Argonauts vs. Lions Prediction: CFL Week 17 Point Spread, Odds
The Toronto Argonauts will be desperate for a win to preserve their fading playoff hopes when they visit the BC Lions on Friday night in CFL Week 17 betting action at BC Place.
The Argos saw a three-game win streak halted by last week’s 21-19 loss to Montreal, and now enter Week 17 trailing the Alouettes by four points in the race for second place in the CFL East standings.
The BC Lions aim to win three in a row for the first time this season when they hit the gridiron on Friday night. The Lions rolled to a dominating 52-23 win in Calgary last weekend to pull to within two points of the Stampeders in the battle for second place in the CFL West.
The Lions have soared to 9.5-point favourites on the CFL Week 17 odds. The Argonauts trail as lengthy +380 CFL moneyline underdogs, and the total is listed at 56.5.
CFL Odds and Betting
The Argonauts powered to a decisive 52-34 victory when the Lions visited Toronto last month, and have now won and covered in five straight dates with the Lions. The Argos have been pegged as underdogs in each of their past four versus the Lions, and have seen three of their past four head-to-head victories come by double-digit margins. Overall, the Argonauts have emerged as a reliable bet when pegged as underdogs, going 6-3 ATS in their past nine including four outright victories.
The same cannot be said of the Lions, who have stumbled to a 3-3 straight up and ATS in six dates this season as home chalk. While BC has compiled a middling 4-4 SU record over its past eight games, they have regularly rewarded sports bettors backing the UNDER, which has paid out in each of those eight contests including each of their past four home contests. With an impressive 29.6 points scored per game, the Argos have also regularly engaged in high-scoring contests, with the OVER going 6-3-1 over their past 10 contests, with the total topping 60 on six occasions.
Toronto Argonauts
In addition to trailing the Alouettes by two points in the race for second place in the CFL East, the Argos also trail the Lions and Calgary by two points in the race for third place in the division. Indeed, a Toronto loss on Friday likely means that the Argos will have to overtake the Als, who hold the edge on tiebreakers, if they are to have a chance to defend their Grey Cup title.
While Chad Kelly remains sidelined, the Argos will get a lift from the return of Nick Arbuckle, who missed last week’s loss to Montreal with a calf injury. The hero of last year’s Grey Cup, Arbuckle has been the catalyst behind a high-powered Toronto offence, tossing for multiple scores in eight of his past nine appearances including a sensational 443-yard, three-TD performance in last month’s rout of the Lions at BMO Field.
BC Lions
Fresh off their highest scoring performance of the season, the Lions now sport the CFL’s best offence, which has scored at least 33 points in each of their past seven games. Nathan Rourke has provided the spark for that offensive explosion. The Lions pivot is coming off an epic performance in last week’s rout in Calgary, where he connected for 331 passing yards and two touchdowns and added 43 rushing yards and three scoring runs. Overall, Rourke has now topped 300 passing yards in six of seven outings while tossing for 12 TDs over that stretch, and has seen five of his seven scoring runs this season come in the past two games.
Given the Argos’ struggles to contain opposing offences, in the air and on the ground, Lions betting fans are likely in for another big night from the Victoria BC native, but he will have to get the job done without the aid of receiver Jevon Cottoy, who remains sidelined by an ankle injury.
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BC