This article is part of our CFL Picks series.
CFL Betting: CFL Bets and Parlays for Week 2
Week 2 has arrived, and I'm shining a light on both a Friday and Saturday game this week that include one emergency fill-in at QB and two high-powered offenses.
Read on for a look at which Week 2 CFL betting scenarios catch my eye on FanDuel Sportsbook.
Montreal Alouettes at Ottawa Redblacks Best Bets (Friday, June 13, 7:30 p.m. ET)
The start of the Davis Alexander era in Montreal was a successful one in Week 1, as the Alouettes ran over the defending champion Argonauts by a 28-10 score. The Als faced backup QB Nick Arbuckle in that contest, and they'll draw a No. 2 signal-caller for the second time in as many weeks to open the campaign in this Friday night matchup.
Given it's the prolific Dru Brown that Montreal is sidestepping, that's a significant development. Journeyman Matthew Shiltz, who spent the first four seasons of his CFL career in Montreal before moving on to Hamilton, Calgary and now Ottawa, will get the call under center for the Redblacks. Shiltz has proven competent for stretches in the past, but he completed just 54.8 percent of his passes in 10 appearances (two starts) for the Stampeders last season and has a career 21:20 TD:INT as a pro.
He'll work with a solid arsenal of skill-position weapons that should set him up for some success, as the likes of William Stanback, Justin Hardy, Eugene Lewis and Bralon Addison will all be at his disposal. However, he'll face what should be a capable Alouettes defense that picked off Arbuckle twice and sacked him three times in Week 1, with one of those resulting in a fumble that was returned for a TD.
Alexander proved capable of No. 1 QB duties in the opener and offered a nice rushing dimension in addition to his exploits through the air, which included a 73.1 percent completion rate. However, the fourth-year pro, whose most extensive action by far came last season over four fill-in starts, took three sacks and was picked off once, a sign his pocket and field awareness is likely still a work in progress to some degree. He ultimately led Montreal to 21 points, as the Als also scored a defensive TD.
Alexander will also be missing downfield threat Charleston Rambo (personal) for Friday's contest, and neither team will therefore be at full strength offensively. While each offense will put together its share of successful drives, I'm going to bank on the Als' defense in particular helping to suppress scoring for the second straight week against another team missing its top pivot.
CFL Picks for Alouettes at Redblacks
- Under 46.5 points (-114 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
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Saskatchewan Roughriders at Hamilton Tiger-Cats (Saturday, June 14, 7:00 p.m. ET)
We'll now shift to a game I have diametrically opposite offensive expectations for, one in which two savvy veteran quarterbacks in Trevor Harris and Bo Levi Mitchell will face off.
It was Harris who went toe-to-toe with the Redblacks' Brown in Week 1 and edged his team to a 31-26 victory with the help of 277 passing yards and a pair of touchdown tosses. Even with No. 1 running back A.J. Ouellette exiting early due to a head injury after a productive first three carries, Saskatchewan managed to compile a solid 366 yards of net offense, while Harris flashed impressive chemistry with Samuel Emilus (8-133-1) in particular.
The veteran signal-caller also has the luxury of several other familiar targets that include Mitchell Picton and KeeSean Johnson, and he'll have Ouellette, an outstanding pass-catching back, available this week after he cleared concussion protocol and was left off the injury report. Additionally, the injury to Ouellette and No. 2 back Thomas Bertrand-Hudon (groin) led the Riders to sign highly accomplished veteran Ka'Deem Carey earlier in the week, and he'll now operate alongside Ouellette on Saturday with Bertrand-Hudon ruled out.
The Tiger-Cats and Mitchell in particular got off to a slow start in the first half of the Week 1 loss to the Stampeders by only putting nine points up on the board. However, Mitchell eventually found his rhythm and finished with 304 passing yards and a touchdown, with the scoring toss going to newcomer Kenny Lawler, who also led the team in targets and receiving yards. Mitchell has an embarrassment of riches in his pass-catching corps, as Tim White, Shemar Bridges, Kiondre Smith and even RB Greg Bell are also highly reliable options.
Both of these defenses also looked very vulnerable in Week 1. The Riders gave up a 413-yard, two-touchdown performance to Brown, while the Tiger-Cats saw Vernon Adams Jr. and the Stamps roll up 428 total yards of net offense against them and allowed Calgary's Dedrick Mills to record three rushing touchdowns. The two units surrendered a combined total of 64 points, and I'm therefore in the camp of the Over hitting here in what could be a fascinating QB duel.
CFL Picks for Roughriders at Tiger-Cats
- Over 51.5 points (-105 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
- SGP: Bo Levi Mitchell 250+ passing yards and 2nd Half Over 24.5 points (+109 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
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CFL Week 2 Best Bets Recap
- Alouettes-Redblacks Under 46.5 points (-114 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Roughriders-Tiger-Cats Over 51.5 points (-105 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
- SGP: Bo Levi Mitchell 250+ passing yards and 2nd Half Over 24.5 points (+109 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
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