Top-graded CFL players of Week 23: Highlighting the league’s best performers

The CFL season is getting down to the wire, 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 23. 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: HB Destin Talbert, Hamilton Tiger-Cats

The overall grade of a defensive back in PFF’s system requires context when assessing and comparing performances. Our grades are production-based, meaning a defensive back must be targeted to earn a grade on a passing play. A non-targeted defender receives a zero grade on that play unless they commit a coverage penalty. Through grade normalization, non-targeted coverage snaps receive a slight boost so that players still land above average, but they miss out on the high-value plays — such as interceptions or pass breakups — that can significantly raise a grade. As a result, a cornerback who locks down his receiver all game may finish with a lower grade than one who’s targeted multiple times but produces key pass breakups.

The sweet spot for defensive backs comes when they limit targets and still make plays when tested — exactly what Destin Talbert did in this game. He was targeted just once in primary coverage, on a quick hitch that he immediately tackled for a five-yard gain. Twice, he was involved as the secondary coverage defender — once breaking on a crossing route to knock down a pass and once playing perfect deep-third coverage to intercept a go route.

While grades are production-based, PFF also tracks coverage success separately for every defensive back on every pass play. In this game, Talbert had 18 individual coverage matchups and recorded good coverage on 15 of them. That consistency demonstrates his strong positioning and discipline, forcing the quarterback to look elsewhere rather than merely benefiting from good fortune.

In the end, Talbert’s combination of tight coverage and impact plays earned him a 90.9 coverage grade. He also registered a run stop and two tackles in run defense, boosting his overall grade to 91.5 — the highest mark of any player at any position last weekend and the second-highest of his career.

Quarterback

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Nathan Rourke	B.C. Lions	52	81.4
Trevor Harris	Saskatchewan Roughriders	58	80.9
Bo Levi Mitchell	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	52	77.5
Davis Alexander	Montreal Alouettes	50	67.4

Running Back

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Greg Bell	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	52	69.7
Stevie Scott III	Montreal Alouettes	39	68.7
A.J. Ouellette	Saskatchewan Roughriders	58	66.1
James Butler	B.C. Lions	48	65.3

Wide Receiver

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Kenny Lawler	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	51	81.3
Justin McInnis	B.C. Lions	51	71.6
Samuel Emilus	Saskatchewan Roughriders	57	68.2
Keon Hatcher	B.C. Lions	52	66.9
Charleston Rambo	Montreal Alouettes	40	64.5
Shemar Bridges	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	30	64.5
Jevon Cottoy	B.C. Lions	47	64.3
Tyler Snead	Montreal Alouettes	43	63.9
Kian Schaffer-Baker	Saskatchewan Roughriders	58	63.4
Jevoni Robinson	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	33	62.8

Offensive Tackle

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Payton Collins	Saskatchewan Roughriders	58	75.6
Nick Callender	Montreal Alouettes	53	70.6
Jarell Broxton	B.C. Lions	52	69.8
Jermarcus Hardrick	Saskatchewan Roughriders	58	68.3
Chris Schleuger	B.C. Lions	47	67.6
Quinton Barrow	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	53	65.7
Jordan Murray	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	53	62.6
Tiger Shanks	Montreal Alouettes	53	57.9

Offensive Guard

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Liam Dobson	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	53	76.8
Brandon Revenberg	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	53	75.2
Jacob Brammer	Saskatchewan Roughriders	58	73.0
Des Holmes	Montreal Alouettes	53	67.0
Kory Woodruff	B.C. Lions	52	65.8
George Una	B.C. Lions	52	61.9
Trevon Tate	Saskatchewan Roughriders	58	59.2
Donald Ventrelli	Montreal Alouettes	53	54.2

Centre

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Coulter Woodmansey	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	53	71.8
Justin Lawrence	Montreal Alouettes	53	66.9
Logan Ferland	Saskatchewan Roughriders	58	63.8
Michael Couture	B.C. Lions	52	59.1

Interior Defender

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Micah Johnson	Saskatchewan Roughriders	31	78.2
Mike Rose	Saskatchewan Roughriders	29	71.5
Casey Sayles	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	48	65.0
Dewayne Hendrix	B.C. Lions	29	62.6
Jonah Tavai	B.C. Lions	53	62.4
Tibo Debaillie	B.C. Lions	20	59.6
Dylan Wynn	Montreal Alouettes	53	56.2
Mario Kendricks Jr.	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	49	55.5
Ali Saad	Saskatchewan Roughriders	32	50.1
Kori Roberson Jr.	Montreal Alouettes	35	49.5

Edge Defender

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Levi Bell	B.C. Lions	45	70.4
Julian Howsare	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	51	69.0
Habakkuk Baldonado	Saskatchewan Roughriders	49	67.2
Joshua Archibald	Montreal Alouettes	20	61.9
Malik Carney	Saskatchewan Roughriders	52	61.3
Philip Ossai	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	47	60.6
Mathieu Betts	B.C. Lions	37	57.9
Lwal Uguak	Montreal Alouettes	36	57.7
Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund	Montreal Alouettes	51	55.5
Bradlee Anae	B.C. Lions	24	55.5

Linebacker

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Reggie Stubblefield	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	51	74.3
Geoffrey Cantin-Arku	Montreal Alouettes	35	73.5
Darnell Sankey	Montreal Alouettes	53	69.7
Josh Woods	B.C. Lions	58	66.8
Ben Hladik	B.C. Lions	33	66.2
Devin Veresuk	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	37	65.3
Tyrice Beverette	Montreal Alouettes	53	61.6
Najee Murray	Montreal Alouettes	53	60.1
Micah Awe	B.C. Lions	38	59.5
A.J. Allen	Saskatchewan Roughriders	52	57.4

Cornerback

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Lorenzo Burns	Montreal Alouettes	53	73.7
Marcus Sayles	Saskatchewan Roughriders	51	73.3
Jamal Peters	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	53	69.9
Quavian White	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	52	68.2
Robert Carter Jr.	B.C. Lions	58	62.2
Tevaughn Campbell	Saskatchewan Roughriders	52	61.5
Garry Peters	B.C. Lions	58	60.8
Kabion Ento	Montreal Alouettes	52	52.5

Halfback

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Destin Talbert	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	50	91.5
Wesley Sutton	Montreal Alouettes	53	77.4
T.J. Lee	B.C. Lions	58	72.8
DaShaun Amos	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	52	69.6
Deontai Williams	B.C. Lions	58	65.5
Ronald Kent Jr.	B.C. Lions	45	64.8
DaMarcus Fields	Saskatchewan Roughriders	51	60.2
Rolan Milligan	Saskatchewan Roughriders	49	59.5
Robert Kennedy III	Montreal Alouettes	36	57.9

Safety

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Jackson Findlay	B.C. Lions	58	81.5
Marc-Antoine Dequoy	Montreal Alouettes	53	66.6
Stavros Katsantonis	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	52	62.0
C.J. Reavis	Saskatchewan Roughriders	52	54.7