The 2025 CFL season begins with Week 1 action, with four games taking place between Thursday and Saturday. With major quarterback changes prompting questions about several offenses, there will be plenty of intrigue going into Week 1 play. Here, you can continue reading to get our CFL best bets for the first week of what should be a fun 2025 season.
CFL Best Bets For Week 1
CFL Best Bet #1: Roughriders -3.5 (-110) over Redblacks
First up, we will lay the points with the Saskatchewan Roughriders against the Ottawa Redblacks. Saskatchewan should take advantage of the struggles of Ottawa on the road, as the Redblacks enter today’s play with a 2-7 road record from last season.
CFL Best Bet #2: Argonauts vs Alouettes Under 47.5 (-110)
Quarterback changes will be a huge story in the Argos vs Alouettes matchup on Friday. Chad Kelly is still not ready to go for the Argos, while the Alouettes will be adjusting to moving Cody Fajardo in the offseason. As a result, we expect the under to come in as both teams get used to life with new signal-callers.
CFL Best Bet #3: Tiger-Cats -1 (-110) over Stampeders
On Saturday, expect the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to cover the spread as a slight favorite against the Calgary Stampeders. The Ti-Cats had one of the most prolific passers in the league last season in Bo Levi Mitchell. Look for Hamilton to get off to a strong start as they look to rebound from being one of the league’s biggest disappointments in 2024.
CFL Best Bet #4: Elks vs Lions Under 48.5 (-110)
Finally, we will take the under in the last game of the week between the Edmonton Elks and BC Lions. Vernon Adams is no longer the quarterback in BC, while Cody Fajardo is set to make his debut with the Elks. These teams should be explosive offensively later in the year, but we expect some growing pains here.
With over two decades of experience in sports betting, our team of CFL experts brings unmatched insight into every game of the season. From the opening kickoff to the season to the always-thrilling Grey Cup finale, we specialize in identifying top CFL betting opportunities, providing CFL expert picks, and analyzing the latest odds.
Our dedicated analysts not only track player performance and team dynamics but also leverage cutting-edge data analysis to ensure you’re equipped with the best information available. Whether you’re betting on regular season matchups or playoff showdowns, we guide you to smart wagers that maximize your value and minimize your risk.
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What Are the Best CFL Bets This Week?
Each week, our CFL handicappers look at the schedule of games and the betting lines for each week’s action. They use their proprietary betting strategies to come up with the best bets for each week of CFL contests. We then share those bets with you right here, including some of the reasoning that went into each of those picks, for some of the best CFL betting analysis on the market today.
Types of CFL Betting Picks
While the CFL is unique from the NFL, XFL, and College Football in many ways, the CFL is still a football league when all is said and done. That means bettors will see most of the same types of bets that they will see when betting on other football leagues.
CFL Spread Predictions
The point spread is king when betting on football, and that remains the case when betting on the CFL. CFL point spread odds will be available for every game during every week of the season, and they make up the majority of the picks that you will see when we recommend our best CFL bets of the week.
CFL Moneyline Picks
Moneyline betting can also be an effective way to bet on the CFL, as there is the chance for plenty of value when wagering on underdogs on the moneyline in this league. Football can be unpredictable even at the highest levels of the sport, and even more so when you are dealing with spring and summer leagues that do not feature NFL talent. As a result, you will regularly see moneyline plays featured throughout the CFL season.
CFL Over/Under Best Bets
The other betting market that we regularly target when giving out our CFL best bets is the over/under market. Here, bettors are wagering on the amount of scoring that will take place in a game, rather than which team will win or by how much. This bet type is ideal later in the season, after getting a better idea of how teams approach the game from a tempo and game planning perspective.
CFL Prop Bets
Unfortunately, prop bets can be hard to come by in the CFL, as they are not nearly as plentiful as they are in football leagues like the NFL. However, our team of CFL handicappers does make sure to keep their eyes peeled for opportunities to bet on CFL props, as rare as they may be at most sportsbooks.
How to Make CFL Predictions
There are so many components to successfully betting on any sport, and the CFL is no exception. Bettors should do all of the in-depth research on the CFL that they do before placing bets on any sport. But there are some specific nuances to CFL betting that can make it a little different than betting on football in other leagues, including the following key points of differentiation.
Understand the Differences From Other Football Leagues
It may go without saying to more experienced bettors, but new bettors should keep in mind that betting on the CFL is different from betting on other football leagues. There are several rules in the CFL that differ from leagues like the NFL and USFL. Those rule differences can really impact how games go, which means that bettors have to take them into account before placing any wagers.
For example, there are three downs to work with for offenses instead of four, while there is a one-point play in the CFL that does not exist elsewhere. These rules are the same for all teams, but simply being aware of them is key to avoid unnecessary mistakes when taking on the betting markets in Canadian football.
Offensive Efficiency Is Key
With offenses only having three downs to work with on each possession, offensive efficiency is even more valuable in the CFL than it is in the NFL. Bettors should take note of how teams perform on first down, and therefore what kind of distances they have to gain on second downs, which are the equivalent of third downs in most football leagues. Doing so can mean identifying advantages in the CFL betting marketplace.
Diving Deep Can Be Rewarded
Before betting on any sporting event, it is key to do a deep dive on the rosters and the statistics that those rosters have produced over the course of each season. But it is especially important to do so in the CFL, where teams may not have had as much time to play together as they do in leagues like the NFL where roster continuity is more attainable. Finding matchup advantages and disadvantages by simply developing knowledge of who is on each team and how they operate can provide an edge in a marketplace that bookmakers are not prioritizing.
More Than Just CFL Betting Picks
At ATS.io, we have picks for all of the major sports and leagues, well beyond the action that is on the docket in the CFL on a weekly basis. Just click on the links below to get our best bets across a number of sports, from the mainstream offerings to niche sports and leagues.
