Behind quarterback Cody Fajardo, the Saskatchewan Roughriders had the best record in the CFL West Division in 2019 — but their Grey Cup dreams were dashed by the eventual champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
The Roughriders, who have the best odds to win the Grey Cup among West Division teams, will return to the field on Friday night football as they host the BC Lions at Mosaic Field, where they went 5-4-1 ATS in 2019. Can they cover as home favorites in this one?
Check out our CFL free picks and predictions for Lions vs. Roughriders on Friday, August 6, and find out.
Lions vs Roughriders game info
• Location: Mosaic Stadium, Regina, SK
• Date: Friday, August 6, 2021
• Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
• TV: TSN
Lions vs Roughriders odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
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Lions at Roughriders betting preview
Weather
Key injuries
Lions: Mike Reilly QB (Questionable), Shaq Cooper RB (Out).
Roughriders: Jordan Williams-Lambert WR (Questionable), Jordan Reaves DE (Questionable), Terran Vaughn OT (Out).
Find our latest CFL injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Roughriders are 6-0 ATS in their last six games against the Lions. Find more CFL betting trends for Lions vs. Roughriders.
Against the spread (ATS) pick
The Roughriders owned this matchup in 2019, winning and covering the spread in all three meetings — with an average margin of victory of 16 points. If they want to get back to the Grey Cup, they know they can’t let games like this getaway.
The Roughriders are led by QB Cody Fajardo, who is the favorite to win the 2021 CFL Most Outstanding Player award. The dual-threat QB led the CFL with 4,302 passing yards in 2019 and finished the season with 18 passing touchdowns while rushing for 611 yards and another 10 scores on the ground.
The Roughriders defense, which was second in the CFL in points allowed and first in yards per game, will have to replace some key pieces but brought in Deon Lacey to negate the losses.
The Lions, on the other hand, are looking to put 2019 behind them — a season in which they started the year 1-10. The good news is that QB Mike Reilly is back and healthy, and should have success with new coach Rick Campbell.
But the Lions only have a win total of 5.5 for a reason. One is the shaky play of the offensive line, and two is a defense that allowed over five yards per carry. The Roughriders should use the run game to control the tempo in this one and ride home-field advantage to a cover.
PREDICTION: Roughriders -6.5 (-110)
Over/Under pick
The average total when these teams met in 2019 was 49, with the Over going 2-1. That was thanks in large part to the Roughriders putting up 36.7 points per game, but the final meeting of the season was a more moderate 27-19 game that snuck Under the 46.5 total.
We’re leaning towards another result like that one here. For starters, neither of these teams have played since November of 2019 and no preseason games were played in the CFL this year due to coronavirus. So, that means the Lions have not even played an exhibition game against another team with their new coach — and this is a team that averaged just 22.8 points per game in 2019.
Meanwhile, the Riders should try and establish the run in this one. Only the Blue Bombers ran the ball more than Saskatchewan in 2019, so that could drain the clock faster in this one.
Betting the Under could be a theme early on in the CFL.
PREDICTION: Under 48.5 (-110)
Lions vs Roughriders betting card
- Roughriders -6.5 (-110)
- Under 48.5 (-110)
Picks made on 8/6/2021 at 9:15 a.m. ET
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