Kevin Sousa/CFL.ca
If it’s Tuesday, you know what that means….
A 6-4 mark in Week 7 carries Brandon’s Blitz Picks to 40-30 overall. Week 8 comes with a new batch of questions and another opportunity to perhaps find the crown jewel of Blitz Perfection.
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1) Which starting quarterback will have the most passing yards in Week 8: Saskatchewan’s Mason Fine, BC’s Dane Evans, Hamilton’s Taylor Powell, or Ottawa’s Dustin Crum?
We’ll play the numbers and go with Powell ($5,000), who gets the most favorable matchup in the form of a REDBLACKS pass defence that allows a league-high 311.3 yards per game while giving up a CFL-worst 17 completions of better than 30 yards.
2) Will Hamilton’s James Butler rush for more or less than 49.5 yards this week against Hamilton?
More. Expect a stronger effort from Butler ($12,000) after he was held to just 14 yards on eight carries in the Week 7 loss to Toronto. Ottawa has the league’s second-best run defence at 66.3 yards allowed per game, yet Butler is too good a back to have consecutive down weeks.
3) Will Ottawa play in their third straight overtime game this week against Hamilton?
No. The kings of free football will have their game decided without an extra period. Still, the REDBLACKS are halfway there to becoming the first team since they and the then-Eskimos each played in four overtime games in 2016, which, oddly enough, was the last time Ottawa won the Grey Cup.
4) Will Saskatchewan’s Larry Dean record more or less than 5.5 defensive tackles at Touchdown Atlantic against Toronto on Saturday?
Less. Dean is averaging six defensive tackles per game, but we think he’ll fall just short as this feels like a week where the Riders secondary will be in position for the majority of tackles.
5) Will Toronto’s Wynton McManis record a pick-six for the second year in a row at Touchdown Atlantic against Toronto on Saturday?
No. As formidable an event that would be, the odds are strongly against McManis finding Touchdown Atlantic magic in consecutive years.
6) Will a team celebrate a touchdown in the boat near the end zone at Touchdown Atlantic on Saturday?
Yes. We’ll go as far as saying both the Argonauts and Roughriders have added extra practice time to make sure the celebration is a mark of perfection.
7) Will BC get more than 2.5 sacks against Edmonton on Saturday?
Yes. Elks quarterbacks have been sacked 21 times this season. The Lions have recorded 24 sacks. The math points toward Mathieu Betts and friends spending lots of time in the Edmonton backfield.
8) Will Edmonton’s home losing streak end this week against BC?
No. There will be joy at Commonwealth at some point this season. However, it just won’t be on Saturday as the Lions should be able to pull out a win here.
9) Will Calgary’s Jake Maier have his third consecutive game of 300 or more passing yards this week against Montreal?
Yes. The Stampeders have averaged 37 points in the past two games as Maier ($13,000) has thrown for a combined 765 yards.
10) Will Montreal’s Tyler Snead score more or less than 1.5 receiving touchdowns against Calgary on Sunday?
Less. Snead ($6,100), who pulled in three majors in the Week 6 loss to Toronto, has established himself as a solid compliment to Austin Mack ($12,000) and Kaion Julien-Grant ($12,400), and while it won’t be a surprise to see him score on Sunday, don’t bank on Snead duplicating his Week 6 gem.
