Top-graded CFL players of Week 17: Highlighting the league’s best performers

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