Week 13 featured plenty of entertainment and fierce rivalries, while also providing us with a better picture of what the stretch run into the playoffs will look like.
Hamilton and Ottawa are set to duke it out for first place and home-field advantage in the East Division. Out west, the Stamps may not be as sure a lock to win the division as they first seemed.
There is a new leader atop the #TotalPickEm leaderboard, as paddlegirl used a 4-0 week to propel herself into first place; her record on the season now sits at a ridiculous 40-10.
BC 26, Ottawa 14
The majority of pick’em players saw the same things we did: An Ottawa offence which was struggling, a BC defence that’s turned a corner and a Lions team at-large that desperately needed a win on home turf.
BC could present some value the next two weeks with matchups against Montreal (away) and Hamilton (home) in weeks 14 and 15.
Ottawa, meanwhile, has a daunting two weeks ahead of it with Saskatchewan (away) and Edmonton (home) on the schedule; steer clear of the REDBLACKS until Trevor Harris and the REDBLACKS offence figure it out.
Hamilton 36, Toronto 25
The Ticats went back-to-back, and rewarded pick’em players in the process.
Hamilton’s Jeremiah Masoli-to-Brandon Banks connection is in full swing, while Alex Green continues to look like an elite dual-threat running back in the Tabbies’ backfield.
It’s just about panic time for the Argos at 3-8, and pick’em players should steer well clear of Marc Trestman’s team in upcoming matchups against Saskatchewan (home) and Calgary (away).
Saskatchewan 32, Winnipeg 27
The Riders proved a slim majority of pick’em players wrong on Saturday afternoon with their fourth win on the hop.
There’s little doubt Saskatchewan is surging; there is also very little doubt Winnipeg is in full-blown crisis mode, with quarterback Matt Nichols yanked against the Riders and head coach Mike O’Shea — typically stout in his defence of Nichols — declining to name his starter moving forward.
One team is a safe bet. The other? A high-risk upset pick at best moving forward.
Edmonton 48, Calgary 42
The Eskimos managed to white-knuckle it through a fourth-quarter Calgary comeback attempt and earn a much-needed victory.
It was one of those all-time classics: Back and forth, 90 points scored between the two teams and one major shake-up in the West Division.
Edmonton’s win opened the door for a legitimate race for first place down the stretch in the West, while Calgary’s defence will need to make a statement next week in Hamilton.
Week 13: 3-1
Season: 31-19 (.620)
