The teams from the West return from their off week while the East enjoys their bye. Saskatchewan travels to Edmonton for one contest while Calgary heads to BC for a Friday tilt.
The Over/Under record on the season is 34-26-0 for 56%, and you will have noticed in the Stampeders vs. Lions game the bookmakers have made their adjustments which will discourage the public from betting the Over in this matchup. However, it’s been an explosive season for the offenses and it might take a few more weeks to get those Under tickets to start cashing.
Saskatchewan (55½) at Edmonton (-3)
Thursday, Aug 21, 9:00 p.m. (ET)
The Roughriders and Eskimos are both coming off a bye week; therefore, both teams will be eager to get rolling this Thursday at Commonwealth Stadium. Edmonton is anticipating a crowd of 48,000-50,000, as 43,000 tickets have already been sold to Thursday’s tilt vs. the top draw in the league, Saskatchewan.
Lady Luck finally ran out on the Roughriders prior to the bye as they fell 30-25 to the Calgary Stampeders and will have another tough time this week in Edmonton where they are only 5-16 SU at Commonwealth Stadium since 1996. In fact, the Riders are only 3-13 SU on the road vs. division opponents when the total is 54½ or higher. Plus, Saskatchewan has been hit with a ton of leg injuries this season, but they’ve still managed to average 29.86 points per game while their stingy defense allows only 23.29 points.
QB Ricky Ray is looking like the old Ricky Ray before he left for the NFL and has found new favorite receivers in Kelly Campbell and Fred Stamps. Furthermore, Edmonton is in a great betting spot this week; they are 11-2 SU as a home favorite in August before a division game on deck. The Eskimos, who lost a 40-34 nail-bitter in BC two weeks ago, might get caught looking ahead to next week as they have their biggest regular season game of the year on deck, the big Labor Day Classic with the Stampeders at McMahon Stadium.
As for the Roughriders, they face the Blue Bombers next Sunday on August 31. This is a grea way to kick off Week 9!
Roughriders vs. Eskimos History: The Saskatchewan Roughriders are 9-9-3 (ATS), 5-16 (SU) and the O/U is 9-12-0 vs. the Eskimos in Edmonton since 1996.
ATSCalculator.com Forecast: The ATS Calculator has Saskatchewan winning by 3.25 points and the O/U to land on 54.49 points.
ATSDatabase.com Stat of the Game: When Edmonton plays at home team as a favorite after allowing 40 points or more their previous game, the Eskimos are 7-3 SU in this role since ’96.
Calgary (58) at BC (-3)
Friday, Aug 22, 10:30 p.m. (ET)
Great Wendy’s Friday night matchup this week on TSN in Canada as the Calgary Stampeders travel to BC Place in Vancouver to face the Lions. The Stamps and Lions are both coming off their bye weeks, and it’s a dangerous spot for both teams as both are coming off big wins prior to their week off.
Calgary won as a road underdog in Saskatchewan, 30-25, while the Lions went to 4-3 on the season beating the Edmonton Eskimos who were enjoying a two-game winning streak at the time. In fact, prior to their tilt with the Leo’s, Edmonton was unbeaten ATS in their last five games.
Calgary has a great offense with Henry Burris as their field general. Keep in mind Dave Dickenson is returning as a backup in BC since leaving the team in the offseason, so there’s always a chance Dickenson can come into the game and give the Stamps a shot in the arm if needed. The Stamps are averaging 29.14 points per game, while their defense has been the main surprise, giving up only 23.71 per game. However, the Stamps are in a bad betting spot; they are only 2-10 SU as a road underdog vs. a division foe when the total is 54½ or higher. Plus, don’t forget the big Labor Day classic on deck for Calgary, as they have the Eskimos in Week 10 in the nationally televised game where the whole country is paying attention to this main event.
As for the Lions, they have seen their last three games go over the posted total, and that’s why you’ve seen the linesmakers have made their adjustments with a high total for this contest. During the last three seasons, it seems Wally Buono’s teams kicks it up a notch after Week 8, as they are 13-3 SU as a home team during the month of August between Weeks 8-12. To dig a bit deeper into this statistic, the BC Lions are 10-1-1 SU the last three years during Week 8 to 12, so look for the Leo’s to maybe stick to this trend. The warning shot for the Lions is their next game, as they might be looking ahead subconsciously with the surging Montreal Alouettes on deck who are making some noise now in the Eastern Division.
Stampeders vs. Lions History: The Calgary Stampeders are 9-8-1 (ATS), 5-13 SU and the O/U is 8-10-0 vs. the Lions at BC Place since 1996.
ATSCalculator.com Forecast: The ATS Calculator has Calgary winning by 3.89 points and the O/U to land on 56.12 points.
ATSDatabase.com Stat of the Game: When any CFL team plays on the road as an underdog, on Friday, the total is 54½ and they are coming off an ATS win, the Under is 12-3-1 in this situation since 1996.
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