This article is part of our CFL Picks series.
CFL Betting: CFL Bets and Props for Week 14
While the highly anticipated NFL Week 1 slate awaits Sunday and Monday night, the CFL has an action-packed Saturday in Week 14 that features three of the four games on the slate.
We have two intriguing matchups to focus on for our best bets, games that are rematches of Week 13 Labour Day clashes.
How does the dynamic change for the second game in six and five days between the teams?
Read on for a look at which Week 14 CFL betting scenarios catch my eye on DraftKings Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook.
Saskatchewan Roughriders at Winnipeg Blue Bombers Best Bets (Saturday, Sept. 7, 3:00 p.m. ET)
The Riders and Bombers faced off at Mosaic Stadium in a wild Week 13 matchup that ended with the Riders nearly pulling off a rally but falling short, 35-33. Zach Collaros left that game early with a neck injury, but he'll be available for the rematch six days later in Winnipeg.
When two teams face off in consecutive games, and do it on short rest to boot, there's always the chance for reduced scoring output. For one thing, there's certainly the familiarity factor, and there's only so many in-season pivots teams can make with their offensive and defensive schemes. Additionally, even though there are six days between games in this instance, those 24 hours short of a week's worth of rest and gameplanning do have more of an effect this late into the season.
The combined 68 points in the Week 13 battle was somewhat of an anomaly, given each team's defense certainly has talent. In fact, the Bombers, despite their 6-6 record, have conceded a West Division-low 253 points and second fewest in the CFL overall. Meanwhile, the Riders have been a bit more generous, but they're still surrendering a respectable 25.7 points per game overall, including the third-fewest offensive points per contest (23.7) and the third fewest offensive touchdowns (25).
Saskatchewan has also been the best team in the league at getting to the quarterback, recording a CFL-high 29 sacks. And, the Riders have also forced a league-high 34 turnovers, largely because of how frequently they've put quarterbacks under duress. The Bombers did well to allow only one sack of Collaros/Chris Streveler in Week 13, but that was firmly an outlier given how effective Saskatchewan's pass rush has typically been.
It's also worth noting one of the touchdowns scored in last week's shootout came a fumble-return TD on a punt return. Each team also was forced into two field goals apiece, and I believe fatigue and familiarity could conspire this week to make stalled drives an even more frequent occurrence.
Therefore, I like the Under on the DK Sportsbook total as a secondary pick, but I'm even more interested in utilizing an alternate total on FD that's a bit higher and then banking on Brady Oliveira, who was held to 42 yards on 12 carries in Week 13, once again having a tough day against a Riders defense surrendering a league-low 74.3 rushing yards per game at a CFL-low 4.5 yards per carry.
CFL Picks for Roughriders vs Blue Bombers
- SGP: Alt Total Under 50.5 points and Brady Oliveira Under 65.5 rushing yards (+183 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Under 48 points (-110 on DraftKings Sportsbook)
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Calgary Stampeders vs. Edmonton Elks (Saturday, Sept. 7, 7:00 p.m. ET)
Essentially the main themes that were just explored in the Roughriders-Blue Bombers matchup – the tricky proposition that is playing a team in back-to-back weeks and doing so with less prep time than usual – applies to this matchup as well, but even more so.
The Stampeders and Elks will be doing battle just five days after battling Monday afternoon in Calgary. That game saw Edmonton's surge under interim head coach Jarious Jackson continue with a 35-20 thumping of the Stampeders, a game in which the Elks tormented Jake Maier to the tune of four interceptions and a pair of sacks. That performance was bad enough to earn Maier a benching in favor of the quarterback that replaced him for the final drive, Logan Bonner.
Bonner will be making his first professional start after a solid college career at Arkansas State and Utah State. Bonner is notably only 6-foot, so there could be some issues with getting the ball consistent over the outstretched arms of the Elks' front. The young signal-caller will naturally also be trying to develop in-game chemistry with his receivers on the fly, never an ideal scenario.
The Elks would seemingly be in good shape to rack up some points, but there's a couple of caveats here as well. For one, veteran McLeod Bethel-Thompson, impressive as he was while racking up 486 passing yards and three touchdowns against the Stamps last week, has always been a bit turnover-prone, and facing the same defense with such a short turnaround may therefore not be the best recipe. That's admittedly speculative to a big extent, but Bethel-Thompson did toss eight picks in his first nine games of the campaign.
Tre Ford would be available to replace MBT if necessary, but if he were to enter the game, he'd be potentially dealing with some rust after last having played Week 10. Meanwhile, the Stamps' defense would undoubtedly be a unit at least partly motivated by last Monday's embarrassment and therefore highly unlikely to give up almost 500 passing yards yet again after having studied the film these past few days.
There are talented players on both offenses here, but the combination of factors described and a fairly elevated total put me in the camp of the Under.
CFL Picks for Stampeders vs Elks
- Under 51 points (-110 on DraftKings Sportsbook)
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CFL Week 14 Best Bets Recap
- SGP: Roughriders-Blue Bombers Alt Total Under 50.5 points and Brady Oliveira Under 65.5 rushing yards (+183 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Roughriders-Blue Bombers Under 48 points (-110 on DraftKings Sportsbook)
- Stampeders-Elks Under 51 points (-110 on DraftKings Sportsbook)
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