Following their second bye week of the season, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats will host the winless Edmonton Elks at Tim Hortons Field on Thursday night. The Ticats enter the game as a [metabet_core_dynamic_odds market=”spread-home” query=”531044″ site_id=”3downnation”]-point favourite.
These two teams met in Week 6 with the Ticats coming away with a 37-29 victory in a game that was not as close as the final score would indicate. The Tabbies held a double-digit lead late the fourth quarter before an Edmonton touchdown made it an eight-point margin of victory.
These two teams are both drastically different from the ones that met five weeks ago, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Both have new starting quarterbacks as Taylor Powell will make his third start for Hamilton, while Tre Ford will make his second straight start for Edmonton. One of them will find the win column for the first time this season as they are a combined 0-3 this year.
Both teams also have new play-callers as Jarious Jackson recently took over those duties in Edmonton from Stephen McAdoo, while Scott Milanovich will do the same in Hamilton this week, replacing Tommy Condell. The clubs each needed a change as they are the two lowest-scoring teams in the CFL after 10 weeks.
[metabet_core_odds_board query=”531044″ site_id=”3downnation”]
Both sides will see some reinforcements arrive for Thursday’s contest. Defensive lineman Dylan Wynn returns to the Tiger-Cats’ lineup after missing the last 14 games dating back to last season, while receiver Eugene Lewis will make his return for the Elks after missing the last six games.
The [metabet_core_dynamic_odds market=”spread-home” query=”531044″ site_id=”3downnation”] points the Tabbies are laying is a lot for a team that’s below .500 but what tips the scales in their favour is the fact that they’re well-rested. In 2023, CFL teams are 9-2 straight up and against the spread in the week following a bye. The Tiger-Cats are far from an elite team but it’s tough to ignore that trend. I like the home side to win outright and cover the spread.
At [metabet_core_dynamic_odds market=”overUnder” query=”531044″ site_id=”3downnation”], the over on total points seems like the play here as well. The Elks rebounded offensively last week, scoring 29 point against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, which is the same number they dropped on the Ticats back in Week 6. Hamilton also had their best offensive output against Edmonton in their previous meeting.
With both teams ranking at the bottom of the league in terms of points allowed per game, and the changes made on the offensive side of the ball over the past couple of weeks by both teams, I think this will be a surprisingly high-scoring affair.
Picks
Spread: Ticats [metabet_core_dynamic_odds market=”spread-home” query=”531044″ site_id=”3downnation”]
Moneyline: [metabet_core_dynamic_odds market=”moneyLine-home” query=”531044″ site_id=”3downnation”]
Total points: Over [metabet_core_dynamic_odds market=”overUnder” query=”531044″ site_id=”3downnation”]
