EveryEdge bettors kicked off the season with two winners and this week’s CFL picks start with Friday’s matchup between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Montreal Alouettes
Eastern CFL teams took a beating last week with all four losing to their Western counterparts
WEEK 2 CFL
WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS AT MONTREAL ALOUETTES
CFL Odds by Pinnacle: Alouettes -6.5, Over/Under 51.5
The Alouettes will look to regroup when they host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in CFL Friday night football betting. Early online action favors the home side at 60-percent and while some sportsbooks have moved CFL odds to -7, Pinnacle still offers value for chalk bettors at -6.5.
In 2011, Montreal led the league in scoring with 29.4 points per game but last week in Calgary, the offense looked lost scoring 10 first-half points and then getting shutout the rest of the way. Calgary shredded the defense for 38 points, 10 more than their season-average in 2011 and it’s up to new Als D-Co Jeff Reinbold to rally the troops for a better performance against the Bombers.
GAME PLANNER
The Als will try to take advantage of a Bomber offense that sputtered in a 33-16 loss against the BC Lions. QB Buck Pierce (Check status) completed three of nine pass attempts for 11 yards in the opener and left in the second quarter with a knee injury but appears to be getting the nod this week over second stringer Alex Brink.
Winnipeg’s offensive line was no match for the ferocious Lions pass rush and while the Blue are still expected to start a predominately inexperienced O-line, veteran tackle Glenn January is expected to return from injury which should give Pierce some additional time in the pocket. After netting just 30 yards from its two running backs, Winnipeg should also be able to lean more on the ground attack vs. the Als defense, who gave up 127 yards to the Stampeders.
CFL PICKS
Despite spending more than 35 minutes on the field, Winnipeg’s defense stood strong through more than three quarters last week and appears to have maintained some of that swagger from last season. Expect another strong performance from that group, keeping the Alouettes offense out of sync. Montreal is 13-20 against the spread (ATS) the past two years when favored and the dog looks tempting but our play is on the total. (golfland.com)
Pick: Take the Under
CFL Picks, last week: 2-0
Season record: 2-0
It’s not too late to enter the free EveryEdge CFL Handicapping Contest and win cash prizes from the top online sportsbooks in the industry. Read our 2012 CFL Previews for more information on all eight teams. Click East Division Preview or West Division Preview