Following their 2018 Grey Cup championship the Calgary Stampeders opened in the top tier of favorites for a repeat. Calgary has emerged as a consistently strong contender in the Canadian Football League. In fact, the Stampeders have played in four of the last five Grey Cup Championship games. Also, among the 2019 CFL betting favorite are the British Columbia Lions and Winnipeg Blue Bombers. On the whole the 2019 season promises to be among the most competitive ever. Indeed, the CFL boasts a plethora of stars that ignite its exciting brand of play.
2019 Grey Cup Odds
Defending champion Calgary opened as a +255 CFL Betting favorite to win the Grey Cup. Next are British Columbia at +323, Winnipeg +360, and Hamilton +550. Last year’s runner up Ottawa is at +750 with Saskatchewan at +800. Edmonton opened at +1000 with Toronto +1200, and Montreal +1400.
Certainly, Montreal is a problem franchise that lacks an owner. Concurrently the league took ownership of the Alouettes until a new investor can be found. Even with the Montreal woes the CFL offers gamblers plenty of stars and opportunity.
Bo Knows Championships
Calgary quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell is a top sportsbook asset for the defending champs. Mitchell is a two-time Grey Cup champion. He won Grey Cup Most Valuable Player honors both times. Further, Mitchell has twice won the CFL Most Outstanding Player Award. In 2018 Mitchell broke the 5000 passing yards mark for the first time in his career. He finished with a 99.6 rating, 35 touchdowns, and just 14 interceptions.
BC Lions Hope for Life of Reilly
Speaking of prolific quarterbacks British Columbia’s Mike Reilly fits the bill. Last year with Edmonton he led the CFL in passing with 5562 yards and 30 touchdowns. It was the second straight year that Reilly threw 30 TD passes. Accordingly, Reilly is a two-time Grey Cup champion and 2017 CFL Most Outstanding Player. He has had a rating of 99 or better three consecutive years. His arrival to BC as a free agent made them an instant CFL Betting favorite.
Masoli Stars in Hamilton
Former Ole Miss quarterback Jeremiah Masoli is another 5000-yard hero. In 2018 he totaled 5209 yards passing for Hamilton with 28 touchdowns. Masoli also ran for 473 yards and a pair of TD’s. Masoli holds the CFL record with 23 consecutive completions in a single game. His 98.3 rating was among the best in the league last year.
Top Receivers
Starting with such great quarterbacks it stands to figure the CFL boasts thrilling receivers. As an example, is Hamilton’s Brandon Banks. Banks has posted two consecutive 1000+ yard seasons for yardage. In fact, last year he totaled 1423 yards with 11 touchdowns. Ottawa’s Brad Sinopoli amassed 1376 yards and four touchdowns in 2018. He has four straight 1000+ yard seasons. Another Hamilton star, Luke Tasker, is coming off back to back 1000+ yard seasons. Tasker scored 11 touchdowns last year.
Leading Backs
Admittedly the CFL is known for passing but there are some great running backs as well. Andrew Harris is a reason why Winnipeg is a top favorite. Harris has rushed for over 1000 yards in three of the last four seasons. Last year he scored eight touchdowns with 5.8 yards per carry. Saskatchewan’s William Powell ran for 1362 yards and six touchdowns in 2018. Following that was CJ Gable’s 1063 yards and seven TD’s for Edmonton last year.