CFL Week 6 Preview and Point-Spread Predictions

Last week there was a lot less upsets around the league. Week 5 saw a few blowouts and only one game that I would classify as close. The fireworks off the field after the week wrapped up might have been bigger than the games themselves. Kavis Reed got fired for being a cheater and Simoni Lawrence finally got his suspension handed to him and will sit out the next two games. I went 3-1 straight up and 3-1 against the spread last week to bring my record to 13-6 straight up and 12-7 against the spread this season, for the second time in 5 weeks Calgary losing blew a perfect week for me. This week there are not very many hard to predict games on paper but there are also large spreads attached to a few of them. Let’s take a look at week 6 in the CFL.

(0-4) Toronto Argonauts @ (2-2) Calgary Stampeders Thursday 9:00pm ET

Toronto scored their most points of the season last week in a 48-21 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, I guess you could call that a positive. McLeod Bethel-Thompson had a good game and Derel Walker broke out for the Argo’s catching nine passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns but the defence and special teams were suspect at best for the Argo’s all night long. This week they play a Stamps team that has been a bit confusing this season. They looked good against the Riders a couple of weeks ago but were just a little bit off against Hamilton last week and lost the game because of some dropped balls and bad special teams. This week I expect the Stamps to have much more success against a struggling Argonauts team.

Prediction: Stampeders win 33-21

(2-2) Ottawa Redblacks @ (4-0) Winnipeg Blue Bombers Friday 8:30pm ET

Ottawa has dropped two in a row and is now without their starting QB Dominique Davis due to injury. Jonathon Jennings will start for the Redblacks and I have never been high on him as a starting quarterback. He has the minimal ability in reading defences and I don’t think the offence is better off with him under centre. His defence is going to have to step it up for him this week if Ottawa has any shot. For Winnipeg, they just have to keep on truckin’. This team is the class of the CFL this season on all sides of the ball. Their ability to not make mistakes and make big plays when they matter has turned them into a powerhouse and I don’t see them picking up their first loss this week.

Prediction: Blue Bombers win 34-23

(3-1) Edmonton Eskimos @ (2-2) Montreal Alouettes Saturday 4:00pm ET

The Esk’s have looked awesome besides their one penalty-filled loss to Winnipeg this season. Trevor Harris is a monster under centre and the front seven on defence smells blood on every passing down. They truly have been fun to watch this season. They take on an Alouettes team that has looked very good the past two weeks against the top two teams in the East. It will be interesting to see if their hot streak continues against a West Division opponent. The key to this team is to feed William Stanback and air it out when they have to. Vernon Adams Jr. is coming off his best game in the CFL and the talk around Montreal is maybe they have finally found their first legit starter since Anthony Calvillo. I wouldn’t go that far but I will say he has played very well. I called this one the game of the week on my podcast and I think it will be tightly fought but Montreal’s winning streak ends at two games.

Prediction: Eskimos win 31-25

(1-4) B.C. Lions @ (1-3) Saskatchewan Roughriders Saturday 7:00pm ET

This is a huge game for both teams. The top three teams in the West seem to be just a little bit better than these two teams through the first quarter or so of the season. There is already playoff implications riding on this game and next week’s rematch. There are a huge four points up for grabs in the next two weeks. B.C. just can’t figure it out on the offensive line. Edmonton absolutely decimated them again last week and their defence hasn’t been great so far either. I like what John White has brought to the game in the running and passing game but they need more big plays. To do that Mike Reilly needs more time in the pocket. The Riders had a terrible game against Calgary two weeks ago at home and then hit a bye last week. They will definitely want to come out hot in such a meaningful game this week. Cody Fajardo needs a bounce-back game and the defence needs to put pressure on the Mike Reilly and learn how not to leave receivers wide open downfield. They do that and they win the game.

Prediction: Roughriders win 29-22

Point Spread Betting odds (betMGM)
Season record: 12-7, Last week: 3-1
Toronto @ Calgary: Take Calgary -11.5
Ottawa @ Winnipeg: Take Winnipeg -10
Edmonton @ Montreal: Take Edmonton -5
B.C. @ Saskatchewan: Take Saskatchewan -4.5
This week we will see if the Argo’s have any fight in them if Montreal can prove that they really are here to play, Jonathon Jennings can play the QB position at a professional level still and who the fourth-best team in the West really is. There are so many storylines to follow this week and I can’t wait for it to get started. Thanks for reading and remember to check out Squib Kick Radio Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts for more in-depth football coverage!