Tiger-Cats vs. Blue Bombers Prediction: CFL Week 17 Point Spread, Odds
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats aim to bolster their lead atop the CFL East standings with a fourth straight win when they visit the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Saturday afternoon in CFL Week 17 betting action at Princess Auto Stadium.
The Tiger-Cats hit the road for a pair of games sporting a four-point lead over second-place Hamilton after escaping with a narrow 29-27 victory over the visiting Edmonton Elks last weekend.
The Blue Bombers snapped a three-game slide with last week’s 26-18 win in Ottawa but have tallied consecutive wins just once since opening the campaign on torrid 3-0-0 run.
The Blue Bombers edge out Hamilton as 1.5-point home favourites on the CFL Week 17 odds. The Ti-Cats trail as +105 underdogs on the CFL moneyline and the total is listed at 51.5.
CFL Odds and Betting
The Ti-Cats rolled to a decisive 32-21 victory when the Blue Bombers visited Steeltown two weeks ago, but have managed to record just three wins in eight head-to-head dates including four straight defeats in Winnipeg.
Low scoring has been a recurring theme when these two teams meet, with the UNDER paying out in totals betting in 14 of their past 17 matchups, dating back to 2015. The trend towards the UNDER has continued in Hamilton’s recent contests. The UNDER has gone 7-3 in their past 10 contests. However, the total was pegged at 54 in eight of those outings, and the T-Cats have averaged over 28 points per game over that stretch.
The Bombers rebounded from their loss in Hamilton with last week’s 26-18 win in Ottawa, but have struggled to produce consistent results during a 4-7-0 run during which they have covered the spread just once in four home dates. However, they have fared well as small home chalk, going 7-2 SU and ATS in their past nine when favoured by three or fewer points.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
With a four-point lead over the second-place Alouettes entering Week 17, and with just four games remaining on the schedule, a win on Saturday will virtually assure the Ti-Cats of a playoff spot. And if this team is to punch their ticket this weekend, they will need another big outing from Bo Levi Mitchell. The veteran pivot is coming off a 311-yard, two-TD performance in last week’s win over the Elks and now leads the league with 4,194 passing yards and 28 touchdown passes.
However, Mitchell has struggled in each of his past two road appearances, versus Montreal and Saskatchewan, failing to find the end zone while compiling just 196 passing yards per game, and was limited to just 230 yards when the Bombers visited earlier this month. Accordingly, the betting value on the CFL player props is to be found on the -118 odds of Mitchell throwing for UNDER 306.5 yards.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Desperate for a win to keep pace with BC in the battle for third place in the CFL West and a possible crossover to third place in the CFL East, the Blue Bombers look to build on a dominant performance in last week’s victory over the RedBlacks.
In addition to halting a three-game slide in which they gave up almost 28 points per game, the Bombers limited Ottawa to just 57 total yards after the break until allowing a lengthy drive that produced a field goal in the dying minutes.
The challenge now will be to duplicate that effort at home, where they have allowed an average of 30 points over their past four appearances. The team should get a lift from the return of Zach Collaros, who missed the past two games with a head injury. Collaros received medical clearance on Friday morning, but with just five TD passes against four picks over his past four outings, the focus of the offence could shift to running back Brady Oliveira, who has topped 100 rushing yards in three of five appearances, and offers value as a -118 bet to compile OVER 70.5 rushing yards.
HAM
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