Roughriders vs. Tiger-Cats Prediction: CFL Week 18 Point Spread, Odds
The Roughriders travel to Steeltown for Friday’s contest as losers in four straight, capped by last week’s lopsided 30-13 loss to Winnipeg, but maintain a four-point lead over Hamilton in their bid to claim a spot in the East Division playoff as a crossover. The Tiger-Cats enjoyed a bye last week after dropping a 23-16 decision to Montreal in Week 16, which marked their fourth loss in five outings. Hamilton has fallen out of the East Division playoff picture during its current slide, and currently sits six points back of the second-place Alouettes with just four games remaining on their schedule.
The Ti-Cats have improved to 2.5-point home favourites on the CFL Week 18 odds since opening at -2, and enjoy the support of a heavy 83 per cent majority of sports bettors. The total has held steady since opening at 49, with the UNDER attracting 62 per cent of the betting action.
CFL Odds and Betting
Friday night’s matchup at Tim Hortons Field marks the second and final meeting of the season between these teams. The Roughriders romped to a 30-13 win as 2.5-point chalk when the Ti-Cats visited Saskatchewan in Week 1. Overall, the Riders have taken eight of 10 from the Tiger-Cats, both straight up and against the spread. However, it is Hamilton that has won and covered in its two most recent head-to-head clashes on home turf.
Recent meetings between these teams have tended to be low-scoring affairs. The total has topped 43 just once in their past seven tilts, fuelling a steady run for the UNDER, which has paid out in five straight contests, and seven of eight overall.
Saskatchewan Roughriders
Things have gone from bad to worse for the Roughriders during their current slide. A bye week in the wake of their stunning 26-24 loss to the lowly Edmonton Elks provided little relief for the Riders, who were subsequently bounced from the West Division playoff race with last week’s defeat at the hands of the Blue Bombers. Overall, Saskatchewan has mustered an average of just 18.8 points per game during their current 0-4-0 run, and has seen its two road losses over that stretch come by an average margin of 27.5 points.
Cody Fajardo has particularly struggled over the past two games. While the Riders quarterback racked up a respectable 307 passing yards in last week’s loss, he has connected in the end zone just once over the past six quarters of action, and tossed for just two total touchdowns during the team’s four-game slide.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
After upsetting the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in a 48-31 win in Week 15, the Tiger-Cats reverted to more familiar form last time out. However, it was not like Hamilton did not have its chances. The Ti-Cats stormed to a 10-3 halftime lead in their Week 16 visit to Montreal, but saw their attack stall after halftime. Hamilton earned just two first downs over their first four possessions of the second half, providing the Alouettes with ample opportunity to rebound to a 23-16 win.
While Dane Evans emerged as the hero is in the team’s recent upset win over Winnipeg, connecting on five scoring passes, the Ti-Cats quarterback has otherwise struggled. Evans big night against the Bombers marks the only time over his past three appearances that he has found the end zone. That has added to the pressure on an already beleaguered Tiger-Cats rushing corps, which has averaged fewer than 52 yards per game over the past five contests.
SSK
HAM