2025 CFL Week 15 Picks and Betting Odds: Lions head home looking for revenge against RedBlacks
We’e past Labour Day in the CFL and that means teams are starting to pull away or drop off when it comes to the playoff race.
Let’s break down the full slate of Week 15 games and look for some picks.
Don’t forget to check out our complete list of CFL game odds, CFL futures and CFL specials and props.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Week 15 kicks off in Hamilton on Friday night with the 7-5 Tiger-Cats hosting the 6-6 Blue Bombers.
Winnipeg enters this matchup banged up, with quarterback Zach Collaros out with a neck injury. That means Chris Streveler will get his third start of the season. Streveler has been fine, winning both his starts, but he hasn’t overwhelmed and he’s thrown more interceptions (eight) than touchdowns (five).
The Collaros injury impacts a Bombers offence that is already missing receiver Dalton Schoen for the year. That puts more pressure on running back Brady Oliveira to elevate, although he’s struggled to regain the form that saw him named last year’s Most Outstanding Player.
For the Ti-Cats, this week represents a chance to widen their lead atop the East Division standings. It all starts with quarterback Bo Levin Mitchell, who leads the CFL in touchdown passes (24) and ranks second in passing yards (3,653).
Hamilton could also use another dominant performance from running back Greg Bell, who torched Montreal for 156 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries last week. It was a career-high rushing performance for the 27-year-old, who also had 29 yards in the air.
There’s a significant gap in Hamilton’s fully functioning offence and the banged up Bombers. Give me the Ti-Cats at home.
Pick: Tiger-Cats -6.5
Ottawa RedBlacks at BC Lions
The late game on Friday is rematch in BC as the Lions look to avenge last week’s thrilling 34-33 loss at the hands of the Ottawa RedBlacks.
The Lions were once again let down by their defence in Week 14, a trend that has seen the team give up at least 33 points in five of their last six games. BC is allowing an average of 29.8 points per game for the season, the second-worst mark in the CFL.
The fact the Lions are still in a position to make the playoffs speaks to how good the trio of Nathan Rourke, James Butler and Keon Hatcher have been. Rourke is third in the CFL in both passing yards (3,296) and passing TDs (19), while Butler is the top rusher (945 yards, nine TDs) and Hatcher is the top receiver (1,073 yards).
The biggest question for Ottawa seemingly every week has been who will start under centre. That’s been answered this week as Dru Brown will return from injury, but he’ll be backing up Dustin Crum. It’s the third straight start for Crum, who is also looking for his third win in a row. He was great last week against BC, throwing for 301 yards and a touchdown, while adding another 69 yards and two TDs on the ground.
This is a huge number for a pair of teams that just saw each other last week. I like the Lions to win, but not by double-digit points.
Pick: RedBlacks +9.5
Edmonton Elks at Toronto Argonauts
Two teams that desperately need a win to stay in playoff contention meet in the first Saturday game, with the Argos hosting the Elks.
Despite Chad Kelly being added to the active roster, Nick Arbuckle will once again get the start for Toronto. Last year’s Grey Cup MVP is enjoying a career year, leading the CFL in passing yards (3,828) and sitting second in passing TDs (23).
Meanwhile, the Elks are coming off a massive win against provincial-rival Calgary last week, their fourth victory in their last five games. Justin Rankin went beast-mode, rushing for a ridiculous 204 yards and two TDs. Rankin is set for another big performance against a Toronto defence that allows 108.3 rushing yards per game, the second-worst number in the league.
These are two teams near the bottom of the standings that are each playing much better. However, the Argonauts have been too Jekyll and Hyde for me this year, so I’ll take Edmonton to cover as a road dog.
Pick: Elks +3.5
Montreal Alouettes at Saskatchewan Roughriders
Prior to the season, this looked like it could have been a Grey Cup preview, but injuries have decimated the Montreal Alouettes as they head to Saskatchewan to face the Roughriders.
The Riders reaffirmed their place as the best team in the CFL with back-to-back victories over Winnipeg, improving to 10-2 on the year. Quarterback Trevor Harris has been the catalyst, posting a league-best 112.2 efficiency rating while ranking top three in yards per game (286.6) and passing TDs (19).
Montreal’s season essentially tanked when starting QB Davis Alexander went down with injury. The Als are just 1-7 without Alexander, starting four different quarterbacks in that stretch. James Morgan will be back under centre in Week 15 after back-to-back starts in which he failed to exceed 200 passing yards in either game while posting a 1-3 TD-INT ratio.
Saskatchewan dominated in a 34-6 victory when these teams met in early August and I am expecting more of the same this week. Give me the Riders for another blowout win.
Pick: Roughriders -7.5
