Stampeders Are 2019 Grey Cup Betting Favorites

The odds on the CFL futures board remain unchanged this week with the Calgary Stampeders as slight favorites at +400 ahead of three teams at +450: the Ottawa Redblacks, Saskatchewan Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers. 

Not even the departure of Johnny Manziel from Montreal hurt the Alouettes’ odds – although let’s be honest, Manziel was not even close to being an impact player in the CFL. Let’s see if he lands in the AAF, shall we? 

Below you will find some of the best futures plays a few months out from the start of the season:

Calgary Stampeders +400

The defending champs are the betting favorite, cemented by making sure their quarterback and franchise player Bo Levi Mitchell is locked up for the next four years. Mitchell had offers for the NFL but he didn’t see himself anywhere higher than third on any depth charts and opted to remain in the league where he has carved out his reputation. 

Mitchell’s deal is reportedly for $3 million over four seasons, so Dave Dickenson’s offense is set for the foreseeable future. Mitchell is excited to have both Eric Rogers and Kamar Jordan back, and save for a couple of players, the Stamps are returning the majority of their Grey Cup-winning offense from last season. 

Edmonton Eskimos +1000

I like these odds on the Esks and I think we might see them start to move lower sooner than later with the addition of QB Trevor Harris. Harris played under Jason Maas in Toronto so there’s a familiarity already built with the head coach and he’s bringing some of his receiving corps from Ottawa along with him. 

Of course, it was Ottawa that played Calgary in the Grey Cup game last season and Harris is a proven playoff performer and has a lot fewer miles on him than the departing Mike Reilly. I honestly think this is a non-reaction by oddsmakers and the value for Edmonton is much better than it should be at this point. 

Toronto Argonauts +1200

The longest odds on the table go to the 2017 Grey Cup champion Toronto Argonauts, who are in an unbelievable state of flux. Frankly, I don’t think +1200 is any kind of value on a team that doesn’t have a defined starting quarterback or star player on its roster.

The Argos took a heavy, heavy run at Bo Levi Mitchell, reportedly offering at least $200,000 more than he was being offered in Calgary. So, while Ted DiBiase was adamant that everybody had a price, Toronto did not get to a tempting enough offer to lure Mitchell to a rebuilding team.

Here’s a look at the full odds table for the 2019 Grey Cup:

Odds as of March 15 at Bovada