Top-graded CFL players of Week 9: Highlighting the league’s best performers
By
Bryson Vesnaver
The CFL season is heating up, and each week, we’re diving into the numbers to spotlight the league’s top performers.
Thanks to consistent demand from fans, we’re bringing you the top 10 highest-graded CFL players who played significant snaps, based on PFF’s grading system.
From quarterbacks dissecting defenses to defensive linemen wreaking havoc in the trenches, these are the athletes who stood out above the rest in Week 9. We’ll be highlighting this group every single week of the season so that CFL fans can keep track of the top-tier talent making an impact across the league.
Want to dig deeper into the data? Click here for full season-level PFF grades across the CFL.
Grading Highlight of the Week: EDGE Willie Jefferson, Winnipeg
Three-time Grey Cup champion. Six-time CFL All-Star. Winner of the 2019 Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award. Willie Jefferson is a future CFL Hall of Famer — no question. But at 34 years old and in his 11th CFL season, it would be understandable if he were starting to slow down.
That seemed to be the case early this season. Through his first six games, Jefferson totaled just 11 quarterback pressures, two batted passes and a 64.8 overall grade.
But Week 9 told a different story.
Jefferson exploded with a 99.3 game grade, the highest single-game grade PFF has ever awarded in four years of grading the CFL.
He rushed the passer 42 times in the game and recorded a sack, a quarterback hit, six hurries and two additional pass-rush wins. His 23.8% pass-rush win rate was the highest of the week. His lone sack was a strip sack, which teammate Jay Person recovered and returned for a touchdown.
He also recorded four batted passes, an absurd total that brings him to 44 in the PFF CFL era (since 2022). The next closest player has just 12.
Jefferson continues to prove he’s ageless, and performances like this only add to his already incredible legacy.
Quarterback
| Name | Team | Snaps | Overall Grade |
| Trevor Harris | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 52 | 87.7 |
| Cody Fajardo | Edmonton Elks | 49 | 79.6 |
| Bo Levi Mitchell | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 61 | 79.5 |
| P.J. Walker | Calgary Stampeders | 60 | 64.6 |
| Nick Arbuckle | Toronto Argonauts | 50 | 63.9 |
| Chris Streveler | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 53 | 58.4 |
| Dru Brown | Ottawa Redblacks | 55 | 58.2 |
| McLeod Bethel-Thompson | Montreal Alouettes | 41 | 44.3 |
Running Back
| Name | Team | Snaps | Overall Grade |
| Justin Rankin | Edmonton Elks | 43 | 77.9 |
| A.J. Ouellette | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 49 | 76.5 |
| Greg Bell | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 51 | 69.4 |
| Travis Theis | Montreal Alouettes | 24 | 68.2 |
| William Stanback | Ottawa Redblacks | 39 | 67.2 |
| Brady Oliveira | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 59 | 66.1 |
| Sean Thomas Erlington | Montreal Alouettes | 27 | 59.1 |
| Jeshrun Antwi | Calgary Stampeders | 20 | 55.9 |
| Deonta McMahon | Toronto Argonauts | 38 | 55.8 |
| Dedrick Mills | Calgary Stampeders | 23 | 50.4 |
Wide Receiver
| Name | Team | Snaps | Overall Grade |
| Kiondre Smith | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 64 | 80.7 |
| Eugene Lewis | Ottawa Redblacks | 51 | 73.3 |
| Damonte Coxie | Toronto Argonauts | 50 | 72.7 |
| Dohnte Meyers | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 58 | 72.0 |
| Nic Demski | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 57 | 71.5 |
| Tyler Snead | Montreal Alouettes | 50 | 70.7 |
| Tim White | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 58 | 68.5 |
| Jerreth Sterns | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 52 | 68.2 |
| KeeSean Johnson | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 54 | 67.8 |
| Kurleigh Gittens Jr. | Edmonton Elks | 49 | 67.7 |
Tackle
| Name | Team | Snaps | Overall Grade |
| Kendall Randolph | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 59 | 73.7 |
| Jermarcus Hardrick | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 58 | 72.4 |
| Payton Collins | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 58 | 71.5 |
| Quinton Barrow | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 64 | 69.5 |
| Brett Boyko | Edmonton Elks | 54 | 68.3 |
| Nick Callender | Montreal Alouettes | 42 | 65.8 |
| Joshua Coker | Calgary Stampeders | 60 | 64.7 |
| Brendan Bordner | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 64 | 62.5 |
| Eric Lofton | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 59 | 59.8 |
| Martez Ivey | Edmonton Elks | 54 | 57.7 |
Guard
| Name | Team | Snaps | Overall Grade |
| Jacob Brammer | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 58 | 69.2 |
| Zack Fry | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 58 | 64.9 |
| Sage Doxtater | Toronto Argonauts | 50 | 62.8 |
| Donald Ventrelli | Montreal Alouettes | 50 | 62.6 |
| Anthony Vandal | Toronto Argonauts | 50 | 61.1 |
| Liam Dobson | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 64 | 60.1 |
| Gregor Mackellar | Edmonton Elks | 54 | 60.1 |
| Dariusz Bladek | Ottawa Redblacks | 31 | 60.0 |
| Drew Desjarlais | Ottawa Redblacks | 57 | 59.7 |
| Mark Korte | Edmonton Elks | 54 | 58.7 |
Centre
| Name | Team | Snaps | Overall Grade |
| Logan Ferland | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 58 | 67.9 |
| Peter Nicastro | Toronto Argonauts | 50 | 67.6 |
| David Beard | Edmonton Elks | 54 | 62.2 |
| Peter Godber | Ottawa Redblacks | 57 | 57.7 |
| Coulter Woodmansey | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 64 | 56.8 |
| Cyrille Hogan-Saindon | Montreal Alouettes | 32 | 56.5 |
| Chris Kolankowski | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 59 | 55.6 |
| Christopher Fortin | Calgary Stampeders | 60 | 51.4 |
Interior Defender
| Name | Team | Snaps | Overall Grade |
| Caleb Sanders | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 23 | 84.9 |
| Michael Wakefield | Ottawa Redblacks | 33 | 79.6 |
| Jaylon Hutchings | Calgary Stampeders | 38 | 75.4 |
| Daniel Okpoko | Ottawa Redblacks | 27 | 75.1 |
| Anthony Lanier II | Toronto Argonauts | 40 | 71.9 |
| Cameron Lawson | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 25 | 71.2 |
| Miles Fox | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 46 | 70.1 |
| Mike Rose | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 33 | 68.8 |
| Jordan Williams | Toronto Argonauts | 36 | 68.6 |
| Muftah Ageli | Ottawa Redblacks | 23 | 67.6 |
Edge Defender
| Name | Team | Snaps | Overall Grade |
| Willie Jefferson | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 45 | 99.3 |
| Lorenzo Mauldin IV | Ottawa Redblacks | 47 | 78.8 |
| Bryce Carter | Ottawa Redblacks | 59 | 75.8 |
| Malik Carney | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 32 | 75.1 |
| James Vaughters | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 50 | 72.0 |
| Clarence Hicks | Calgary Stampeders | 36 | 70.7 |
| Brandon Barlow | Edmonton Elks | 49 | 70.3 |
| Folarin Orimolade | Calgary Stampeders | 45 | 68.5 |
| Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund | Montreal Alouettes | 58 | 68.3 |
| Charles Wiley | Calgary Stampeders | 32 | 67.0 |
Linebacker
| Name | Team | Snaps | Overall Grade |
| Jameer Thurman | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 42 | 90.6 |
| C.J. Reavis | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 46 | 82.3 |
| Wynton McManis | Toronto Argonauts | 54 | 81.3 |
| Tony Jones | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 42 | 80.0 |
| Geoffrey Cantin-Arku | Montreal Alouettes | 49 | 77.6 |
| Derrick Moncrief | Calgary Stampeders | 56 | 77.5 |
| Isaac Darkangelo | Toronto Argonauts | 39 | 75.8 |
| Kyle Wilson | Calgary Stampeders | 33 | 73.0 |
| Jovan Santos-Knox | Ottawa Redblacks | 58 | 71.7 |
| Aaron Casey | Toronto Argonauts | 32 | 71.4 |
Cornerback
| Name | Team | Snaps | Overall Grade |
| Tarvarus McFadden | Toronto Argonauts | 59 | 83.5 |
| Jamal Parker Jr. | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 28 | 72.9 |
| Jamal Peters | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 54 | 72.6 |
| Marcus Sayles | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 50 | 71.8 |
| Tevaughn Campbell | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 50 | 68.5 |
| Alijah McGhee | Ottawa Redblacks | 50 | 67.9 |
| J.J. Ross | Edmonton Elks | 64 | 67.7 |
| Godfrey Onyeka | Calgary Stampeders | 57 | 66.8 |
| Benjie Franklin | Toronto Argonauts | 59 | 66.0 |
| Tyrell Ford | Edmonton Elks | 61 | 65.8 |
Halfback
| Name | Team | Snaps | Overall Grade |
| Amari Henderson | Ottawa Redblacks | 60 | 78.5 |
| Deatrick Nichols | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 50 | 73.6 |
| Kobe Williams | Edmonton Elks | 64 | 73.3 |
| Jaydon Grant | Calgary Stampeders | 51 | 73.2 |
| Sheldon Arnold II | Calgary Stampeders | 52 | 72.9 |
| Deandre Lamont | Ottawa Redblacks | 59 | 68.4 |
| Rolan Milligan | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 50 | 64.5 |
| Evan Holm | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 50 | 63.3 |
| Wesley Sutton | Montreal Alouettes | 53 | 62.5 |
| DaMarcus Fields | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 49 | 62.5 |
Safety
| Name | Team | Snaps | Overall Grade |
| Bennett Williams | Ottawa Redblacks | 60 | 73.3 |
| Arthur Hamlin | Montreal Alouettes | 50 | 72.5 |
| Jake Kelly | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 35 | 72.3 |
| Nelson Lokombo | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 49 | 71.7 |
| Stavros Katsantonis | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 49 | 69.0 |
| Damon Webb | Calgary Stampeders | 57 | 56.7 |
| Tyshon Blackburn | Toronto Argonauts | 51 | 52.7 |
| Chelen Garnes | Edmonton Elks | 64 | 45.0 |
