(The Canadian Press)
Week 6 was an interesting one in #TotalPickEm, as upset picks (ahem, Toronto) failed to materialize and the usual suspect (Calgary) was virtually automatic points.
In the race for the $5,000 end-of-season grand prize, ron4158 has moved into the lead; previous leaders eyeofthetigercats and oilslick also remain in the top five.
Let’s take a look at this week’s matchups.
Thursday | Edmonton at Montreal (7:30 p.m. ET)
Week 7 will kick off with a much-anticipated showdown between Mike Reilly’s Edmonton Eskimos and the Montreal Alouettes — complete with shiny new quarterback Johnny Manziel — at Percival Molson Stadium.
Different people have different perspectives on Sunday’s Montreal-Hamilton blockbuster deal, but one thing is for sure: Three days is hardly long enough to learn a playbook.
Even at that, the Eskimos are just a better team than the Alouettes; stronger at every offensive skill position and significantly better statistically on defence.
Montreal needs a good bounce, but it’s unlikely to come on this week’s edition of Thursday Night Football.
PICK: Edmonton
Friday | Toronto at Winnipeg (8;30 p.m. ET)
The Argos head to the prairies this week for the back end of a home-and-home with the Bombers; the first leg of the series, a 38-20 Winnipeg win last week in Toronto, was never close.
Toronto running back James Wilder Jr. was limited to minus-2 yards last week. Minus. Two.
Needless to say the visitors will be hungry, but Andrew Harris has been an absolute tank. Factor in Matt Nichols’s bounce-back performance last week, plus an elite receiver in Darvin Adams, and Winnipeg’s offence is a scary proposition for any defensive unit — especially a Toronto one which has given up the second-most points in the league.
Take the Bombers, if for no other reason than Andrew Harris — at his current pace — is the best Canadian running back in CFL history.
PICK: Winnipeg
Saturday | Ottawa at Hamilton (4 p.m. ET)
The REDBLACKS and Ticats will meet on Saturday afternoon in The Hammer with first place in the East Division on the line.
Both Ottawa and Hamilton have had a number of lacklustre offensive performances in recent weeks; whether or not that trend continues on Saturday remains to be seen.
The Ticats will have a new-look offensive line, and a pair of new vets in Chris Williams and Jamaal Westerman; Ottawa will feature the usual suspects on offence — Harris throwing to Ellingson, Sinopoli, etc.
This one is a toss-up because of both teams’ inconsistency, but we’re tempted to lean towards Hamilton: A team with that many weapons doesn’t typically get held under 20 points in three-straight games.
PICK: Hamilton
Saturday | Calgary at Saskatchewan (9 p.m. ET)
The Stamps and Riders will polish off Week 7 in style in Regina.
Calgary’s defence is having the best season in modern CFL history. Saskatchewan’s has been solid in its own right, setting up a battle royale at Mosaic Stadium on Saturday.
This will go one of two ways; Calgary’s offence will ball out and run away with it, or the Riders defence will stymie the Stamps and it will be a close, low-scoring ballgame.
In terms of pick’em, though, it’s tough to bet against the undefeated Stamps and their elite play on both sides of the football.
PICK: Calgary
Season: 15-8 (.652)
Week 6: 2-2
