Elks vs. RedBlacks Prediction: CFL Week 1 Point Spread, Odds
The RedBlacks return to action looking to flip the script after closing out 2025 with six straight losses, a 4-14-0 record, and a fourth-place finish in the CFL East. The Elks finished just six points out of playoff contention last season with a 7-11-0 record, but came up short in each of their final four road dates of the campaign.
The RedBlacks open their schedule as 2.5-point favourites on the CFL Week 1 odds. The Elks trail as +125 underdogs on the CFL moneyline and the total is listed at 51.5.
CFL Odds and Betting
The Elks swept last year’s season series with the RedBlacks, claiming a pair of victories including a decisive 30-20 win in Ottawa last August, ending a dismal 2-6-0 run in head-to-head action that included losses in three of their previous four visits to the Nation’s Capital. However, the Elks have enjoyed steady offensive performances in recent dates with RedBlacks, scoring 30+ points four times while averaging 29.4 points over that stretch. But with the RedBlacks scoring just 20 points in three of those contests, the OVER has gone just 3-2 in totals betting over that stretch, and just 6-14 over their past 20 clashes. The RedBlacks also struggled to score during their season-ending swoon, averaging just 18.5 points during their current six-game slide, and joining the Elks at the bottom of the league scoring.
Not surprisingly, expectations remain tempered as the new season kicks off. The RedBlacks lag well back of the favourites as a +1100 bet on the Grey Cup odds while the Elks follow as +1500 longshots.
Edmonton Elks
After scoring just five more total points than the bottom-feeding RedBlacks during the 2025 CFL season, the Elks are hoping that their offseason moves boost their offence. Cody Fajardo returns under centre after a somewhat disappointing debut in Edmonton last season, when he matches a career-worst with just 14 TD passes against seven picks and compiled 3408 passing yards. Kaion Julian-Grant emerged as Fajardo’s favourite target last season, compiling team highs with 820 receiving yards and seven scoring passes. But reports suggest that the Elks will give a pair of rookie receivers a chance to strut their stuff on Saturday, with Americans T.J. Luther and Joshua Cephus both listed with the first unit ahead of their CFL debuts.
Luther heads north after spending the past three seasons toiling on various NFL practice squads, while Cephus spent time on the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad after claiming First-team All-AAC honours in the final season of college ball with the UTSA Roadrunners. If the rookies falter, the Elks can fall back on Julian-Grant and recent addition Austin Mack, who battled injuries during a three-year stint in Montreal but flashed his potential while pulling in three catches for 59 yards and one touchdown in Edmonton’s 34-16 win over BC in the preseason.
Ottawa RedBlacks
The RedBlacks have nowhere to go but up after yet another dismal campaign in 2025 that left them outside the playoff picture for the fifth time in six seasons. That sparked a shakeup, with former Toronto Argonauts bench boss Ryan Dinwiddie taking over the head coaching reins from Bob Dyce.
Dinwiddie is also serving as the team’s general manager and offensive coordinator. Dinwiddie oversaw what emerged as an intriguing battle under centre during the preseason between incumbent Dru Brown and new addition Jake Maier, with the former Saskatchewan pivot claiming the starter’s role. Maier served as backup to Riders’ veteran passer Trevor Harris last season, and connected on 64.4% of his pass attempts for 17 yards and two TDs versus two picks. However, the 29-year-old also has experience as a start after leading the Calgary offence in the two previous seasons.
The Elks also added one of the CFL’s top receiving backs during the offseason. Greg Bell joins the club after spending his first two pro seasons in Hamilton, where he piled up 1038 receiving yards and five TD catches along 426 rushing yards and one scoring run last season.
EDM
OTT