For my CFL Week 8 expert picks, I've got a prediction for each of the four games. Of my picks, a plague of key injuries in the Saskatchewan vs Montreal game leads me to side with the UNDER while I'm calling Ottawa's undefeated record at TD Place to be destroyed on Friday night.
In Week 8, I look to rebound (again) from last week's picks which went 1-3 bringing my 2024 CFL expert picks to 10-15 on the season (-3.90 Units).
Current Record: 10-15 (-3.90 Units)
CFL Picks for week 8
We're getting into the thick of the CFL season, still spectating one desperate winless team and navigating a few notable injuries. As mentioned above, my Week 8 CFL picks feature a wounded Roughriders vs Alouettes matchup.
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saskatchewan roughriders vs montreal alouettes Pick: UNDER 47.5 (-110)
Leading their respective divisions, this is a thrilling matchup to kick off Week 8. As I hinted above, the Riders (5-1 SU, 5-1 ATS) and Als (5-1 SU, 3-3 ATS) are missing some crucial components to their offense. A bye week wasn't enough to heal QB Cody Fajardo, who was injured in Week 6's tilt against the Argos. Second-stringer Caleb Evan's 59.3 completion percentage just can't replace Fajardo's league-best 77.5%.
Meanwhile, RB AJ Ouellette won't be suiting up for the Roughriders after missing practice and officially being ruled out with a hip injury. Clearly relied on often, the 29-year-old has a league-high 96 carries.
These two groups each showcase a stout defense though, sitting at the top of the CFL allowing 23 points or fewer. Considering that and the injuries, there's a recipe for the UNDER on Thursday night.
calgary stampeders vs ottawa redblacks Pick: stampeders -1.0 (-110)
Undefeated at home, the Redblacks (4-2 SU, 4-2 ATS) look to pick up their fourth-straight win at TD Place. However, all those wins have been decided by six-points or fewer. Fresh off ending the Lions five-game streak on Sunday, the Stampeders (3-3 SU, 5-1 ATS) will still be buzzing off the big win. Since coming off their Week 3 bye, Calgary is 2-2 SU with each win or loss being decided by four-points or fewer.
According to our CFL database, Ottawa has lost five-straight outings when hosting Calgary, with the UNDER hitting in each of those meetings. I'll bank on the Stamps continuing the trend of leaving a dampening, dark cloud at TD Place.
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winnipeg blue bombers vs Toronto argonauts Pick: argos -1.0 (-105)
Based on last week's losses, Toronto (3-3 SU, 2-4 ATS) and Winnipeg (2-5 SU, 1-6 ATS) each have some offensive woes to sort out. Starting signal-caller Cameron Dukes was forced to share the field with back-up Nick Arbuckle, who tossed the only passing touchdown in Saturday's upset defeat to Hamilton.
The Bombers continue to disappoint, earning a laughable nine points in Week 8 with Zach Collaros recording his seventh interception this season. Not to mention, the two-time Most Outstanding Player, has hit the endzone just twice this season.
With the Bombers making a league-high 14 turnovers and the Argos not too far behind with 12, I'm calling this game to be a disaster.
At least Toronto has some offensive capability thriving with RB Ka'Deem Carey (429 YDS, 3 TDS) and get the benefit of home field advantage. So, I'll cautiously side with the Argos at BMO Field this week.
hamilton tiger-cats vs edmonton elks Pick : ticats +3.5 (-112)
After taking a favored Edmonton (0-7 SU, 3-4 ATS) against the spread last week, I vowed that if they failed me I wouldn't continue to put my faith in them. Now, I'm forced to stick to my word.
Unlike the Elks, the Ticats (1-5 SU, 1-5 ATS) finally got in the win column last week after upsetting the Argos, 27-24. Bo Levi Mitchell played it smart, completing 20-of-29 tosses for 270 yards. James Butler, who's eyeing his third-straight 1,000-plus yard season, added another 50 rushing yards and a touchdown to his 2024 resume.
Though both groups are drowning at the bottom of the standings, at least we saw some hard-fought edge from Hamilton last week. I'll lay the points with them.