Each week CFL.ca's Jaime Stein and Mitch Ward will debate a current issue in the CFL. This week, as the Argos get set to host the Ticats for rivalry night in Toronto on Friday they choose which dynamic first year CFLer they'd rather have on their team: Chad Owens or Marcus Thigpen.

MITCH WARD says: This is a tough call – it’s basically like arguing over a Ferrari or a Lamborghini – both are a hell of a lot better than my bus pass. I’d be happy with either.

The most incredible thing about these two guys is that they were both passed over by other teams coming into the season. Montreal let Owens go in favour of Tim Maypray while Saskatchewan deemed Thigpen expendable due to their off-season acquisition of Dominique Dorsey.

Do you think the Riders aren’t kicking themselves right now for letting Thigpen go considering they are the only team without a kick return touchdown this season?

You think the Als aren’t second guessing their decision to cut ties with Owens after he torched them for 291 combined yards and two TDs last week?

Both of these guys are incredibly fun to watch and have been tearing it up so far.

Since I have to pick one though, I give the edge to Thigpen on the strength of his five touchdowns in five ways in a single season.

This is a feat so incredible that it had never once been accomplished in the history of the CFL before.

There are only nine other players who scored a TD in five or more different ways in their entire career (Larry Highbaugh did it six ways). It took Thigpen seven games.

Put the ball in his hands and he is going to score.

I say line him up at safety and see if he can pick someone off or grab a forced fumble and take it to the house, too. I’m joking of course, (not entirely) but he is just an incredible athlete and no matter where you put him he is going to have success.

Ticats head coach Marcel Bellefeuille has been quoted as saying Thigpen is a lot like Cory Holmes – BUT FASTER. Think about that for a second. Scary.

I personally cannot wait to see how Thigpen’s role in the offence expands over the rest of the season. His versatility could make him an equally dangerous weapon out of the backfield or out of the slot for the Ticats.

One last point of praise for Thigpen is that he has the toughness and grit needed to succeed in this league. He notched his rushing touchdown against Winnipeg on Friday just one play after twisting his ankle.

The Flyin’ Hawaiian is good, but I’d rather get Thiggy with it.

JAIME STEIN says: While Mitch likes cars, I feel like Archie choosing between Betty and Veronica when trying to determine whom I would rather have on my team: Marcus Thigpen or Chad Owens.

I won’t debate which lovely lady Owens best resembles, but ultimately I would want Owens on my team if I had to choose between these two superstars.

Thigpen is like a utility player in baseball. He is pretty good at most aspects of the game. But when it comes to Fantasy Baseball, no one ever drafts a utility player. Fans want big bang for their buck and that is what Owens provides.

Owens does two things extremely well: He returns kicks like a champion and has the speed and toughness to dominate defensive backs that tower over him.

What really sticks out for Owens is that he is a game changer. There are three phases to a football game: Offence, Defence and Special Teams. Owens has the ability to turn his team’s fortune in two-thirds of a game’s scenarios. He is not simply a returner who is thrown in for a one-off trick play on offence. He genuinely makes a difference.

Last week, for example, Owens dominated the Alouettes as a receiver. His 163 yards and two touchdowns were spectacular. Often times, a special teams ace is only good for the odd play on offence. And while the Argos do not use Owens as a running back, watching him score on that dump off from Cleo Lemon last week makes me believe that if he lined up as a running back he would offer up options of Pinball proportions.

The final point I will add is that Owens has the mystique of a superstar. He rocks the tats and tan a la Pauly D. from Jersey Shore – only Owens has a better nickname… and real talent. Anyone with the moniker ‘Flyin Hawiian’ is destined for greatness.

None of what I am arguing is meant to disparage the abilities or skills of Thigpen – he is an outstanding football player. However, the nature of this column forces me to have to select one player over another. At the end of the day, Chad Owens is my guy.