The week picks back up on Friday with Winnipeg travelling to BC, and ends with a Saturday double-header starting out east with Montreal at Hamilton and later ending off with Saskatchewan at Calgary

Nik’s Picks is here for you to gain on edge on the lines throughout the 2021 CFL season.

Edmonton Elks at Ottawa Redblacks

CFL Odds and Point Spreads: Edmonton -7, Over/under 44.5

A pair of backup quarterbacks headline Tuesday night football in Ottawa as Taylor Cornelius and Caleb Evans get the starts for the Elks and Redblacks respectively. At 1-5, Ottawa’s lone win actually came against Edmonton way back in Week 1 but the score didn’t tell the story.

Edmonton literally handed Ottawa the game’s lone (and winning) touchdown and the Elks still came up a yard short — while recording 443 total yards to the Redblacks’ 127. Ottawa’s dead last in nearly every important team statistic, namely on offence. Now maybe Evans provides a spark in his first ever CFL game, but he’s up against a Noel Thorpe defence ranking first in passing yards against (211) and first in 30-plus-yard completions against (six).

Ottawa’s also giving up 110 yards of rushing a game, and James Wilder Jr. is the best running back west of Montreal right now. Sorry, things get uglier in Ottawa.

Edmonton 28 Ottawa 8

Best bet: Elks -6.5

Winnipeg Blue Bombers at BC Lions

CFL Odds and Point Spreads: Winnipeg -5, Over/under 42.5

The league’s best squad, the Blue Bombers, are getting healthier off a bye week ahead of another key test for Michael Reilly’s BC squad. The Lions looked solid at home last week before a last second loss to Saskatchewan, while Winnipeg’s riding a four-game win streak.

This matchup has a lot of “two best ____” within it. The two best quarterbacks currently in Reilly and Zach Collaros. The two best turnover ratios, including the two best teams at intercepting footballs. And the two best teams at scoring touchdowns.

For Winnipeg, Friday’s about containing BC’s two best receivers in Bryan Burnham and Lucky Whitehead — as both rank as top-five CFL pass-catchers. For the Leos, Winnipeg’s two best defensive ends in Willie Jefferson and Jackson Jeffcoat can disrupt an entire offence. They’ll need to game plan specifically around Winnipeg’s stud pass-rushers.

Monitor Andrew Harris’ status as the week goes on; if he’s in, roll with the blue and gold.

Winnipeg 22 BC 20

Best bet: BC +5

Montreal Alouettes at Hamilton Tiger-Cats

CFL Odds and Point Spreads: Hamilton -5, Over/under 47.5

The Alouettes are quickly falling behind in the East and it won’t get easier to make up ground when they visit Tim Hortons Field Saturday afternoon. The Ti-Cats are undefeated at home on the season, and are hoping to get some key guys back. Receiver Bralon Addison is one possible name — the star playmaker’s yet to play this season but may come off the six-game injured list.

In Montreal, Vernon Adams Jr. got banged up in a Week 8 loss at Toronto but still managed to have his offence put up 27 points. William Stanback is averaging 6.4 yards a pop on 97 carries, so expect the Als to rely on their beast. The Ti-Cats are solid against the run, but so are the Argos and look what happened last week (178 yards on 21 carries for Montreal). Hamilton’s health could change the outlook of this one, but Montreal is a good upset play for now.

Montreal 26 Hamilton 19

Best bet: Montreal moneyline

Saskatchewan Roughriders at Calgary Stampeders

CFL Odds and Point Spreads: Saskatchewan -2.5, Over/under 43.5

Saturday evening’s bout is approaching must-win territory for the 2-5 Stampeders who welcome the 5-2 Roughriders. Calgary’s best hope is a bye week allowed Bo Levi Mitchell to get right, because the two-time MOP’s been anything but himself this season. Mitchell’s thrown two touchdowns and seven interceptions in four starts and now faces a Saskatchewan secondary that punish quarterbacks who perform at low quality.

Saskatchewan’s finding a surprising identity through the ground too, leading the league in carries and possessing the league’s top run defence in total yards against and yards against per rush. Quarterback Cody Fajardo adds to their offensive running attack as a dual threat under centre, but Calgary’s currently ranked dead last in passing yards against per game.

It’s shaping up to be a pick your poison kind of game when it comes to defending Jason Maas’ offence, and going up against Saskatchewan’s defensive unit — which is why the Riders cruise.

Saskatchewan 30 Calgary 16

Best bet: Saskatchewan -2.5

2021 Nik’s Picks:

Best bet record: 16-14

Moneyline record: 15-15