This article is part of our CFL Picks series.
CFL Betting: CFL Bets and Props for Week 18
We have a three-game slate on tap this week and plenty of postseason spots up for grabs, upping the chances of another weekend of competitive matchups. We do have one game with a particularly large favorite and another that sets up well for some elevated scoring, guiding my decisions this week.
Read on for a look at which Week 18 CFL betting scenarios catch my eye on DraftKings Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook.
Calgary Stampeders at B.C. Lions Best Bets (Friday, Oct. 4, 10:00 p.m. ET)
The Stampeders are one of those aforementioned squads still in the running for a postseason spot, but they're the longest shot at 4-9-1. A loss in this game will eliminate Calgary, but the motivation they may have from that scenario is largely nullified by the Lions being able to clinch a postseason spot if they win and both the Tiger-Cats (which play in the first game of the night) and the Elks (Saturday game) both lose.
B.C. is also the better team top to bottom at the moment with Nathan Rourke at the helm, even with Alexander Hollins unavailable due to a shoulder injury. However, the Lions have made things unnecessarily difficult for themselves recently by losing seven of their last nine games. That stretch began with a narrow 25-24 loss to the Stampeders in Week 7, but four of the defeats, including that one, have been by single digits.
The Lions did hand Calgary a 26-17 loss in Week 2, with Vernon Adams serving as the quarterback in both games. Now, the Stamps will deal with Nathan Rourke, who's mostly been very effective after his delayed season debut by throwing for 1,363 yards and rushing for another 185 across his first six games, scoring nine total TDs along the way. Part of what helped Rourke is B.C.'s highly balanced attack, as William Stanback just sealed his third 1,000-yard season and is averaging 5.3 yards per carry.
Stanback is a key to my same-game parlay for this game recommended below, as he's facing a Stamps defense that's allowed a CFL-high 125.9 rushing yards per game at a whopping 6.6 yards per carry. Stanback has rushed for at least 70 yards on eight occasions this season and fell just short on another occasion with 69 rush yards against the Stamps in the aforementioned Week 2 win for B.C.
As mentioned earlier, the Lions have tended to make matters more difficult than necessary at times, so I'm in favor of lowering their 7.5-point spread by a full field goal to combine with Stanback's prop and still getting plus money on the price. With Calgary sporting an ugly -88 point differential on the season, the 4.5 points I'm utilizing on the alternate spread should suffice.
CFL Picks for Stampeders at Lions
- SGP: Lions Alt Spread -4.5 and William Stanback 70+ rushing yards (+109 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
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Saskatchewan Roughriders at Edmonton Elks (Saturday, Oct. 5, 7:00 p.m. ET)
This game is projected to be much closer by oddsmakers, with the line sitting at -2.5 in favor of the visiting Roughriders on both DK and FD. With the two squads capable of putting up plenty of points and gunning for postseason spots, I'm instead going to gravitate to what may be the more predictable bet in this spot – the Over.
The two teams first met in Week 1 this season, combining for 50 points in a 29-21 victory for Saskatchewan. The next meeting, in Week 9, was on another level offensively, as Edmonton scored a 42-31 victory at Mosaic Stadium that featured over 900 yards of combined net offense. That game was one of interim head coach Jarious Jackson's first as interim head coach for Edmonton and was notably played with Shea Patterson at QB for the Riders due to Trevor Harris' absence due to a knee injury.
Harris has been back for six games, and he's thrown for 287 yards on four occasions, including three tallies of 315 yards or greater. He's thrown for multiple scores in two of those contests as well, and the Riders have scored at least 24 points in four of those games. The Elks make for excellent targets for Harris and a talented group of pass catchers led by one-time NFL draft pick KeeSean Johnson, as they're allowing a league-high 393.4 yards of net offense, along with 28.3 points per game. Edmonton has also yielded a co-league-high 46 touchdowns.
The Roughriders have been stingier overall (25.3 PPG allowed) in large part because of their ability to apply elite pressure (35 sacks) and above-average ability to slow down the run (80.1 RYPG allowed). However, as already indicated Saskatchewan has given up a fair share of points to the Elks in two previous meetings, and Javon Leake, who recorded 169 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries in the second meeting with the Riders, could be back this week for Edmonton after a multi-game absence. Justin Rankin and Kevin Brown are starting-quality backs as well, so the Elks could well be at full strength.
Ultimately, with both squads sporting plenty of incentive and lots of offensive talent on the field, I envision an aggressive approach that will help the Over hit.
CFL Picks for Roughriders at Elks
- Over 50 points (-110 on DraftKings Sportsbook)
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CFL Week 18 Best Bets Recap
- SGP: Lions Alt Spread -4.5 and William Stanback 70+ rushing yards (+109 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Roughriders-Elks Over 50 points (-110 on DraftKings Sportsbook)
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