Top-graded CFL players of Week 14: 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 14. 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: RB Justin Rankin, Edmonton Elks

The Elks’ back carried the ball 16 times for an absurd 204 yards and two touchdowns, finishing with a league-best 92.6 overall grade and a 94.3 rushing grade. Let’s break down how he earned that elite mark.

At PFF, we grade running backs based on what they do on a given play, independent of the blocking in front of them. A runner who consistently breaks tackles or creates yards despite poor blocking will grade higher than one who simply benefits from wide-open lanes.

A significant percentage of running back carries are graded as neutral (zero). A back isn’t penalized for getting tackled at the line if there was no room to run, but they are rewarded for making sharp cuts, reading the defense and turning potential losses into positive plays.

In Rankin’s case, 10 of his 16 carries (62.5%) earned a positive grade, while just six were neutral. For comparison, 2024 Most Outstanding Player Brady Oliveira finished last season with 55.0% positively graded runs and 45.1% neutral.

What pushed Rankin’s grade into elite territory was the quality of those positive plays. Both of his touchdowns featured multiple broken tackles and breakaway speed. He added two more long runs with sharp cuts and smart vision. He finished the game with four explosive runs, forced six missed tackles and gained 178 of his 204 rushing yards after contact — a staggering number considering just 26 came before contact.

Rankin’s tape and metrics tell the same story: a dominant performance, both on the field and in the gradebook.

Quarterback

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Cody Fajardo	Edmonton Elks	52	86.7
Nathan Rourke	B.C. Lions	57	85.5
Dustin Crum	Ottawa Redblacks	59	77.0
Trevor Harris	Saskatchewan Roughriders	50	72.3
Bo Levi Mitchell	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	56	66.4
Zach Collaros	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	33	64.6
Vernon Adams Jr.	Calgary Stampeders	49	55.3
James Morgan	Montreal Alouettes	45	51.4

Running Back

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Justin Rankin	Edmonton Elks	40	92.6
Greg Bell	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	49	77.5
Travis Theis	Montreal Alouettes	36	74.3
Brady Oliveira	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	53	65.5
Dedrick Mills	Calgary Stampeders	53	65.2
James Butler	B.C. Lions	59	64.7
A.J. Ouellette	Saskatchewan Roughriders	53	64.2
William Stanback	Ottawa Redblacks	52	61.3

Wide Receiver

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Justin McInnis	B.C. Lions	57	77.0
KeeSean Johnson	Saskatchewan Roughriders	54	76.0
Pokey Wilson	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	44	71.9
Odieu Hiliare	Edmonton Elks	27	70.5
Erik Brooks	Calgary Stampeders	49	70.2
Nic Demski	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	53	69.3
Kaion Julien-Grant	Edmonton Elks	52	69.1
Kalil Pimpleton	Ottawa Redblacks	47	65.3
Austin Mack	Montreal Alouettes	49	65.0
Dohnte Meyers	Saskatchewan Roughriders	57	63.3

Offensive Tackle

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Nick Callender	Montreal Alouettes	51	77.5
Jarell Broxton	B.C. Lions	59	76.4
Jermarcus Hardrick	Saskatchewan Roughriders	57	75.2
Brendan Bordner	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	58	70.3
Payton Collins	Saskatchewan Roughriders	57	69.7
Kendall Randolph	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	53	69.7
Stanley Bryant	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	53	68.8
Quinton Barrow	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	58	68.2
Preston Nichols	Calgary Stampeders	51	67.6
Chris Schleuger	B.C. Lions	59	64.6

Offensive Guard

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Liam Dobson	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	58	70.6
Jacob Ruby	Ottawa Redblacks	59	68.6
Zack Fry	Saskatchewan Roughriders	57	66.3
Jacob Brammer	Saskatchewan Roughriders	57	66.1
Kory Woodruff	B.C. Lions	59	65.6
Christy Nkanu	Calgary Stampeders	61	64.6
Pier-Olivier Lestage	Montreal Alouettes	51	62.8
Donald Ventrelli	Montreal Alouettes	51	62.4
George Una	B.C. Lions	59	62.2
Gregor Mackellar	Edmonton Elks	52	61.5

Centre

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Cyrille Hogan-Saindon	Montreal Alouettes	51	81.3
Coulter Woodmansey	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	58	80.0
Peter Godber	Ottawa Redblacks	59	75.4
David Beard	Edmonton Elks	52	67.7
Logan Ferland	Saskatchewan Roughriders	57	66.6
Michael Couture	B.C. Lions	59	56.1
Christopher Fortin	Calgary Stampeders	61	53.8
Chris Kolankowski	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	53	47.0

Interior Defender

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Jordan Williams	Edmonton Elks	42	81.8
Jake Thomas	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	38	74.7
Micah Johnson	Saskatchewan Roughriders	35	74.0
Muftah Ageli	Ottawa Redblacks	37	73.0
Caleb Sanders	Saskatchewan Roughriders	28	72.0
Jonah Tavai	B.C. Lions	55	70.8
Blessman Ta’ala	Ottawa Redblacks	39	69.9
Tyreek Johnson	Edmonton Elks	22	68.9
Tomasi Laulile	B.C. Lions	38	68.2
Mike Rose	Saskatchewan Roughriders	38	66.6

Edge Defender

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Julian Howsare	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	51	87.7
Malik Carney	Saskatchewan Roughriders	44	81.9
Clarence Hicks	Calgary Stampeders	37	79.2
Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund	Montreal Alouettes	58	68.8
Noah Taylor	Edmonton Elks	53	66.9
Willie Jefferson	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	39	66.8
Bryce Carter	Ottawa Redblacks	32	66.7
James Vaughters	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	50	65.4
Lwal Uguak	Montreal Alouettes	32	65.0
Brandon Barlow	Edmonton Elks	53	64.5

Linebacker

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Jovan Santos-Knox	Ottawa Redblacks	55	77.1
Reggie Stubblefield	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	50	76.0
Lucas Cormier	Ottawa Redblacks	46	73.3
A.J. Allen	Saskatchewan Roughriders	53	72.8
Najee Murray	Montreal Alouettes	55	69.9
Davion Taylor	Ottawa Redblacks	22	69.4
Kyler Fisher	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	51	69.3
Geoffrey Cantin-Arku	Montreal Alouettes	30	68.6
Micah Teitz	Calgary Stampeders	29	68.3
Adam Bighill	Calgary Stampeders	25	68.0

Cornerback

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Jonathan Moxey	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	50	79.4
Anthony Johnson	Calgary Stampeders	52	75.8
Kabion Ento	Montreal Alouettes	58	75.5
Marcus Sayles	Saskatchewan Roughriders	35	74.9
C.J. Coldon Jr.	Ottawa Redblacks	59	71.5
Dexter Lawson Jr.	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	55	71.2
J.J. Ross	Edmonton Elks	61	70.3
Cam Stone	B.C. Lions	59	68.7
Jamal Peters	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	51	68.0
Robert Carter Jr.	B.C. Liins	59	66.5

Halfback

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
DaShaun Amos	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	51	80.6
DaMarcus Fields	Saskatchewan Roughriders	51	80.4
Destin Talbert	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	50	75.2
Ciante Evans	Montreal Alouettes	46	74.8
Kobe Williams	Edmonton Elks	61	72.3
Kordell Jackson	Edmonton Elks	61	69.4
Deontai Williams	B.C. Lions	59	68.1
Rolan Milligan	Saskatchewan Roughriders	53	67.4
Ronald Kent Jr.	B.C. Lions	54	67.0
Wesley Sutton	Montreal Alouettes	58	65.8

Safety

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Redha Kramdi	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	55	76.5
Damon Webb	Calgary Stampeders	52	73.5
Cristophe Beaulieu	B.C. Lions	59	67.9
Kosi Onyeka	Saskatchewan Roughriders	51	64.5
Deandre Lamont	Ottawa Redblacks	59	62.9
Stavros Katsantonis	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	50	62.3
Royce Metchie	Edmonton Elks	61	56.0
Marc-Antoine Dequoy	Montreal Alouettes	58	52.3