Coming off of their bye, the British Colombia Lions host the Saskatchewan Roughriders. It is now time to continue our CFL odds series with Roughriders – Lions prediction, pick, and how to watch.

Last week, it was a two-point loss for the Roughriders. After taking the lead on a punt return in the first quarter, the Roughriders were down by ten at half after two Jake Maier touchdowns. In the third quarter, Mario Alford returned his second punt of the game but fell ten early in the fourth quarter. Then, in the fourth quarter starting quarterback Trevor Harris went down with a tibial plateau fracture that will have him out for a while as he needs surgery. Enter Mason Fine. Fine led the comeback first with a six-yard touchdown pass, and then a 69-yard touchdown with just 36 seconds left in the game that gave the Roughriders the lead. That was too much time though, as Rene Paredes hit a 50-yard field goal as time expired to give the Roughriders the loss.

British Columbia is coming in fresh, entering off a bye week. They have just one loss on the season, and that was their fourth game of the year against Toronto. Last time out it was domination for the Lions. They were tied at seven after the first but had an 11-point lead at halftime. In the second half, the defense shined. They allowed just six points to Montreal and grabbed the win.

Here are the Roughriders-Lions CFL odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

CFL Odds: Roughriders-Lions Odds

Saskatchewan Roughriders: +10.5 (-115)

British Columbia Lion: -10.5 (-105)

Over: 45.5 (-110)

Under: 45.5 (-110)

How To Watch Roughriders vs. Lions

TV: TSN/CBSSN

Stream: CFL+

Time: 7:00 PM PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT

*Watch CFL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Roughriders Could Cover The Spread

The Roughriders continue to have a top-flight offense this year. They are third in yards per game, and passing yards per game. they are fourth in rushing yards per game and points per game on the season. The offense has been led all year by Trevor Harris, who has 1,274 yards passing on the year. He is out though, and Mason Fine will be making the start. Fine is in his third year in the CFL after a stellar career at North Texas. Last year started the last two games of the year, going 39-60 for 364 yards and a touchdown in the two starts. While he was solid, the Roughriders lost both games. This year, he has thrown just eight passes, but it is for 116 yards and two scores.

The Roughriders have a trio of receivers that can do some damage. Shawn Bane is leading the pack with 21 receptions for 309 yards. He has been solid after the catch as well this year. He has 154 yards after the catch to lead the team. Tevin Jones has 21 receptions as well. He is the most targeted wideout with 32 targets on the season, and he has done that in one less game than the rest He has 340 yards on the season and has scored twice. Meanwhile, Samuel Emiulus leads the team in touchdown receptions. He has 17 catches on the year for 252 yards and three scores. Last time out he was limited though, as he had just one catch on three targets for three yards.

The punt return game was big for the Roughriders last time out, and Mario Alford has been solid all year in the return game. On 28 punt returns this year he has 401 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, he averaged 28.1 yards per kick off return, with his long being 62 yards. He has yet to score on a kickoff return, but he has been close to breaking one all year.

The defense has been the biggest issue for the Roughriders. They are seventh in yards per game, passing yards per game, and points per game.  Meanwhile, they are sixth against the run this year. The issue has been turnovers. While they do have seven interceptions this year, they have yet to recover a fumble this year. They have also had trouble getting to the quarterback this year. The team only has seven sacks on the season, one of the worst sack rates in the CFL.

Why The Lions Could Cover The Spread

For British Columbia, it all starts on defense. This year they rank first in the CFL in yards per game, passing yards per game, and points allowed per game. Meanwhile, they are third against the rush. This team knows how to get to the quarterback. On the season, they have 21 sacks for 145 yards on the year. Leading them in that regard has been Mathieu Betts. Betts has nine sacks already this year. Meanwhile, Sione Teuhema has three sacks and forms a duo that is tough for offensive lines to stop.

Meanwhile, the offense has been solid. They are second in terms of yards per game, and points per game. The Lions are sixth in rushing but have the best passing attack in the CFL. Vernon Adams has been great this year. He has thrown for 1,532 yards on the season and nine touchdowns. He has had a QB rating over 97 in all but one game this year. That one game was the loss to Toronto, where he threw for 388 yards and three scores, but also threw six interceptions in the game.

Catching all of those passes has been Alexander Hollins and Dominique Rhymes. Hollins leads the team in receptions and targets this year. He has 23 receptions for 301 yards on the season with a touchdown. Rhymes has only played in four of the five games this year. He has managed to haul in 17 receptions for 274 yards and five scores this year. Adams has spread the ball around well this year. Seven different receivers have ten or more receptions, while six have over 125 yards on the year. Five different guys have a touchdown reception.

The Lions would like to get a little bit more production from their run game though. Taquan Mizzell is the teams leading rusher this year. Mizzell missed the last game for the Lions but is expected to be back in this one. He was rushing well until his injury. In his first two games of the season, he was over 80 yards in each of them. Then he dropped to 50 yards against Winnipeg, but still averaged five yards per carry. On the season, he has 246 yards rushing with 5.35 yards per carry but has yet to find the endzone.

Final Roughriders – Lions Prediction & Pick

While the Roughriders have a good offense, they are not nearly as good as the Lions. Even more, they will be rolling out a backup quarterback in this one. Meanwhile, the Lions not only have one of the best offenses, they get to go against a defense that has struggled this year. The Lions also have the best pass rush in the league and will be getting to Mason Fine a lot in this one. Expect lots of sacks and short drives for the Roughriders, and the Lions run away with this one.

Final Roughriders – Lions Prediction & Pick:  Lions -10.5 (-105)