Week 8 of the CFL season concludes on Sunday night at The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium as the Hamilton Tiger-Cats take on the Edmonton Elks.
These are the two worst teams in the league in the standings, as the Tiger-Cats are 1-5 at the bottom of the East Division and the Elks are 0-6 and brining up the rear in the West.
Here are my best Tiger-Cats vs. Elks predictions and CFL picks for Sunday, July 28.
Tiger-Cats vs Elks prediction
My best bet
Tiger-Cats +3.5 (-110 at FanDuel)
My analysis
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats pulled off their first win of the season last week at home against the Toronto Argonauts, 27-24, as three-point underdogs. It was not only their first straight-up win of the season, but also their first win against the spread.
Meanwhile, the Edmonton Elks have yet to win a game straight-up this season, but they have covered three games against the spread as big underdogs.
The Elks may be 0-6, but their average margin of defeat is only 4.3 points per game. The Tiger-Cats have an average margin of defeat of 7.0 points per game despite having just one win mixed in. Neither team can get anything going in the ground game on offense and both struggle mightily to stop the opponent’s passing game.
One big difference between these two teams is in the turnover battle. The Tiger-Cats rank next-to-last in the CFL with a -5 turnover differential. Meanwhile, the Elks have an even turnover differential with 10 giveaways and 10 takeaways on the season. There is a good chance that the Elks will win the turnover battle in this game, especially at home.
However, this spread is a little bit high in favor of the winless Elks. The Tiger-Cats have only been this big an underdog once all season and it was to the West Division-leading BC Lions. A team that cannot run the ball, stop the pass, and is 0-6 should never be more than a 3-point favorite in any scenario.
Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell has 12 touchdowns to only six interceptions on the season for the Tiger-Cats and gets to face a passing defense that has allowed 309.3 passing yards per game to go along with 10 passing touchdowns while forcing only six interceptions. Even if the Elks get their first win of the season, it will not be by four or more points.
Tiger-Cats vs Elks same-game parlay (SGP)
Tiger-Cats +3.5
Bo Levi Mitchell Over 316.5 passing yards
Hergy Mayala anytime TD
I talked about how Mitchell will be able to rack up the yards and points against this Elks defense, so we will start this parlay with combining the Tigers-Cats against the spread and Mitchell to go over his passing yards. He has gone over this total in three of his six games this year and the Elks have allowed the opposing quarterback to surpass this number in two of the past three games.
Finally, I will throw in an anytime touchdown scorer for Edmonton to increase our odds. This should be a high scoring affair, and the Elks will get their points through the air as well. Hergy Mayala leads the Elks receiving corps with four touchdowns through the air. I like his chances to add another one in this contest.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
Tiger-Cats vs Elks odds
Tiger-Cats vs Elks live odds
Tiger-Cats vs Elks opening odds
- Spread: Hamilton +2.5 | Edmonton -2.5
- Moneyline: Hamilton +146 | Edmonton -176
- Over/Under: Over 54.5 | Under 54.5
Tiger-Cats vs Elks spread and Over/Under analysis
- The Elks opened as 2.5-point favorites on Monday, but the line has moved a full point in their direction as of Saturday night.
- The road team has covered the spread in each of the last four matchups between these two teams.
- The total opened at 54.5 but has gone down a full two points down to 52.5 as of Saturday night.
- The total has gone Over in five of the last seven matchups between these two teams.
Tiger-Cats vs Elks trend
The Tiger-Cats are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games against a team with a losing record. Find more CFL betting trends for Tiger-Cats vs Elks.
Tiger-Cats vs Elks game info
| Location: | The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, AB |
| Date: | Sunday, 7-28-2024 |
| Kick-off: | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | TSN |
Tiger-Cats vs Elks key injuries
Tiger-Cats: B. O'Leary-Orange (Out), L. Hakunavanhu (Out).
Elks: K. Moore (Out), G. Cobb (Out), J. Doege (Out), V. Forbes-Mombleau (Out).
Find our latest CFL injury reports.
Tiger-Cats vs Elks weather
Not intended for use in MA.
Affiliate Disclosure: Covers may receive advertising commissions for visits to a sportsbook or betting site.
