2025 CFL Week 5 Betting Odds and Picks: Stampeders get their biggest test against Blue Bombers

With the first month of the 2025 CFL season officially in the books, it’s becoming clearer which teams are legit threats and which teams are just taking up space.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at Week 5 and make some picks.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Calgary Stampeders

After a surprisingly good start to the year, the 2-1 Calgary Stampeders get their toughest test yet in Week 5 when they host the undefeated Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

First things first, anyone hoping for a high flying shootout in this game will be disappointed as Winnipeg and Calgary are allowing the fewest points per game in the CFL this season. The game total is set at 50.5, a number the Stamps have surpassed just once this season.

One area Winnipeg can exploit this week is Calgary’s rush defence, which is allowing the second-most rushing yards per game in the CFL. Bombers rookie Matthew Peterson is having a great start to the year and last year’s Most Outstanding Player, Brady Oliveira, is set to return from injury.

This has the making of a reality check game for the Stampeders. Calgary’s two wins have come against an inconsistent Toronto team and a downright mediocre Hamilton squad. The Bombers should easily cover this number in a lower scoring game.

Pick: Winnipeg -3.5, Under 50.5

Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Toronto Argonauts

The East Division looks like it belongs to Montreal this season, so this week’s matchup between the 1-2 Tiger-Cats and 1-3 Argonauts is the first strike in the battle for second place.

Ironically, Hamilton’s lone win came against the Alouettes, but there’s an asterisk as it came against Montreal’s backup QB. On the other hand, Toronto could very well be winless right now if it wasn’t for a couple long rushing TDs from their defence and special teams against Ottawa.

Don’t count on either team leaning on their run-game, as the Argos are dead last in rushing offence and Hamilton is second-last. On the flip side, the Ti-Cats are averaging the most passing yards per game in the CFL and Toronto is fourth.

This game will come down to Hamilton’s league-leading passing attack versus Toronto’s pass defence, which ranks second in the CFL. I give the edge to Bo Levi Mitchell and the Ti-Cats. The Argos are still working out the kinks after replacing most of their defence in the off-season, so now’s the time to take advantage of them if you’re Hamilton.

Pick: Hamilton +1.5

BC Lions at Montreal Alouettes

While it’s been a rough start to the year for BC, it’s too early to write off the Lions and this week’s game in Montreal could very well be a Grey Cup preview.

It only took last week’s loss in Hamilton to realize how effective Davis Alexander has been for the Als. With Alexander out due to injury, McLeod Bethel-Thompson struggled to move the ball while making some major mistakes along the way.

The Lions are in a similar situation at quarterback right now, with Jeremiah Masoli taking over the reins for the injured Nathan Rourke. Masoli is coming off a game that saw him throw three interceptions and he already has six picks on the year with only two starts under his belt.

This game comes down to which quarterback you trust more. With Alexander likely still out this week for Montreal and Rourke a game-time decision for BC, I lean toward the Lions and taking the points.

Pick: BC +4.5

Ottawa RedBlacks at Edmonton Elks

It’s a battle of the two last place teams in each division on Sunday as the 0-3 Elks host the 1-3 RedBlacks.

Ottawa is in a terrible spot with Dustin Crum assuming QB1 duties in the absence of the injured Dru Brown. Crum has been great on the ground, recording a rushing TD in three of four games, but he’s been terrible in the air with just one passing TD on the season.

Edmonton is the CFL’s only remaining winless team and if they can’t get a home win against a bad Ottawa squad, they could remain winless for some time to come. There’s a little bit of optimism, however, as QB Tre Ford is coming off his best outing of the season.

Close your eyes and throw a dart at the board to pick this game because you can’t trust either team to show up. We’re sticking with the total for this game. Ottawa is the lowest scoring team in the CFL and Edmonton is the third-lowest scoring team, so don’t count on a shootout.

Pick: Under 52.5 points