Free CFL Picks Week 8 from Expert Canadian Football Handicapper

by Raphael Esparza - 8/9/2017

The current disparity in talent between the CFL's West Division and the East has been a goldmine for sports bettors this season. While Calgary easily covered against Toronto in last week's inter-division 41-24 romp, I cashed in my winning pick on the "over" 54.5 points in that game.

I have found another inter-division matchup on this week's slate that fits the bill perfectly for my Doc's Sports free CFL pick of the week.

CFL Week 8 Betting Overview

Toronto will try and pick up the pieces from last week's loss in this Friday's game against Montreal in a 7:30 p.m. (ET) start at Percival-Molson Stadium. The betting line on this East Division rivalry remains off the board due to the uncertain playing status of Argonauts' starting quarterback Ricky Ray.

Even if he can go, it could still be rough sledding for a Toronto team that is 2-4 both straight-up and against the spread in the last six meetings. This season the Argonauts are 3-4 SU with a 2-5 record ATS, while the Alouettes come in at 2-4 SU and 3-3 ATS.

Saturday night in the CFL, the 4-2 (SU and ATS) Winnipeg Blue Bombers will look to light up the scoreboard at Tim Hortons Field in a 7:30 p.m. start against the winless Hamilton Tiger-Cats as slight 1.5-point road favorites. The total for this game has been set at 59.5.

Hamilton has lost its first six games SU (2-4 ATS) by a combined 116 points, with the total going over in five of those losses. The total has gone over in Winnipeg's last five games behind an offense that is averaging 33.8 points per game trying to keep pace with a defense that is allowing 34.8 PPG.

Week 8 wraps things up on Sunday night in an 8 p.m. kickoff from Mosaic Stadium in a West Division tilt between the British Columbia Lions and the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The Lions are 5-2 SU (4-3 ATS) on the year, and they have been listed as slight 1.5-point road favorites against the 2-4 SU (3-3 ATS) Roughriders with the total for the game set at 54.5 points.

BC brings a five-game winning streak against Saskatchewan into Sunday's contest both SU and ATS, including a 30-15 victory last Saturday as a seven-point home favorite in the first game of this home-and-home series The total stayed under 55.5 points in that win, and it has stayed under in nine of the last 10 meetings at Mosaic Stadium.

CFL Free Pick of the Week: Edmonton Eskimos at Ottawa RedBlacks

Edmonton has quickly established itself as the team to beat in the CFL this season with a perfect SU 6-0 start. The Eskimos have been a bit less successful ATS at 2-4, and they come into Thursday night's inter-division clash as two-point road favorites against the 1-5-1 SU Ottawa RedBlacks. The total line for this 7:30 p.m. start from TD Place Stadium has been set at 55.5 points.

With Mike Reilly leading Edmonton's offense at quarterback, this unit is averaging 29.5 PPG. He is fourth in the league in passing yards with 1,945 in just six games, but even more impressive is a completion rate of 73 percent on his 211 passing attempts. He has now tossed seven touchdowns in his last three games. Edmonton also boasts one of the stingiest defenses in the CFL with a points-allowed average of 24.8.

Ottawa's early defense of last season's Grey Cup title has not gone as planned, but part of this slow start can be attributed a brutal schedule that started with a home-and-home series against Calgary and an early road game against the Eskimos. The RedBlacks hung tight to cover in all three of those contests as underdogs as part of a 5-2 record ATS, but the actual losses on the field are starting to take their toll.

Edmonton won that first meeting 23-21 back on July 14 as a three-point home favorite, but it continues to get better and better with each game it plays. It has won four of its last five road games SU and I am rather surprised that the spread this time around has held steady at two points. Ottawa may be able to boost its record in some upcoming division games, but I do not see the RedBlacks stopping their current SU slide on Thursday night or covering those two points at home.

Click here to visit Raphael Esparza's Insider's Page at Doc's Sports for more information on his amazingly-profitable sports handicapping picks. Also, get $60 worth of Esparza's member's picks absolutely free - no obligation, no sales people - you don't even have to enter credit card information. You can use this $60 credit for any sport Esparza handicaps. Click here for $60 worth of free picks from Raphael Esparza .

Start:	December 5, 2024 @ 8:15 PM
Expert:	Vernon Croy
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Free CFL Picks Week 8 from Expert Canadian Football Handicapper

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