Week 2 of the 2021 CFL season concludes with a clash of contenders as the Hamilton Tiger-Cats face off against the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday night.
Oddsmakers are expecting a close battle with CFL betting lines opening the Riders as 3-point home favorites at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.
Here are our best free CFL picks and predictions for the Tiger-Cats vs. Roughriders on Saturday, August 14, with kickoff at 10 p.m. ET.
Tiger-Cats vs Roughriders game info
• Location: Mosaic Stadium, Regina, SK
• Date: Saturday, August 14, 2021
• Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
• TV: TSN
Tiger-Cats vs Roughriders odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
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Tiger-Cats at Roughriders betting preview
Weather
Key injuries
Tiger-Cats: Dylan Wynn DT (Out), Bralon Addison WR (Out), DeVier Posey WR (Questionable), Maleek Irons RB (Out), Tunda Adeleke DB (Out), Don Jackson RB (Out).
Roughriders: Micah Johnson DT (Probable), Freddy Bishop DE (Out), Larry Dean LB (Out), Brett Boyko LT (Out), Sammie Coates WR (Out).
Find our latest CFL injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Roughriders are 1-4-1 ATS in their last six home games and despite Hamilton's loss last week, the Ti-Cats are 5-2-1 ATS in their previous eight games on the road. Find more CFL betting trends for Tiger-Cats vs. Roughriders.
Moneyline Pick
The Tiger-Cats entered the season as Grey Cup favorites and remain at the top of the futures board despite a 19-6 loss in Week 1 to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
At +431, the Roughriders have the third-best Grey Cup odds and won their first game of the season against BC, although they barely held on for a 33-29 victory after a 31-point lead in the second quarter.
It's important not to overreact to that Week 1 loss for Hamilton, since they were playing against the defending Grey Cup champs and so many offenses around the league looked out of sync after such a long layoff.
The Ti-Cats are still loaded at the game's most important position with both starting QB Jeremiah Masoli and backup Dane Evans among the league's best. And even with several players battling through injuries, they still have plenty of talent at the skill positions, led by 2019 Most Outstanding Player Brandon Banks.
Saskatchewan has a very well-rounded offense, led by QB Cody Fajardo, running back William Powell, and wide receiver Shaq Evans. That said, depth at receiver is an issue, and they ran into problems last week when BC began to bring pressure from the edge during the second half.
Hamilton can certainly get after opposing QBs and will look to turn this into a defensive battle. They'll have a small edge on D after Saskatchewan lost three West All-Stars from their 2019 front seven and replaced them with a pair of quality veterans (Freddie Bishop and Larry Dean) who both tore their Achilles tendon just before the season started. Look for Hamilton to bounce back from a season-opening loss and grind out a tough win on the road.
PREDICTION: ML Hamilton (+135)
Over/Under pick
The Ti-Cats had the league's best scoring defense in 2019, holding foes to just 19.1 points per game. The strength of their stop-unit lies in their secondary and pass rush. In 2019, they finished third in the league in sacks (54) while holding opposing QBs to the league's lowest completion percentage and second-lowest yards per pass attempt.
Although Hamilton lost a few key players in Larry Dean, Richard Leonard, and Delvin Breaux Sr., they retain eight starters from that unit while adding a pair of studs in Jovan Santos-Knox and Ciante Evans. They might have lost to Winnipeg last week but they still limited them to 217 passing yards and 19 points despite three turnovers from the offense.
While Hamilton had the best scoring defense in the CFL in 2019, Saskatchewan ranked second in that category (21.4 ppg) while allowing the fewest yards per game (299). Although the Riders won't be quite as dominant on defense due to those previously mentioned departures, they have enough depth up front and talent in their secondary to again be strong on that side of the ball.
The Ti-Cats have cashed the Under in four straight games and are 7-2 to the Under in their previous nine away contests. The Riders are 9-4-1 to the Under in their last 14 home games while four of the previous five meetings between these squads also went below the total. Take the Under again.
PREDICTION: Under 49.5 (-110)
Tiger-Cats vs Roughriders betting card
- ML Hamilton (+135)
- Under 49.5 (-110)
Picks made on 8/13/2021 at 1 p.m. ET
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