3rd and 1: Best Bets for the 111th Grey Cup
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Leave your tuques and mittens behind for the 111th Grey Cup. There will be no snow angels or beaver tails. The big game will be indoors at BC Place for the first time in ten years. It setup nicely for a couple of quarterbacks to air it out until Chad Kelly’s gruesome injury. The sight sent last year’s most outstanding o-lineman Dejon Allen to his knees. As a result, the Bombers are big favourites to solidify a dynasty. It would be their 3rd title over five straight Grey Cup appearances. Hall of Fame left tackle Stanley Bryant says they’re unstoppable when Zach Collaros and Brady Oliveira are doing what they’re doing. Everybody, including me, expects them to be no stage at the end. But even without their star quarterback, the Argos have to tools to disrupt destiny.
Toronto Argonauts at Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Toronto’s offensive and defensive lines are elite. They can run the ball with a workhorse back, and they can protect Nick Arbuckle, a veteran quarterback with a glorious opportunity in front of him. The Argos also have the best kick returner in the league. We’ve seen Janarion Grant be dangerous every time he touches the ball. Grey Cups have been decided on special teams. BC Place was the venue when Brandon Banks and the Ti-Cats were robbed of a touchdown return by a block in the back penalty back in 2014. My mental gymnastics routine can come up with many scenarios for the Argos to cover, but not many for them to win. And a Bombers blowout isn’t off the table. So… I propose a parlay:
BLUE BOMBERS MONEYLINE (-465)
I keep going back to this game being indoors. Obviously, it’s a big deal compared to potentially playing in extreme cold or snow. I think that’s especially true for the Bombers quarterback. Let’s face it, he hasn’t been spectacular over their five year grey cup run. His teeth have chattered through many of his playoff postgame interviews. Last week’s West Final was unseasonably mild and Collaros was spectacular.
KENNY LAWLER 60+ RECEIVING YARDS (-220)
This might be two catches for Kenny and it could come in the first quarter. The Bombers deep threat reminded CFL fans not to leave him out of any debate about the league’s best receivers.
BRADY OLIVEIRA 50+ RUSHING YARDS (-380)
Just to give the parlay a little more juice! The league’s most outstanding player and Canadian will be relied upon, no matter how much the Argos are committed to stopping the run.
NIC DEMSKI OVER 4.5 RECEPTIONS (-130)
Demski had eight catches in the West Final. He had also eight catches in last year’s grey cup loss to Montreal. Great hands and tough in traffic gives Collaros confidence in the Canadian. This is my Best Bet for the big game.
4-LEG GREY CUP SGP = +307
GREY CUP MVP – NIC DEMSKI +6000
Longshot alert. As I just wrote, I think Demski will see a lot of volume. If he finds the endzone on more than one of those targets, he will be right in the mix for MVP honours. Especially if Collaros’ yards are limited in a game that’s out of reach for Toronto.
NOVELTY PROPS – OVER 4.5 SONGS PERFORMED BY THE JONAS BROTHERS
Be sure to check out Fanduel’s novelty props section for Grey Cup fun bets like never before. It’s a Super Bowl type smorgasbord of entertainment for football fans, and non-football fans alike. I’m looking at the total number of songs that the Jonas Brothers will perform at halftime. They have plenty of hits, don’t they? Let’s see how many we can count before the second half kicks off. I’ll be dancing by the fifth one.