Top-graded CFL players of Week 12: 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 12. We’ll be highlighting this group every week of the season, so 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: QB Nick Arbuckle, Toronto Argonauts
Another week, another eye-popping box score from a quarterback who didn’t lead the league in PFF grade. This time it was Toronto’s Nick Arbuckle, who completed 27-of-34 passes for 443 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions to earn a 75.7 overall grade that ranked fourth among quarterbacks in Week 12.
First things first, 75.7 is not a bad grade by any means. That grade still reflects a strong outing, and he did many things well. Arbuckle posted an 87.1% adjusted completion rate, made two very impressive big-time throws and helped lead the Argonauts to victory by consistently taking what the defense gave him.
However, his statistical production was heavily boosted by outstanding work from his receivers. We grade quarterbacks simply for the throw they made, so whatever a receiver does after the catch doesn’t affect said grade.
Toronto led the league in both yards after the catch (175) and missed tackles forced (9), neither of which impacts a quarterback’s grade. Arbuckle’s accuracy percentage of 53.3% and 29.4% rate of throws beyond the sticks were middle of the pack. He also had three turnover-worthy plays — two dropped interceptions and a fumble that a teammate recovered — the most of any quarterback this week.
Arbuckle managed the game well and delivered when it mattered, but those mistakes ultimately kept him from a higher grade.
Quarterback
| Name | Team | Snaps | Overall Grade |
| Trevor Harris | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 47 | 85.0 |
| Vernon Adams Jr. | Calgary Stampeders | 48 | 84.2 |
| Zach Collaros | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 58 | 83.9 |
| Nick Arbuckle | Toronto Argonauts | 63 | 75.7 |
| Dustin Crum | Ottawa Redblacks | 55 | 72.0 |
| Nathan Rourke | B.C. Lions | 49 | 71.9 |
| James Morgan | Montreal Alouettes | 49 | 67.7 |
| Cody Fajardo | Edmonton Elks | 53 | 63.2 |
Running Back
| Name | Team | Snaps | Overall Grade |
| Brady Oliveira | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 61 | 83.6 |
| Spencer Brown | Toronto Argonauts | 49 | 83.1 |
| James Butler | B.C. Lions | 52 | 75.0 |
| Dedrick Mills | Calgary Stampeders | 42 | 74.1 |
| Justin Rankin | Edmonton Elks | 43 | 71.5 |
| A.J. Ouellette | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 44 | 69.5 |
| William Stanback | Ottawa Redblacks | 47 | 66.2 |
| Travis Theis | Montreal Alouettes | 32 | 59.5 |
Wide Receiver
| Name | Team | Snaps | Overall Grade |
| Keon Hatcher | B.C. Lions | 52 | 82.5 |
| Jake Herslow | Toronto Argonauts | 62 | 77.3 |
| Jalen Philpot | Calgary Stampeders | 49 | 73.5 |
| Tyler Snead | Montreal Alouettes | 49 | 72.0 |
| Jevon Cottoy | B.C. Lions | 48 | 71.5 |
| Kevin Mital | Toronto Argonauts | 54 | 70.9 |
| Daylen Baldwin | Calgary Stampeders | 38 | 70.5 |
| Alexander Hollins | Montreal Alouettes | 47 | 69.2 |
| Nic Demski | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 25 | 68.9 |
| Justin McInnis | B.C. Lions | 49 | 68.9 |
Offensive Tackle
| Name | Team | Snaps | Overall Grade |
| Nick Callender | Montreal Alouettes | 49 | 74.5 |
| Jarell Broxton | B.C. Lions | 52 | 73.6 |
| Dino Boyd | Ottawa Redblacks | 55 | 69.7 |
| Joshua Coker | Calgary Stampeders | 55 | 67.9 |
| Brett Boyko | Edmonton Elks | 53 | 63.5 |
| John Bosse | Toronto Argonauts | 63 | 56.4 |
| D’Antne Demery | Calgary Stampeders | 49 | 56.3 |
| Brandon Kemp | Toronto Argonauts | 63 | 55.0 |
| Jermarcus Hardrick | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 60 | 53.1 |
| Stanley Bryant | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 61 | 52.0 |
Offensive Guard
| Name | Team | Snaps | Overall Grade |
| Zack Williams | Calgary Stampeders | 49 | 78.7 |
| Mark Korte | Edmonton Elks | 53 | 76.5 |
| Patrick Neufeld | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 61 | 75.4 |
| Donald Ventrelli | Montreal Alouettes | 49 | 67.6 |
| Gabe Wallace | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 61 | 62.8 |
| Dariusz Bladek | Ottawa Redblacks | 29 | 62.5 |
| Kory Woodruff | B.C. Lions | 52 | 61.4 |
| Pier-Olivier Lestage | Montreal Alouettes | 49 | 61.4 |
| Christy Nkanu | Calgary Stampeders | 49 | 59.2 |
| Ilm Manning | B.C. Lions | 52 | 58.0 |
Centre
| Name | Team | Snaps | Overall Grade |
| David Beard | Edmonton Elks | 53 | 74.5 |
| Cyrille Hogan-Saindon | Montreal Alouettes | 49 | 71.5 |
| Chris Kolankowski | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 61 | 65.4 |
| Peter Godber | Ottawa Redblacks | 55 | 61.8 |
| Peter Nicastro | Toronto Argonauts | 63 | 53.2 |
| Logan Ferland | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 60 | 52.7 |
| Christopher Fortin | Calgary Stampeders | 49 | 44.1 |
| Andrew Peirson | B.C. Lions | 52 | 43.1 |
Interior Defender
| Name | Team | Snaps | Overall Grade |
| Jake Ceresna | Edmonton Elks | 44 | 80.9 |
| Michael Wakefield | Ottawa Redblacks | 39 | 80.8 |
| Jaylon Hutchings | Calgary Stampeders | 43 | 78.2 |
| Caleb Sanders | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 33 | 77.8 |
| Dewayne Hendrix | B.C. Lions | 22 | 77.6 |
| Miles Brown | Calgary Stampeders | 48 | 74.6 |
| Jared Brinkman | Edmonton Elks | 46 | 72.3 |
| Micah Johnson | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 27 | 69.4 |
| Ricky Correia | Toronto Argonauts | 26 | 69.3 |
| J-Min Pelley | Toronto Argonauts | 24 | 66.2 |
Edge Defender
| Name | Team | Snaps | Overall Grade |
| Mathieu Betts | B.C. Lions | 51 | 89.4 |
| Clarence Hicks | Calgary Stampeders | 43 | 86.0 |
| Folarin Orimolade | Calgary Stampeders | 48 | 84.6 |
| Noah Taylor | Edmonton Elks | 35 | 78.7 |
| Shawn Lemon | Montreal Alouettes | 32 | 72.4 |
| Andrew Chatfield Jr. | Toronto Argonauts | 46 | 70.2 |
| Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund | Montreal Alouettes | 59 | 69.1 |
| Kemoko Turay | B.C. Lions | 30 | 66.7 |
| Malik Carney | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 36 | 66.5 |
| Brandon Barlow | Edmonton Elks | 39 | 66.4 |
Linebacker
| Name | Team | Snaps | Overall Grade |
| Tony Jones | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 46 | 76.1 |
| Jameer Thurman | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 49 | 70.7 |
| Joel Dublanko | Edmonton Elks | 42 | 69.8 |
| Jacob Roberts | Calgary Stampeders | 50 | 66.8 |
| Tyrice Beverette | Montreal Alouettes | 61 | 65.9 |
| Adarius Pickett | Ottawa Redblacks | 53 | 65.7 |
| A.J. Allen | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 49 | 65.0 |
| Cameron Judge | Toronto Argonauts | 52 | 63.8 |
| Micah Teitz | Calgary Stampeders | 23 | 63.1 |
| Chelen Garnes | Edmonton Elks | 54 | 62.6 |
Cornerback
| Name | Team | Snaps | Overall Grade |
| Godfrey Onyeka | Calgary Stampeders | 58 | 72.6 |
| Trey Vaval | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 47 | 72.1 |
| Delonte Hood | Toronto Argonauts | 48 | 70.9 |
| Kabion Ento | Montreal Alouettes | 61 | 68.5 |
| J.J. Ross | Edmonton Elks | 55 | 68.1 |
| Dexter Lawson Jr. | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 47 | 66.9 |
| Ronald Kent Jr. | B.C. Lions | 63 | 66.4 |
| Benjie Franklin | Toronto Argonauts | 52 | 64.6 |
| Lorenzo Burns | Montreal Alouettes | 57 | 64.0 |
| Alijah McGhee | Ottawa Redblacks | 34 | 63.6 |
Halfback
| Name | Team | Snaps | Overall Grade |
| Kobe Williams | Edmonton Elks | 55 | 74.4 |
| Gavin Heslop | Ottawa Redblacks | 41 | 73.0 |
| Darrius Bratton | Toronto Argonauts | 52 | 72.0 |
| Rolan Milligan | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 49 | 68.3 |
| Redha Kramdi | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 47 | 67.3 |
| King Ambers | Ottawa Redblacks | 53 | 67.1 |
| Evan Holm | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 49 | 66.2 |
| Sheldon Arnold II | Calgary Stampeders | 58 | 66.1 |
| Ciante Evans | Montreal Alouettes | 52 | 63.6 |
| Deatrick Nichols | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 49 | 61.8 |
Safety
| Name | Team | Snaps | Overall Grade |
| Arthur Hamlin | Montreal Alouettes | 53 | 74.8 |
| Cam Allen | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 37 | 72.1 |
| Royce Metchie | Edmonton Elks | 55 | 67.5 |
| Cristophe Beaulieu | B.C. Lions | 63 | 61.8 |
| Damon Webb | Calgary Stampeders | 60 | 61.4 |
| Deandre Lamont | Ottawa Redblacks | 53 | 53.7 |
| Derek Slywka | Toronto Argonauts | 47 | 52.3 |
| Jaxon Ford | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 48 | 37.6 |
