The Saskatchewan Roughriders and BC Lions clash in Week 7 of CFL action on Friday night. The Leos are 4-1 and looking to keep their momentum going after coming off a bye. Meanwhile, the Riders lost a close contest to the Stampeders last weekend and, more importantly, lost starting quarterback Trevor Harris, likely for the rest of the season.
CFL betting lines opened with the Riders as 8.5-point road underdogs for this contest before that spread grew to +10. Here are my best free Roughriders vs. Lions CFL picks and predictions for July 21.
Roughriders vs Lions best odds
Roughriders vs Lions picks and predictions
Starting quarterbacks are falling down like dominos in the CFL and the Saskatchewan Roughriders are the latest victim after Harris suffered a significant knee injury with nine minutes left in last Saturday's loss to the Stampeders. Backup Mason Fine took over and completed 6 of 8 passes for 122 yards and a pair of scores, almost engineering a comeback.
A former star at the University of North Texas, Fine made his first two career CFL starts at the end of last season. In those two games, he completed 39 of 60 passes (65%) for 364 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions.
Fine should be solid this season, especially since this playbook was designed for him because Harris had yet to sign with the team when new offensive coordinator Kelly Jeffrey took over last December. That said, it's tough to see Fine performing as well as Harris, especially with a banged-up WR corps and behind a line that has struggled in pass blocking ever since center Peter Godber ended up on the IL.
The Lions have a terrific pass rush and are second in the CFL with 21 sacks while Mathieu Betts leads the league with 10 sacks. They have also held opposing QBs to 6.4 yards per pass attempt and a pass efficiency rating of 79.4 — the lowest marks in the league.
On the other side of the ball, the Leos have the best group of wideouts in the league and a pair of explosive running backs behind a stout offensive line. Although quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. had the worst game of his career three weeks ago against the Argos, he bounced back against the Alouettes and still ranks second in the league in passing yards.
While the Riders have decent pass defense statistics, those numbers look better because of two games against the Elks. In their other three contests this season, they surrendered at least 290 yards through the air.
Follow the line movement and back a healthy BC team coming off a bye against a banged-up Riders side.
My best bet: Lions -10 (-110 at DraftKings)
Roughriders vs Lions same-game parlay
Lions -10.5 (+100)
Adams Jr. Over 257.5 passing yards (-114)
Fine Over 230.5 passing yards (-114)
Adams has thrown for at least 290 yards in four of five games this season and should be able to eclipse this number against a Riders side that has allowed at least 290 passing yards to every quarterback they have faced not named Taylor Cornelius.
With the Riders like playing with a negative game script, they should be airing it out and while Fine might not be as efficient as Harris, he should be able to throw for more than 230 yards
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
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Roughriders vs Lions spread and Over/Under analysis
The Riders had a pair of razor-thin victories against the last-place Elks and split a pair of close games against the Stampeders. Their only contest that wasn't against those two teams came against Winnipeg in Week 2 when they lost 45-27 despite a 405-yard performance from Harris.
The Lions are 4-1 straight up and against the spread and have looked dominant in all of their wins. Their only defeat came in Week 4 against the unbeaten Argonauts when they lost by 21 points with Adams throwing an uncharacteristic six interceptions.
That was a bit of a letdown spot after they hammered the Bombers in Winnipeg in Week 3 and they bounced back from that ugly loss to the Argos by beating the Aloeuttes 35-19 in Week 5.
Roughriders vs Lions trend to know
The Lions are 5-0 ATS in their last five home games, while going 7-3 ATS in their previous 10 contests following a bye week. Find more CFL betting trends for Roughriders vs. Lions.
Roughriders vs Lions game info
| Location: | BC Place, Vancouver, BC |
| Date: | Saturday, July 22, 2023 |
| Kickoff: | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | TSN |
Roughriders vs Lions key injuries
Roughriders: Brandon Council LT (Questionable), Trevor Harris QB (Out), Anthony Lanier DL (Out), Peter Godber C (Out), Rolan Milligan DB (Out), Jake Wieneke WR (Out), Kian Schaffer-Baker WR (Out), Derel Walker WR (Out), Brayden Lenius WR (Out).
Lions: Patrice Rene DB (Out).
Find our latest CFL injury reports.
