CFL 2023 Betting Advice: Week 1 Picks and Analysis

Article By Chris Wassel

Last Updated: 2024 Mar 14

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CFL 2023 Betting Advice: Week 1 Picks and Analysis

The Canadian Football League has been off for more than 6 ½ months, but on Thursday night, the 2023 season begins.

The British Columbia Lions open up against the Calgary Stampeders. Four games are on the opening week schedule, excluding the defending champion Toronto Argonauts. We look at how the best CFL betting sites have the odds and make our picks.

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CFL Betting Advice: Wagering Against The Spread!

It was a wild ride in 2022, but for Canadian Sports Bettors, it was all right. This weekend features one game each night. Can Hamilton topple Winnipeg? Can Montreal get off to a good start against Ottawa? Let’s find out.

Here is our Betting Table from last season.

Team	Straight Up	ATS	Over/Under
Winnipeg	15-3	11-7	9-9
BC	12-6	11-7	8-9-1
Calgary	12-6	9-8-1	11-7
Toronto	11-7	9-7-2	9-9
Montreal	9-9	10-7-1	10-8
Hamilton	8-10	7-11	10-8
Saskatchewan	6-12	7-11	8-9-1
Ottawa	4-14	8-10	8-10
Edmonton	4-14	7-11	11-7

With Week 1 rapidly approaching, let’s attempt to help those Ontario sports betting players get off on the right front in 2023. Here is the CFL Week 1 Schedule.

This Week’s Schedule with Moneylines (All Times Eastern)

British Columbia Lions 2.53 at Calgary Stampeders 1.54, Thursday, 9 p.m. ET
Hamilton Tiger-Cats 2.73 at Winnipeg Blue Bombers 1.48, Friday, 8:30 p.m. ET
Ottawa Redblacks 2.39 at Montreal Alouettes 1.60, Saturday, 7 p.m. ET
Saskatchewan Roughriders 1.76 at Edmonton Elks 2.09, Sunday, 7 p.m. ET

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The CFL Game of the Week

Hamilton Tiger-Cats 2.73 at Winnipeg Blue Bombers 1.48

This game is more pivotal for Hamilton than Winnipeg. Yes, Winnipeg wants to avenge what happened last November against Toronto. Its 2023 will be a mission to win the Grey Cup once again. Hamilton lost 10 of their its 14 games last year. That can't happen again.

Bo Levi Mitchell is the starting quarterback in Hamilton now. The 33-year-old was traded from Calgary last November. Is he healthy? That remains the most significant question and unknown. His release looked good in the preseason, as Mitchell got the ball out in about 2.3 seconds.

Hamilton struggled away from home with a 2-7 mark last year. Some attributed that to inexperience. One cannot say Mitchell and the Tiger-Cats are inexperienced. However, they are going up against one of the best teams at home in Winnipeg.

The Blue Bombers won 15 of 18 games overall last year. Some weeks saw Winnipeg win games it had no business winning. Other times, Zach Collaros, Brady Oliveira, and Dalton Schoen blew teams out of the building. Until the Collaros injury in the playoffs, Winnipeg was unstoppable.

So, the Blue Bombers and Tiger-Cats are playing in Week 1 at a sold-out Winnipeg stadium. Winnipeg wants to turn up the offensive heat yet play intense defense. Usually, offenses are a bit ahead, which makes this more daunting.

Expect Hamilton to keep things close but watch Winnipeg pull away in the fourth quarter. The Winnipeg Moneyline and the Blue Bombers -5 are ways to wager on Friday night.

Check out Gambling.com's CFL Season Picks!

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Crazy CFL Bet of the Week

Ottawa Redblacks 2.39 at Montreal Alouettes 1.60

Montreal would easily be a considerable favourite in this game, but with the possibility that Tyson Philpot is out, hesitation creeps in.

Montreal finished at .500 last year and was a mere 4-5 at home. Ottawa never did win at home but was 4-5 on the road. The Redblacks beat some teams few expected.

Inevitably, can Ottawa pull off a mild upset on Saturday night? Only Edmonton scored less on offense in 2022 than the Redblacks. However, Week 1’s can produce some strange results.

Let’s roll with the Ottawa Redblacks on the moneyline at 2.39. If one feels less comfortable, take a shot at the Under at 43.5 as another betting choice. Both teams could struggle to score.