn't being dominated. Yes, the Elks are surprisingly kind of still in this but they'll need a win here.
Calgary is coming off a bye week, but that might not be an advantage with Edmonton storming in with momentum, playing its best football of the year.