Top-graded CFL players of Week 17: 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 17. 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: B.C. Lions defensive line
The B.C. Lions extended their win streak to three games with a 27-22 victory over the Toronto Argonauts last week. The defense played a key role, holding the Argos to just 28 rushing yards and recording four sacks on quarterback Nick Arbuckle. Three of the Lions’ defensive linemen finished as the top-graded players at their position, anchoring one of the most dominant defensive efforts of the season.
Edge rushers Mathieu Betts and Bradlee Anae, along with interior defender Jonah Tavai, were disruptive all night. The trio combined for five total tackles and two solo stops in the run game. Both Betts and Anae earned run-defense grades above 70.0 and did not register a single negatively graded play against the run.
Where the Lions’ defensive line truly shone, though, was as pass rushers. Betts, Anae and Tavai finished as the top three highest-graded pass rushers across the CFL in Week 17.
Mathieu Betts led the group with a dominant performance, racking up three sacks, a quarterback hit, five hurries and three additional pass-rush wins, earning an 88.5 pass-rush grade. Bradlee Anae wasn’t far behind, posting an 87.1 grade thanks to a sack, a hit, two hurries and three more wins. Jonah Tavai didn’t record a sack but generated consistent pressure with a hit, four hurries and three additional wins, good for a 78.2 pass-rush grade.
While this was just Anae’s second CFL game, Betts and Tavai have been making noise all season. Betts owns a 90.0 pass-rush grade — fourth-best in the league — and leads the CFL with 62 total pressures. Tavai ranks fourth among interior defenders with 33 pressures and third in pass-rush grade at 80.6.
With Anae already making an impact and two proven disruptors leading the way, this B.C. defensive line could be a nightmare matchup come playoff time.
Quarterback
| Name | Team | Snaps | Overall Grade |
| Zach Collaros | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 40 | 91.2 |
| Cody Fajardo | Edmonton Elks | 44 | 88.5 |
| Bo Levi Mitchell | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 49 | 73.2 |
| Davis Alexander | Montreal Alouettes | 54 | 69.1 |
| Nathan Rourke | B.C. Lions | 50 | 66.6 |
| Trevor Harris | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 71 | 56.1 |
| Nick Arbuckle | Toronto Argonauts | 61 | 56.0 |
| Vernon Adams Jr. | Calgary Stampeders | 53 | 46.5 |
Running Back
| Name | Team | Snaps | Overall Grade |
| Brady Oliveira | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 51 | 80.2 |
| Greg Bell | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 49 | 72.9 |
| Justin Rankin | Edmonton Elks | 40 | 72.5 |
| Dedrick Mills | Calgary Stampeders | 53 | 70.7 |
| A.J. Ouellette | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 66 | 66.6 |
| Spencer Brown | Toronto Argonauts | 50 | 62.0 |
| Stevie Scott III | Montreal Alouettes | 58 | 61.4 |
| James Butler | B.C. Lions | 37 | 60.1 |
Wide Receiver
| Name | Team | Snaps | Overall Grade |
| Nic Demski | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 51 | 84.8 |
| Tyler Snead | Montreal Alouettes | 60 | 80.9 |
| Justin McInnis | B.C. Lions | 50 | 73.9 |
| Kiondre Smith | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 62 | 72.2 |
| Kurleigh Gittens Jr. | Edmonton Elks | 44 | 71.9 |
| Dominique Rhymes | Calgary Stampeders | 53 | 71.0 |
| Jake Herslow | Toronto Argonauts | 61 | 70.7 |
| Kevin Mital | Toronto Argonauts | 59 | 70.6 |
| Odieu Hiliare | Edmonton Elks | 24 | 70.0 |
| Tyson Philpot | Montreal Alouettes | 60 | 69.5 |
Tackle
| Name | Team | Snaps | Overall Grade |
| Kendall Randolph | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 51 | 76.1 |
| Jermarcus Hardrick | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 74 | 74.4 |
| Jarell Broxton | B.C. Lions | 37 | 73.9 |
| Stanley Bryant | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 51 | 72.4 |
| Chris Schleuger | B.C. Lions | 50 | 70.0 |
| Quinton Barrow | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 62 | 68.5 |
| D’Antne Demery | Calgary Stampeders | 57 | 67.2 |
| Brendan Bordner | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 62 | 65.3 |
| Nick Callender | Montreal Alouettes | 62 | 64.1 |
| Tiger Shanks | Montreal Alouettes | 62 | 62.5 |
Guard
| Name | Team | Snaps | Overall Grade |
| Brandon Revenberg | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 62 | 72.2 |
| Jacob Brammer | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 74 | 71.5 |
| Christy Nkanu | Calgary Stampeders | 57 | 71.4 |
| Liam Dobson | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 62 | 70.5 |
| Donald Ventrelli | Montreal Alouettes | 62 | 65.9 |
| Carter O’Donnell | Edmonton Elks | 46 | 65.3 |
| Mark Evans II | Edmonton Elks | 22 | 65.0 |
| Zack Williams | Calgary Stampeders | 57 | 64.6 |
| Patrick Neufeld | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 51 | 62.7 |
| Kory Woodruff | B.C. Lions | 50 | 62.7 |
Centre
| Name | Team | Snaps | Overall Grade |
| Christopher Fortin | Calgary Stampeders | 57 | 78.3 |
| Chris Kolankowski | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 51 | 76.3 |
| Logan Ferland | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 74 | 72.2 |
| David Beard | Edmonton Elks | 46 | 69.3 |
| Justin Lawrence | Montreal Alouettes | 62 | 62.8 |
| Coulter Woodmansey | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 62 | 58.7 |
| Peter Nicastro | Toronto Argonauts | 61 | 56.0 |
| Michael Couture | B.C. Lions | 50 | 49.3 |
Interior Defender
| Name | Team | Snaps | Overall Grade |
| Jonah Tavai | B.C. Lions | 48 | 73.2 |
| Jaylon Hutchings | Calgary Stampeders | 50 | 70.9 |
| Miles Fox | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 39 | 69.8 |
| Nathan Cherry | B.C. Lions | 21 | 69.1 |
| Ricky Correia | Toronto Argonauts | 21 | 67.7 |
| Miles Brown | Calgary Stampeders | 55 | 64.2 |
| Tyreek Johnson | Edmonton Elks | 52 | 63.8 |
| Jordan Williams | Edmonton Elks | 48 | 63.2 |
| Justin Sambu | Calgary Stampeders | 22 | 62.2 |
| Tomasi Laulile | B.C. Lions | 34 | 61.6 |
Edge Defender
| Name | Team | Snaps | Overall Grade |
| Bradlee Anae | B.C. Lions | 27 | 84.0 |
| Mathieu Betts | B.C. Lions | 55 | 82.9 |
| Clarence Hicks | Calgary Stampeders | 56 | 76.0 |
| Habakkuk Baldonado | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 38 | 71.4 |
| Willie Jefferson | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 41 | 66.1 |
| James Vaughters | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 50 | 65.8 |
| Julian Howsare | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 49 | 64.8 |
| Malik Carney | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 46 | 64.7 |
| Brandon Barlow | Edmonton Elks | 57 | 61.8 |
| Philip Ossai | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 42 | 61.4 |
Linebacker
| Name | Team | Snaps | Overall Grade |
| Brock Mogensen | Edmonton Elks | 74 | 81.3 |
| Cameron Judge | Toronto Argonauts | 47 | 76.7 |
| Tyrice Beverette | Montreal Alouettes | 57 | 76.6 |
| Darnell Sankey | Montreal Alouettes | 57 | 74.8 |
| Kyle Wilson | Calgary Stampeders | 42 | 72.6 |
| Josh Woods | B.C. Lions | 61 | 71.5 |
| Kyrie Wilson | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 41 | 67.6 |
| Jaiden Woodbey | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 60 | 67.6 |
| Branden Dozier | Toronto Argonauts | 47 | 67.2 |
| Kenneth Logan Jr. | Edmonton Elks | 74 | 63.9 |
Cornerback
| Name | Team | Snaps | Overall Grade |
| J.J. Ross | Edmonton Elks | 71 | 78.8 |
| Benny Sapp III | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 44 | 78.6 |
| Kabion Ento | Montreal Alouettes | 57 | 72.5 |
| Willie Drew Jr. | Toronto Argonauts | 43 | 69.7 |
| Dexter Lawson Jr. | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 60 | 66.8 |
| Lorenzo Burns | Montreal Alouettes | 57 | 65.2 |
| Tyrell Ford | Edmonton Elks | 71 | 65.2 |
| Benjie Franklin | Toronto Argonauts | 50 | 64.0 |
| Garry Peters | B.C. Lions | 61 | 63.1 |
| Robert Carter Jr. | B.C. Lions | 61 | 62.4 |
Halfback
| Name | Team | Snaps | Overall Grade |
| Destin Talbert | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 46 | 70.1 |
| Kobe Williams | Edmonton Elks | 74 | 68.8 |
| Deatrick Nichols | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 62 | 67.4 |
| Kordell Jackson | Edmonton Elks | 74 | 66.5 |
| Evan Holm | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 62 | 64.9 |
| Darrius Bratton | Toronto Argonauts | 50 | 63.1 |
| Ronald Kent Jr. | B.C. Lions | 59 | 62.1 |
| Deontai Williams | B.C. Lions | 61 | 60.8 |
| Ciante Evans | Montreal Alouettes | 51 | 59.3 |
| Tarvarus McFadden | Toronto Argonauts | 50 | 58.9 |
Safety
| Name | Team | Snaps | Overall Grade |
| Chelen Garnes | Edmonton Elks | 74 | 74.6 |
| Cam Allen | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 60 | 68.9 |
| Jackson Findlay | B.C. Lions | 61 | 65.8 |
| Kosi Onyeka | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 44 | 59 |
| Marc-Antoine Dequoy | Montreal Alouettes | 57 | 58.8 |
| Damon Webb | Calgary Stampeders | 62 | 58 |
| Stavros Katsantonis | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 49 | 57.7 |
| Derek Slywka | Toronto Argonauts | 47 | 40.8 |
