Stampeders vs. Lions Prediction: CFL Week 18 Point Spread, Odds
Sole possession of second place in the CFL West will be on the line on Saturday night, when the BC Lions host the Calgary Stampeders in Week 18 betting action.
The Lions have clawed their way into the playoff race with three straight wins, capped by last week’s 27-22 victory over Toronto, and enter this weekend’s action knotted in a three-way tie for second place with Calgary and Winnipeg.
The Stampeders are coming off a third straight lopsided defeat, a 38-20 loss in Montreal, but maintain a game in hand on both the Blue Bombers and Lions.
The Lions lead the way as 3.5-point favourites on the CFL Week 18 odds. The Stampeders trail as +165 CFL moneyline underdogs, and the total is listed at 55.5.
CFL Odds and Betting
The Lions rolled to a dominating 52-23 victory when they visited Calgary two weeks ago and have now topped the Stamps in nine of 12 meetings since 2021. BC has also covered the spread in each of its victories during its current 9-3-0 head-to-head run but has gone just 5-2-0 SU on home turf over that stretch.
The total has gone UNDER 50 in three of the past four clashes between these teams, fuelling a 3-1 run for the UNDER in totals betting. Overall, the Lions currently ride a three-game SU win streak, with each of those victories coming against CFL East opponents, but has claimed just one win in three home dates this season with divisional rivals.
The Stampeders have fallen flat during their three-game slide, falling to defeat by an average margin of 19.7 points per game while surrendering an average of 40.3 points over that stretch. Overall, the Stamps have dropped five of their past eight contests while going just 2-6 ATS and have scored an average of just 16.7 points per game while losing three straight on the road.
Calgary Stampeders
The Stampeders find themselves in a battle for their playoff lives after suffering three straight defeats, during which they have scored an average of just 20.7 points. An injury to Vernon Adams Jr. in the squad’s Week 16 date with the Lions has not helped matters. The Stampeders pivot has not missed any time, but his production has dropped off considerably over the past four weeks.
With last week’s 238-yard, one-TD performance, Adams has now averaged just 188.5 passing yards over the past four games while connecting on just two scoring passes against three picks. That includes a dismal 125-yard outing that featured two interceptions before getting injured in the squad’s loss to the Lions two weeks ago. Running back Dedrick Mills is coming off a solid performance in Montreal, where he ran for 81 yards.
BC Lions
The Lions overcame a slow start to extend their win streak with last week’s 27-22 home victory over the Argos. But it was not the most memorable performance for quarterback Nathan Rourke, who tossed for 235 yards and one score, but also threw three picks before halftime in the contest.
That ended an impressive two-game run for the Victoria BC native, who completed 82 per cent of pass attempts for 639 total yards, three scores, and no picks during the first two games of the Lions’ win streak.
However, running back James Butler filled the void with another steady performance, running for 72 yards, and has now averaged 79.6 rushing yards over his past seven outings.
CGY
BC