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It is a battle of two East Division rivals as the Toronto Argonauts face the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. It is now time to continue our CFL odds series with Argonauts – Tiger-Cats prediction, pick, and how to watch.
Last week, Toronto improved to 4-0 on the season with a win over Montreal. It started in the first quarter with a rushing touchdown from Chad Kelly to take the lead. Montreal came back though, and would lead 10-7 going into halftime. Toronto would dominate the second half though, as Boris Bede hit two field goals and added a single, plus Chad Kelly threw three touchdown passes to get Toronto the win. Toronto had 477 yards in the game while Chad Kelly threw for 351 of those yards in the win.
Hamilton got their second win of the season, taking out the Edmonton Elks last Thursday. It was their second win in a row and their best offensive output of the season. Hamilton was down 6-0 early but took the 10-6 lead going into halftime. Then, they had a great third quarter. Matthew Shiltz ran a four-yard touchdown, then Stavros Katsantonis had an interception returned to the house. Shiltz was injured in the game though, and Taylor Powell has to finish the game off. He threw a touchdown, and Hamilton won with ease.
Here are the Argonauts- Tiger-Cats CFL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
CFL Odds: Argonauts- Tiger-Cats Odds
Toronto Argonauts: -7 (-115)
Hamilton Tiger-Cats: +7 (-105)
Over: 48.5 (-115)
Under: 48.5 (-105)
How To Watch Argonauts vs. Tiger-Cats
TV: TSN
Stream: CFL+
Time: 7:30 PM PM ET/ 4:30 PM PT
*Watch CFL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Argonauts Could Cover The Spread
Toronto enters the game with the best offense in the CFL. They are averaging 38.8 points per game this year, which leads the league. They also have the most yards per game led by the second-best passing attack per game, and the best rushing attack in terms of yards per game. A.J. Ouellette is leading the way for Toronto on the ground. He has 309 yards in just four games and has scored four times already this year. He is also averaging over 5.24 yards per carry this year on the ground and is consistently moving the chains for the Argonauts. Concurrently, Chad Kelly is scoring on the ground as well.
Kelly has done a little bit of everything for Toronto this year. He has run for 90 yards, with an average of 6.43 yards per attempt on the season. Meanwhile, he has also scored four times on the ground in three games this year. Kelly is having a great season through the air as well. He was amazing last week, completing 21-25 passes for 351 yards and three touchdowns. Kelly has been over 79 percent passing in each of his last two games. He has also been over 250 yards in two of his last three with the other game being for 249 yards.
Kelly has also done a solid job spreading the ball around. Nine different receivers have caught balls this year, with the top guys sitting at 13 receptions. Each of the top six guys has nine or more receptions. Seven of the nine players to have caught a pass have had a reception over 20 yards this year. Damonte Coxie has been the leader this year. He has 13 receptions on 19 targets this year for 252 yards. He has the longest reception of the year of any Argonaut with a 59-yard reception. Coxie is followed by the combination of Cam Phillips and DaVaris Daniels, both of who are over ten receptions and over 150 yards on the season.
The defense has to continue to be solid as well. They are the best in the CFL against the run this year, but they sit last against the pass on the season. That has led to an overall defense that is ranked fifth in the league in both yards and points this year. Robertson Daniel has three interceptions this year and has brought one back to the house, as has Royce Metchie. Also, Tavarus McFadden and Qwan'tez Stiggers both have two picks this year as well.
Why The Tiger-Cats Could Cover The Spread
For the Tiger-Cats to get their first win of the season, they need some more offense. They are sixth in yards per game, seventh in rushing yards, sixth in passing, and fifth in points per game. Bo Levi Mitchell, who started the season at quarterback is still injured. Matthew Shiltz went down in their last game, and now Taylor Powell will take over. Powell is a rookie and last played last year at Eastern Michigan. There, he was an accurate passer, completing 64.7 percent of passes with 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
For Powell to be successful, he is going to need major help from his wideouts and the backfield. Tim White leads the team in receptions with 19 on the season for 333 yards. He averaged 17.53 yards per reception this year, but while his average per catch is just this year, his yards per game are down. Last year, he had 74.4 yards per game as he went over 1,000 yards. The big play threat this year has been D'haquille Williams. He has 17 receptions for 303 yards on the season with 119 yards after the catch.
James Butler is also receiving balls well out of the backfield. He has 17 receptions on the year for 128 yards. He is also rushing well The running back has three touchdowns on the season with 326 yards rushing. Last time out was one of his best games of the year. He ran 14 times for 127 years ards and a touchdown in the game.
The defense is going to need to step up as well to get a win. On the season the Tiger-Cats are last in the CFL in opponent points per game. They average giving up 30.8 points per game this year. The Tiger-Cats have struggled in all aspects of defense. They are eighth in yards per game given up, while also eighth in rushing yards and passing yards allowed per game.
Final Argonauts – Tiger-Cats Prediction & Pick
This game has a team that has just two wins all year now going to their third quarterback of the season. They are facing an offense that is very good with a defense that is not. While this is a fairly large spread, Toronto is going to cover it and score a lot of points in the process. Take the Argonauts as the pick over the Tiger-Cats as well as the over in this one.
Final Argonuats -Tiger-Cats Prediction & Pick: Argonauts -7 (-115) and Over 48.5 (-115)
