The first week of action will be capped off by the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Edmonton Elks as the two squads get the spotlight to themselves on Sunday.

Edmonton hasn’t exactly been a good team to bet on at home as they’ve lost 17 straight games at Commonwealth Stadium. But it’s a new season and they have a newly-constructed roster, so can they turn the tide? They’re only a one-point home dog in this spot, so the oddsmakers think they have a decent shot. 

CFL Week 1 Odds and Betting

Dating back to last season, the Roughriders have failed to cover six straight and their last four games played on the road. When it comes to the total, the under has cashed in four of their past five games played on the road and four of their last five in Week 1 as well. 

On the other hand, the Elks are just 6-14 ATS in their last 20 games played during the month of June. As mentioned, home games have been an adventure for them. They are 17-36 ATS in their past 53 games when serving as the host. As for the total, the over has cashed in 10 of their last 14 games when going up against teams from the West. It’s also 7-2 in their last nine June games. 

Saskatchewan Roughriders

The Roughriders were just 6-12 last season and just one of two teams from the West (along with the Elks) to miss the playoffs. Certainly, they have a lot to work on and they’ve publicly stated that this is make or break season for them. Starting under center for them will be a new face as Trevor Harris will open things up. Harris is currently on his fifth CFL team but the veteran should bring quality and stability to the position. Cody Fajardo along with the other Roughriders quarterbacks combined for 20 touchdown passes and 18 interceptions last season; Harris had 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. 

Another notable change will be at offensive coordinator after Jason Moss departed. The team bungled the quarterback situation down the stretch last season and cost themselves a shot at a crossover playoff spot. Kelly Jeffrey will take over and now the question is how long until the team adjusts.

If the offense is better, as expected, the defense should again be strong. The unit was put in a lot of bad positions last season but still gave up just 476 points. 

Edmonton Elks

After finishing 4-14 a season ago, the Elks are hoping that their rebuilt roster can compete in 2023. It can’t really get much worse, right? This is a team that allowed the most points in the league a season ago and scored the fewest. However, in some ways, this was part of the plan. The coaching staff knew it would be a rebuilding year and they wanted to know who is going to be part of the future foundation.

Among their new additions come wideouts Eugene Lewis, Kyran Moore, and Steven Dunbar Jr. That looks like a pretty strong receiving corps. They also brought in defensive back Loucheiz Purifoy and offensive lineman Josiah St. John. Edmonton can definitely be expected to look a little different in this opening matchup as these new faces hope to figure it out quickly.

The question is the defense. This unit had the doors blown off many times last season and couldn’t stop anyone on the ground. Are they improved? That’s a big question mark. For now, we’ll have to be skeptical until we see it on the field.

CFL Prediction: Who Will Win Roughriders vs. Elks?