The Grey Cup favourite is in Ottawa for Friday Night Football. Saskatchewan has the shortest odds but there are five teams between +270 and +550 at Fanduel. The crowd at the top of the CFL Futures market reminds me of the old quarterback cliché: If you have more than one, you don’t have any. That said, a win for the Riders would go a long way towards solidifying their place as the frontrunner. But the same could have been said last week when they let the game slip away in Edmonton. The East-leading Ti-Cats laid an egg in Winnipeg. The Stamps are seemingly a shell of their former selves. All three of those teams are among the top four choices to win it all. Meanwhile, Montreal has a quarterback that can’t lose, and the Lions have the Maple Messiah. Nathan Rourke is the new favourite for MOP and hopefully you were reading when this column was highlighting his price to win the award at more than 10-to-1 odds in midsummer.

There’s one more number in the futures market that I keep coming back to before we turn to this week’s games. Of all the six teams in playoff position, the Bombers have the longest odds to win the Grey Cup at 13-1. Zach Collaros looked all the way back in last week’s blowout win. The defence has been underrated while having to make up for an ineffective offence much of the season. Let’s not forget the big game is in Winnipeg, and this veteran team has been building toward this moment for a long time. Now, I’m not making them my Grey Cup pick just yet. I’m saying they have as good a shot as some even though the odds indicate otherwise. The story writes itself. They’ve been to five straight Grey Cup finals, a sixth isn’t out of the question.

Saskatchewan Roughriders at Ottawa Redblacks

If the Redblacks were going to talk themselves into the idea that they’re still technically in it, and to gear up for last ditch playoff push after their bye, they abandoned that plan when they traded 2022 MODP Lorenzo Mauldin to the Stamps this week. Any belief that still existed in the room was probably packed up along with Mauldin’s locker. He led the CFL in pressures from 2022 through 2024 and is the franchise’s all-time leader in sacks with 32. There’s no fooling the rank and file that the brass is waving the white flag. Now they welcome the Riders. As I mentioned off the top, Saskatchewan has a lot to prove and should bring a snarl to the nations capital after letting a lead slip away late last week. Kian Schaffer-Baker’s return adds another weapon for Trevor Harris, who has a full arsenal at his disposal and likes to get everyone involved.

THE PICK: ROUGHRIDERS -5.5

PLAYER PROP: Justin Hardy Over 59.5 Receiving Yards

While the Riders’ offence is getting healthier, their defence is still missing key pieces in the secondary. But even if they were at full strength, Justin Hardy continues to be matchup-proof. He had over 100 yards in Dru Brown’s return to the lineup before the bye. He had over 100 yards with Dustin Crum under centre the week before. Hardy also had a season high 133 yards in week 1 against the Riders and is 120 yards shy of reaching 1,000 for a third straight year. Despite their inability to win games with regularity, the Redblacks consistently move the ball well through the air. Brown had over 400 passing yards in his week 16 return, and in week 1 against the Riders, both losses.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Toronto Argonauts

Time to freshen the litter. Last week’s 40-3 loss in Winnipeg left an odour. The Tabbies still lead the East but by just one game, and there’s no room for error with Davis Alexander back for the Als and still perfect as a starter in the CFL. Hamilton cornerback Jamal Peters is expected to return after missing last week’s loss, and his absence was exploited by the Bombers. Collaros led a barrage that hit before Hamilton could sound the sirens. Flush the film and start fresh for the stretch drive. Quickly though because the Argos aren’t exactly an easy out. They’ve covered the spread in four of their last five games and they won the only game in which they failed to cover the spread during that span. Toronto’s offensive line is banged up, and Nick Arbuckle is nursing a calf injury which compounds the protection issue. From afar, a 5-10 team should be a bigger underdog against the division leaders. But whether it’s scoring 35 points to upset the Ti-Cats on Labour Day or forcing Nathan Rourke to throw three picks last week, under Ryan Dinwiddie this Argos team finds a way. Recently, they’ve done it on defence, limiting Montreal and BC to an average of 24 points in their last two games. The Ti-Cats offence started the season on fire but has stalled somewhat, scoring 30 points in just one of its last four outings. As the leaves change, teams tend to tighten up. Despite the unseasonably warm weather, I don’t expect there to be as much scoring as a month ago.

THE PICK: UNDER 57.5 TOTAL POINTS

Calgary Stampeders at BC Lions

Acquiring Mauldin before the trade deadline addresses a glaring need for the Stamps. They haven’t won a game since Folarin Orimolade suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. They were third in the league with 26 sacks through 14 weeks, but they haven’t had a sack since. They’ve allowed an average of over 40 points against during their three-game losing streak. Obviously, something needed to be done to help this once-dominant defence with Nathan Rourke coming to town. He and the Lions put up 52 points the last time these teams played two weeks ago. With James Butler out for that game, Rourke also ran for 43 yards and three scores. That’s why any boost Mauldin might give the Stamps is likely to be mitigated by Rourke’s legs.

THE PICK: LIONS -3.5

RecordLast weekSeasonGame Picks1-230-22Player Props1-09-7Total2-239-29