Argonauts vs. Alouettes Prediction: CFL Week 1 Point Spread, Odds
Week 1 of the CFL season gives us a battle of the last two Grey Cup champions for Friday Night Football as the Argonauts begin their title defence in Montreal.
The Alouettes are 4.5-point favourites to win on the CFL odds, with the total pegged at 47.5.
CFL Odds and Betting
Toronto won three of four meetings between these teams last year, including a tight 30-28 victory in the East Finals. That game is actually impacting this season as Argos quarterback Chad Kelly suffered a serious broken leg and will miss the start of the year.
Even with the Kelly injury, Toronto begins the season as a +325 favourite to repeat as Grey Cup champions on the CFL futures board. As such, it’s no surprise to see they are +185 favourites to win the East Division. The Argos’ regular season win total is set at 10.5, a number they surpassed in two of the last three years.
Montreal comes in right behind Toronto on the odds board at +425 to win the Grey Cup and +250 to win the East Division. The Alouettes’ win total is also 10.5, which they have finished above in each of the last two years.
It’s a bit surprising because he’s starting the year injured, but Kelly is a +450 favourite to be named Most Outstanding Player this season. I personally like BC’s Nathan Rourke at +700 to win MOP.
Toronto Argonauts
Nick Arbuckle will hold quarterback reins in the absence of Chad Kelly, but that should suit the Argonauts just fine. Arbuckle threw for 252 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in place of Kelly at last year’s Grey Cup and was named MVP of the game. Janarion Grant, last year’s Most Outstanding Special Teams Player, is also ruled out of Week 1 with an ankle injury.
This Toronto team will look very different on defence as Jake Ceresna, DaShaun Amos, Jared Brinkman, Royce Metchie and Robbie Smith all left in free agency, while Folarin Orimolade was traded to Calgary and Ralph Holley is with the Cleveland Browns. The defensive unit will rely on all-star linebacker Wynton McManis and newly acquired linebacker Cam Judge.
Montreal Alouettes
There were a lot of experts who predicted Montreal would repeat as Grey Cup champions last year, but six turnovers in the East Final effectively ended their season. The Als shook up the roster in the off-season, making Davis Alexander QB1 and trading Cody Fajardo to Edmonton. Alexander went 4-0 when Fajardo was injured last year, but the 26-year-old is still unproven as a clear-cut starter in the CFL.
Alexander will have a lot of talent to target, including Tyson Philpot, Austin Mack, Charleston Rambo, Cole Spieker and Tyler Snead. In a bit of a surprising move, Montreal cut veteran running back Walter Fletcher after he combined for over 1,400 yards rushing and receiving last year. The main concern, however, is a weak offensive line that allowed Alexander to be sacked multiple times in the pre-season.
TOR
MTL