The Edmonton Elks (0-1) and the BC Lions (1-0) battle Saturday at BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network/CFL+). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Elks vs. Lions odds, and make our expert CFL picks and predictions.
The Elks were on the short end of a 17-13 home loss against the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Week 1. Edmonton was gouged for 135 rushing yards, or 5.9 yards per attempt, while it was bottled up for just 73 yards of its own on the ground. Edmonton’s O-line was also penetrated for 5 sacks.
The Lions had a much more joyous opening weekend, posting a 25-15 win on the road against the Calgary Stampeders. BC posted 123 yards on the ground, good for 5.1 yards per tote, and it had 3 sacks, so Edmonton might expect more of the same.
— Stats from the CFL official website
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Elks at Lions odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:22 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Elks +220 (bet $100 to win $220) | Lions -275 (bet $275 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Elks +7 (-110) | Lions -7 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 46 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Elks at Lions key injuries
Elks
- None
Lions
- WR Lucky Whitehead (hamstring) out
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Elks at Lions picks and predictions
Prediction
Lions 26, Elks 13
Moneyline
BC Lions (-275) are way too expensive to play straight up, costing you nearly 3 times your potential return.
The Lions should dominate this Week 2 battle, but look to the spread instead.
PASS.
Against the spread
BC LIONS -7 (-110) is a strong play, although I’d feel even more confident if this somehow slipped to 6.5.
Even without Whitehead, the speedy wideout, the Lions have more than enough offensive weapons. Dual-threat QB Vernon Adams Jr. passed for 270 yards and 2 TDs, while running for 35 yards and another score last week in Calgary. And RB Taquan Mizzell (12-81-0) is also a force out of the backfield, with WR Dominique Rhymes (8-100-2) the big play man downfield.
Edmonton +7 (-110) will have its hands full trying to slow BC, and it likely won’t do a very good job of it. The Elks have the makings of one of the worst teams in the league, while the Lions could be fighting for the Grey Cup come November.
Over/Under
UNDER 46 (-110) is a strong play in this West Division battle.
The Lions were stifling on defense against the Stamps, and Calgary showed it is a pretty decent team with a Week 2 win in Ottawa.
The Elks were poor offensively at home against Saskatchewan, and it is unlikely to be able to generate much against a strong Lions D which allowed just 235 total net yards of offense, and 4.9 yards per play, last weekend.
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