Three Stars: John Chick, Stefan Logan and Troy Stoudermire top Week Eight’s performers

Welcome to another edition of the Three Stars series, this time looking at the top showings in Week Eight.

First star/defensive player of the week: John Chick, defensive end, Saskatchewan Roughriders: It's unusual to see a defensive player earn a first star selection, and it's even more unusual to see the same player pick up back-to-back first star nods. In the three years I've been doing this series, I don't think it's ever happened before. Chick is certainly deserving to break that barrier, though. The Utah State product and NFL alum followed up last week's five-tackle, three-sack performance against Winnipeg with a terrific showing in the Riders' 16-11 win over Montreal Saturday, notching four tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble while applying continuous pressure on Alouettes' QB Alex Brink (who was held to just 187 passing yards).

Chick has been the most dominant defensive player in the league this season, recording 12 sacks (second-place John Bowman has seven, no one else has more than six) to date in seven games. That's 1.7 sacks per game, which puts him on pace for 30 on the season, ahead of James "Quick" Parker's single-season record of 26.5. If Chick can keep this up, he'll be a shoo-in for the league's top defensive player award, and he might even become the first defence-only player to ever win the Most Outstanding Player award. (Hal Patterson won in 1956 playing on both sides of the ball.) Chick's performance to date has been remarkable, and he's a key reason why Saskatchewan's 5-2 despite offensive struggles.

(Honourable mentions: Erik Harris, LB, Hamilton; Alex Bazzie, DT, B.C.; John Bowman, DE, Montreal.)

Second star/offensive player of the week: Stefan Logan, running back, B.C. Lions: The B.C. passing offence was mostly missing in action Sunday, but while their 33-17 win over Toronto was largely about the defence, Logan's contributions on the ground were also crucial to their victory. The South Dakota product picked up 145 rushing yards and a touchdown on 19 carries Sunday, giving him a superb average of 7.6 yards per carry, and he added 45 receiving yards on a team-high five catches. Logan's performance was especially huge with the Lions missing his typical backfield mate Andrew Harris (thanks to injury). Since returning from the NFL last year, Logan has been a great addition to the B.C. backfield, and that's been crucial this year given the issues their passing game has faced.

(Honourable mentions: Hugh Charles, RB, Calgary; Rob Bagg, WR, Saskatchewan; Adarius Bowman, SB, Edmonton.)

Third star/special teams player of the week: Troy Stoudermire, PR/KR, Winnipeg Blue Bombers: Although Winnipeg lost 38-21 to Toronto Tuesday, Stoudermire still turned in a great showing in a losing cause. The former Minnesota Golden Gopher picked up 119 return yards on three punts (an average of 39.7 yards per attempt, with a longest return of 61 yards) and added 154 yards on six kickoff returns (an average of 25.7 yards per return). The Bombers have tried plenty of different returners this year with varying degrees of success, but Stoudermire's showing this week certainly suggests he might deserve a further look.

(Honourable mentions: Swayze Waters, P/K, Toronto; Paul McCallum, K, B.C.; Josh Bartel, P, Saskatchewan.)

Bonus star/Canadian player of the week: Rob Bagg, wide receiver, Saskatchewan Roughriders: Bagg was crucial to the Roughriders' 16-11 win over Montreal Saturday, hauling in a team-high six catches for 90 yards and a touchdown. The Queen's product has been Saskatchewan's top receiver this year with 359 yards, more than 100 ahead of anyone else. His comeback from a litany of injuries (including torn ACLs in both knees) has been remarkable, and he's going to be a critical part of any future success for the Riders' receiving corps.

(Honourable mentions: Matt Carter, WR, Ottawa; Paul McCallum, K, B.C.; Rene Paredes, K, Calgary.)

Thanks for reading! You can submit nominations for the Three Stars feature to me during the week's games via Twitter or e-mail. Check back at 55-Yard Line after the week's games for the results.