This article is part of our CFL Picks series.
CFL Betting: CFL Bets and Props for Week 16
We're back to a four-game CFL slate in Week 16, and we have two interesting two Saturday games to lock into with respect to betting opportunities.
The defending champion Alouettes are the only team to have clinched a postseason berth thus far, but Montreal is 0-1-1 over the last two and has a tough road matchup. Then, the red-hot Elks have found life under interim coach Jarious Jackson, and they'll aim to stack another win in their quest for a postseason spot when they host the Blue Bombers.
Read on for a look at which Week 16 CFL betting scenarios catch my eye on DraftKings Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook.
Montreal Alouettes at Ottawa Redblacks Best Bets (Saturday, Sept. 21, 3:00 p.m. ET)
The Alouettes have scuffled over the last two games, scoring only 42 total points on the way to the aforementioned loss (to the Lions) and tie (with the Stampeders). Montreal has benefited from strong defensive play throughout the season that has helped offset some of the imbalances of an offense that's averaging the second-fewest rushing yards per game (82.5).
The Redblacks have been one of the league's better teams in their own right this season, forging an 8-4-1 record that puts them just two games back of Montreal in the East Division. Ottawa has shown improvement on defense after getting throttled by a 47-21 score in Week 3, while the Alouettes haven't been quite as dominant offensively while maxing out at 33 points as a single-game high in all other subsequent games.
As alluded to earlier, the Als' defense is among the league's best, and the metrics supporting that ranking are plentiful. Montreal has surrendered the second-fewest points per game (22.2), the fewest offensive points per game (20.2) and is tied for the fewest offensive TDs allowed (23). The Als are also surrendering the fewest yards per play (5.98). Notably, Ottawa isn't far behind in many of those categories, including the latter, where the Redblacks are surrendering the third-fewest yards per play (6.28).
Part of the Als' struggles on offense recently have been due to some receiver injuries that will persist through this game, as Austin Mack (ankle) and Tyson Philpot (foot) are on the injured list. With it being late in the season and the second meeting between the teams, this is a game I can see being markedly lower scoring than the first meeting, hence my bet on the Under.
CFL Picks for Alouettes at Redblacks
- Under 50 points (-110 on DraftKings Sportsbook)
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Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Edmonton Elks (Saturday, Sept. 21, 7:00 p.m. ET)
The Blue Bombers continue their quest to completely claw out of any early-season hole, with Winnipeg now 7-6 after five straight victories. However, the Bombers have been playing matters very close of late, winning their last three games by a combined 10 points.
Meanwhile, the Elks have gone from doormat to doorbusters under interim head coach Jarious Jackson, who's led Edmonton to a 5-2 record since his promotion. Jackson actually has the Elks in the recently unfamiliar position of contending for a postseason spot, even though they remain one of the longer shots at 5-8. Nevertheless, the metric that most speaks to how much potential the team may have had just waiting to be unlocked is in their +42 point differential, which is completely in contrast to their season mark.
These two teams have not yet met in 2024, so there will be a certain element of unfamiliarity in the early portion of this game. The Bombers have arguably underachieved most of the season despite their now winning record, and as already alluded to, they've been living on the edge in their last three wins. Meanwhile, Jackson has clearly instilled substantial confidence in his charges, with the team already having succeeded with both McLeod Bethel-Thompson and Tre Ford at quarterback.
The dynamic Ford will return under center this week, and his elite rushing ability should help make up for the fact Edmonton will be down a key complementary back in Javon Leake (personal). The Elks are still well-stocked in the backfield as well, with Justin Rankin serving as an explosive option alongside lead back Kevin Brown. Veteran wideout Hergy Mayala is also out for Edmonton due to a calf injury. However, they have some solid depth in that regard, as Kurleigh Gittens, Tevin Jones, Eugene Lewis and Dillon Mitchell are still available to Ford.
CFL Picks for Blue Bombers vs Elks
- Elks Alt Spread +2.5 (-128 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
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CFL Week 16 Best Bets Recap
- Alouettes-Redblacks Under 50 points (-110 on DraftKings Sportsbook)
- Elks Alt Spread +2.5 (-128 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
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