Week 8 in the CFL wraps up on Sunday night with the Calgary Stampeders taking on the Montreal Alouettes. The Alouettes are coming off a bye after losing three-straight games and will look to get in the win column against a Stampeders side that has played in some very close games lately.
Oddsmakers expect another competitive game from the Stamps with CFL betting odds opening with the Als as slim 2.5-point home favorites. Here are my best free Stampeders vs. Alouettes CFL picks and predictions for July 30.
Stampeders vs Alouettes best odds
Stampeders vs Alouettes picks and predictions
Alouettes wideout Austin Mack has been one of the best CFL newcomers this season, racking up 30 catches for 458 yards through five games. He's the highest-graded outside receiver in the CFL according to PFF and he's been a model of consistency, posting at least 70 receiving yards in every game.
The former Ohio State Buckeye has seen 10+ targets in each of his past three games and with Alouettes receivers like Greg Ellingson, Tyson Philpot, and Reggie White Jr. still sidelined by injuries he'll continue to see plenty of passes coming his way. Especially with Calgary's top boundary corner Tre Roberson out with a head injury.
With Montreal's run game struggling to pick up yards, look for quarterback Cody Fajardo to rely on Mack in the passing game once again.
My best bet: Austin Mack Over 70.5 receiving yards (-115 at DraftKings)
Stampeders vs Alouettes same-game parlay
Austin Mack Over 72.5 receiving yds (-114)
Cody Fajardo Over 259.5 passing yards (-114)
Jake Maier Over 271.5 passing yards (-114)
FanDuel has Mack's receiving yards prop set a couple of yards higher but with the ability to parlay that alongside Fajardo's passing yards it's worth consideration.
Fajardo had a rough season with Saskatchewan last year but has been very efficient with his new team. He leads the CFL with an adjusted completion rate of 77.3% per PFF and has thrown for more than 260 yards in every game this year.
Calgary quarterback Jake Maier is also capable of throwing for plenty of yards in this showdown. Maier is coming off his two best games of the season, completing 72% of his passes for 765 yards and six touchdowns against the Roughriders and Redblacks.
He'll be able to take advantage of an Als defense that ranks last in the league in sacks and second-last in opponent pass efficiency rating (100.6).
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Stampeders vs Alouettes spread and Over/Under analysis
The Alouettes opened as 2.5-point home favorites for this contest but that line has ticked up to -3 at some books as of Saturday afternoon. The total hasn't seen much movement but is available anywhere from 47 to 48.
When we last saw the Montreal Alouettes more than two weeks ago they lost a close contest to the Toronto Argonauts. They were tied 27-27 until the final two minutes of the game when the undefeated Argos scored the go-ahead touchdown.
With that loss, the Als are 0-3 SU and ATS in their last three games but considering those contests came against the Als, Argos, and Blue Bombers (easily the three best teams in the CFL) we'll cut them some slack. They won and covered in their first two games of the year against the Redblacks and Tiger-Cats.
The Stampeders are 2-4 straight up and against the spread to begin the season. That said, two of those defeats came against the Lions and Bombers, who have been among the best teams in the league and the other pair of losses came in overtime. With Maier playing better in recent weeks, the Over has gone 3-1 in Calgary's last four games.
The Alouettes signed defensive end Shawn Lemon earlier this week to bolster their stagnant pass rush. Lemon was named the Most Outstanding Defensive Player in the West Division in 2022. While he should provide a boost long-term, the fact that he hasn't been training with a team since getting cut by BC in May means that he might not be ready to be a big contributor this week.
Stampeders vs Alouettes trend to know
The Stampeders are 0-6 ATS in their last six trips to Montreal. Find more CFL betting trends for Stampeders vs. Alouettes.
Stampeders vs Alouettes game info
| Location: | Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, Montreal, QE |
| Date: | Sunday, July 30, 2023 |
| Kickoff: | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | TSN |
Stampeders vs Alouettes key injuries
Stampeders: Reggie Begelton WR (Questionable), James Vaughters DE (Out), Tre Roberson DB (Out), Ka'Deem Carey RB (Out), Malik Henry WR (Out), Peyton Logan RB (Out), Jalen Philpot WR (Out).
Alouettes: Ciante Evans DB (Out), Sean Jamieson OL (Out), Greg Ellingson WR (Out), Reggie White Jr. WR (Out).
Find our latest CFL injury reports.
