It's Thanksgiving weekend in Canada and we can be thankful for three days of football as we head into Week 19.
We went 3-2 last week, so let's get to the main course this week and find the winners.
Toronto Argonauts at Saskatchewan Roughriders – Friday, October 10, 9:00 pm ET.
It may not be Toronto's biggest game of the weekend, but it is still important as the Riders look to secure first place in the West Division.
The Argos made five changes to their starting lineup. after being ruled out of last week's playoff game. Jarrett Dodge will start at quarterback in place of Nick Arbuckle and look to improve on his four interceptions against Steeltown.
Saskatchewan bounced back last week with a 20-13 win over Ottawa, but they have struggled lately as they lost their previous two games.
However, with all of their weapons now back in the lineup, this could be the right place for their offense as they take on a Toronto defense that has given up the most points per game in the CFL this season.
Toronto has scored 30-plus points in exactly half of its 16 games this year, including a 39-33 Week 3 loss to the Riders. Many of those 30-plus exits came early in the season, but they struggled against Hamilton last week, with East Division leader Tabbies scoring 47 points.
The spread for this game is 10.5, which is too much for a Riders team that has won by double digits only three times this season. With that said, they're going to use this as an opportunity to get back on track offensively, and I don't see the Argos putting up much resistance there.
PICK: Team Saskatchewan, total OVER 30.5.
Calgary Stampeders vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats – Saturday, October 11, 3:00 pm ET.
Bo Levi Mitchell will look to add to his former team's woes as his Tigercats host the Stampeders.
Calgary spent most of the season looking like a dominant threat, but four straight losses dropped the team to third place in the West Division. Meanwhile, Hamilton straightened out the scoring against Toronto last week with a 47-29 win.
With this 47-point performance, Hamilton now ranks second in the league in points per game, while Calgary is still tied for second in fewest points allowed per game despite their recent offensive run.
Any season statistic that paints Calgary's defense in a positive light is largely a testament to how dominant they were to start the year. The Reds have given up more than 30 points in each of their last four games, including last week's rout at the hands of the Lions. During the team's four-game losing streak, they are scoring nearly 40 points per game.
The team hopes acquisition of Lorenzo Mauldin IV may eventually stop the bleeding, but this Hamilton offense is difficult to deal with when things aren't going well.
Mitchell retained some of his best performances for his former team. I don't expect things to change here as he looks to add to Calgary's problems.
PICK: Hamilton -3, Hamilton's team total OVER 29.5.
