Week 8 had it all, from incredible comebacks to monstrous individual performances.
There was a shakeup atop the #TotalPickEm global leaderboard, as former leader eyeofthetigerscats tumbled down to 11th after a season-worst 1-3 week; LorneHoedel used a 4-for-4 week to propel himself into pole position.
Let’s take a look at how the week shook down.
This one should have been over at halftime.
Ottawa led by as much as 28 points in the third quarter before the Argos stormed back in a legendary comeback.
In this case, unfortunately, that historic comeback hurt 86 per cent of pick’em players.
The reality is this: If McLeod Bethel-Thompson’s arm is as good as it looked in the fourth quarter on Thursday, and James Wilder Jr. has reverted to his old battering-ram self, the Argos could be a viable play moving forward with BC (2-4), Montreal (1-6) and Hamilton (3-4) on the schedule.
The Eskimos aren’t playing the prettiest football around, but there’s no denying their 5-2 record.
Jason Maas’s team — through penalties, self-inflicted wounds and a hit-and-miss offence — is second in the West for a reason, and ground out a gutsy win over Saskatchewan on Thursday night.
The Esks now have BC (2-4) and Montreal (1-6) on the schedule, and if they play to their potential there’s a good chance they’ll be 7-2 in two weeks’ time.
Saskatchewan, meanwhile, needs to find offence; granted, Thursday was Zach Collaros’s first game since Ottawa in Week 2, but he didn’t exactly set the world on fire. Chris Jones and his staff will have a bye week to sort things out, then face the juggernaut Stampeders in Week 10.
If there was a statement to be made, the Ticats practically yelled it with their 28-0 lead after the first quarter in Montreal.
Hamilton’s offence exploded after an ugly three-game losing streak, while Johnny Manziel was clearly not ready to start for the Alouettes.
The vast majority of pick’em players put their faith in Masoli and the Ticat offence, and were rewarded handsomely.
Neither of these teams can be pigeon-holed as a take or avoid in pick’em however; Hamilton’s got tough western tilts against Winnipeg (4-3) and Edmonton (5-2) ahead, while Manziel will likely settle into the Als’ offence in coming weeks.
While BC hung around, the end result of Saturday night’s contest at McMahon Stadium was never in doubt.
Every time the Lions began sniffing closer in the second half, the Stamps came up with a big play to restore their two-score advantage — as good teams do.
The incredible thing is Calgary got the win without any kind of run game, as backup Romar Morris was limited to a 3.2 per-carry average in the absence of injured starter Don Jackson.
The Stamps are 7-0, and that’s having battled through injuries on the D-line and at receiver: It’s fair to say we’re entering ‘take them ’til they lose’ territory now.
Week 8: 3-1
Season: 21-10 (.677)
In #TotalPickEm, players are competing for a $5,000 end-of-season cash prize. In addition, the best predictor each week wins two tickets to any 2018 regular-season CFL game of their choice.
So, whether you’ve been invested in this from day one, or you’re just creating your profile and locking in your first picks of the season: You have something to play for.
