Week 2 in the CFL season wraps up on Saturday night with a West Division battle between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Edmonton Elks.
Edmonton will look to bounce back from an ugly loss to BC last week but it won't be easy against a Saskatchewan squad that's second on the Grey Cup futures board. CFL betting lines opened with the Riders as 5.5-point favorites but that number has since grown to -8 with the Over/Under at 50.
Here are our best free Roughriders vs. Elks picks and predictions for Saturday, June 17, with kickoff at 9:30 p.m. ET.
Roughriders vs Elks odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
This line hit the board with the Riders installed as 5.5-point road faves with the Over/Under at 46.5. Early money has come in on Saskatchewan and the Over, shifting the line to -8 and moving the total to 50 or 50.5 depending on the book.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until kickoff and be sure to check out the full CFL odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Roughriders vs Elks Week 2 predictions
- Prediction: Roughriders -7.5 (-106)
- Prediction: Over 50 (-110)
- Best bet: Roughriders TT Over 29 (-107)
Predictions made on 6/17/2022 at 11 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
Roughriders vs Elks game info
• Location: Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, AB
• Date: Saturday, June 18, 2022
• Kickoff: 9:30 p.m. ET
• TV: TSN
Roughriders at Elks betting preview
Weather
Key injuries
Roughriders: Duke Williams WR (Questionable), Charbel Dabire DT (Questionable), Kyran Moore WR (Out), Micah Teitz LB (Out), Godfrey Onyeka DB (Out).
Elks: Enock Makonzo DB (Out), Christian Rector DL (Out), Derel Walker WR (Out), Nyles Morgan LB (Out), Aaron Grymes DB (Out), Duron Carter DB (Out).
Find our latest CFL injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Elks are 3-10 ATS in their last 13 home games while the Roughriders are 11-5 ATS in their previous 16 contests on the road. Find more CFL betting trends for Roughriders vs. Elks.
Roughriders vs Elks picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Spread analysis
The Roughriders might have been the most impressive team in the CFL in Week 1 while the Elks were easily the least.
The Riders hosted the defending East Division champion Tiger-Cats and separated from them in the fourth quarter to win 30-13. It was a defensive battle between both teams for the first 45 minutes, with the Riders having to settle for four field goals. But their offense broke out in the final frame and quarterback Cody Fajardo finished with 311 yards and a touchdown through the air while adding 42 yards and another score on the ground.
The Elks were destroyed in every phase of the game by a BC Lions team supposed to be rebuilding. Edmonton's defense surrendered 469 yards and didn't generate a single sack or turnover, while the offense had possession for just 25 minutes and committed four turnovers. The end result was an embarrassing 59-15 pasting by a Lions squad that isn't as good as this Riders outfit.
The Riders are coming off a season where they came up just short in the West Division final against the eventual Grey Cup champions. They once again look loaded on defense and their biggest weakness on offense — picking up big plays in the passing game — should be fixed by a healthy wide receiver duo of Shaq Evans and Duke Williams.
I loved the Riders on the spread when this line hit the board at -5.5 and although it's now sitting at more than a touchdown, I'm still leaning in that direction.
Sure, this could be a bit of a letdown spot for Saskatchewan but there's a massive talent disparity between these teams and we're not sure that home field will be any benefit to Edmonton. The Elks are just 3-10 ATS in their last 13 games at Commonwealth Stadium and failed to win a single game here last season.
Prediction: Elks -7.5 (-106 at BetRegal)
Over/Under analysis
On paper, Edmonton's defense looked pretty bad entering the season, and they were even worse than advertised in Week 1 with several key starters on the IL. Not only did they fail to generate a single sack or turnover but they were penalized for 79 yards and failed to defend a single pass, allowing 24-year-old Lions QB Nathan Rourke to complete nearly 90% of his throws.
Veteran passer Cody Fajardo should have a field day against this overwhelmed defense after putting up impressive numbers against Hamilton's much tougher defensive unit a week ago.
The Elks offense turned the ball over way too much in Week 1 but QB Nick Arbuckle was able to move the ball, completing 20 of 29 passes for 254 yards. They should be able to have some success on the ground as well with the talented James Wilder Jr. (770 rushing yards and 5.4 yards per carry last year) toting the rock.
There are other talented playmakers on Edmonton's side including last year's league-leading receiver in Kenny Lawler. While they probably won't go bonkers against this stout Saskatchewan stop-unit, they should at least be able to do enough to push this game Over the total.
Prediction: Over 50 (-110 at DraftKings)
Best bet
The Riders ended up with 30 points against a much tougher defensive team in the Ti-Cats last week and now they face off against an Elks squad that surrendered 59 points a week ago.
Not only does Edmonton have a weak defense but will be missing a slew of starters including three defensive backs, defensive tackle Christian Rector and linebacker Nyles Morgan, who was last year's team nominee for Most Outstanding Rookie.
Add in an error-prone Edmonton offense that threw four interceptions in Week 1 and an opportunistic Riders defense that had five takeaways last week, and the Riders should be able to turn defense into points with some great field position. Take the Over on Saskatchewan's team total.
Pick: Roughriders team total Over 29 (-107 at BetRegal)
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