The wait is finally over, and the 2026 CFL season starts Thursday. There are three games this week, with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Calgary Stampeders and Ottawa Redblacks all playing their home openers.
Here are our three best bets for Week 1 of the 2026 CFL season.
CFL Best Bets - Week 1
Montreal Alouettes vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats: Bo Levi Mitchell under 293.5 passing yards, -112
Mitchell led the CFL in passing during the 2026 season, completing 68.4 percent of his passes for 5,296 yards (edging Nathan Rourke by a mere six yards) with a 36:11 TD:INT across 18 appearances. The Tiger-Cats have Grey Cup aspirations for 2026 and will be at home, so Mitchell will have extra motivation to open the season on a strong note. However, he won't have an easy matchup in this season opener, as he'll be facing a Montreal defense that allowed a league-best 238.8 passing yards per game last season. Considering that the Alouettes returned most of their starters on defense for this new season, and that the first games of the season tend to see teams adjusting to new pieces on both sides of the ball, don't be surprised if Mitchell fails to hit this line. He will have a tough matchup in front of him.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers vs. Calgary Stampeders: Brady Oliveira under 71.5 rushing yards, -114
Oliveira is widely considered one of the best rushing threats in the CFL, and he's a lock first-round pick in most formats. However, he's not expected to have the easiest matchup in this season opener Friday on the road against the Stampeders. Calgary allowed the fourth-fewest rushing yards in 2025 with 101.2 per game, and Oliveira is a known slow starter. He averaged just 77.5 rushing yards per contest last season. The star tailback didn't reach the mark of 70 rushing yards until Week 4 in 2025, and he didn't repeat that feat until Week 8. While Oliveira should continue to have a prominent role on offense for the Blue Bombers, it wouldn't be surprising if he hits the under in this opener.
Edmonton Elks vs. Ottawa Redblacks: Redblacks -2.5, -120
The Elks finished the 2025 CFL season in the middle of the pack in points allowed (fifth, 27.2), but the defense allowed a league-worst 7,028 total yards across 18 games, averaging 390.4 per contest. The Redblacks have the edge of playing at home in this season opener, and while they averaged a league-worst 23.2 points per game in 2025, they have an excellent backfield pairing, with Greg Bell operating as the RB1 and Daniel Adeboboye as the change-of-pace back. The Redblacks also have a clear edge at quarterback, and that should be enough to see them win this game, albeit it won't be a blowout by any means.
