Top-graded CFL players of Week 16: 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 16. 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 Zander Horvath, B.C. Lions

Heading into last weekend, B.C. Lions rookie running back Zander Horvath had just one carry on the season — a 4-yard rush back in Week 5. But with starter James Butler sidelined due to injury, Horvath stepped into the spotlight and delivered in a big way.

The rookie exploded for 156 yards on 13 carries, including a 70-yard touchdown run, and finished as PFF’s highest-graded running back of the week. Still, his overall grade came in at a solid — but not elite — 79.7. So why the discrepancy?

Let’s start with the positives. Horvath earned an impressive 89.3 rushing grade, forcing three missed tackles and averaging a staggering 10.3 yards after contact per attempt. He gained positive yardage on every carry and even had a 36-yard run with two broken tackles wiped out by a penalty. As a pure runner, Horvath was exceptional.

Where Horvath’s overall grade dipped was in the other phases of the game. PFF evaluates running backs across four key areas: rushing, receiving, pass blocking and run blocking. While Horvath excelled as a rusher, the rest of his performance dragged down his composite grade.

He ran 22 routes but was targeted just once and dropped that lone opportunity. That single drop across so many receiving snaps resulted in a 39.1 receiving grade.

In pass protection, Horvath stayed in to block on four snaps. Although the sample size was not large, he allowed a quarterback hurry on one of them, which earned him a 49.1 grade in that area. He did not earn a formal run-blocking grade, as his only blocking reps came on quarterback sneaks, leading to a default grade of 58.8.

Altogether, Horvath posted grades of 89.3 (rushing), 39.1 (receiving), 49.1 (pass blocking) and 58.8 (run blocking). Rushing performance carries the most weight in a running back’s overall grade, with receiving and pass protection factored in to a lesser degree. That explains why his final mark of 79.7 reflects a strong but not elite showing — an outstanding game on the ground, offset by struggles elsewhere.

Quarterback

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Nathan Rourke	B.C. Lions	44	93.4
Dru Brown	Ottawa Redblacks	62	84.4
P.J. Walker	Calgary Stampeders	20	78.5
Bo Levi Mitchell	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	61	69.1
McLeod Bethel-Thompson	Montreal Alouettes	52	65.0
Cody Fajardo	Edmonton Elks	51	62.7
Chris Streveler	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	46	59.5
Jarret Doege	Toronto Argonauts	55	58.5
Vernon Adams Jr.	Calgary Stampeders	31	33.3

Running Back

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Zander Horvath	B.C. Lions	46	79.7
Stevie Scott III	Montreal Alouettes	56	68.2
Justin Rankin	Edmonton Elks	45	66.2
Brady Oliveira	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	46	65.4
Greg Bell	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	60	65.0
Dedrick Mills	Calgary Stampeders	52	62.7
Daniel Adeboboye	Ottawa Redblacks	40	59.4
Spencer Brown	Toronto Argonauts	53	59.3

Wide Receiver

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Keon Hatcher	B.C. Lions	48	90.9
Justin McInnis	B.C. Lions	48	74.9
Eugene Lewis	Ottawa Redblacks	58	73.7
Tevin Jones	Calgary Stampeders	61	72.8
Justin Hardy	Ottawa Redblacks	62	71.0
Tim White	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	61	71.0
Tyler Snead	Montreal Alouettes	53	70.0
Kiondre Smith	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	62	68.1
Kurleigh Gittens Jr.	Edmonton Elks	51	67.6
Jake Herslow	Toronto Argonauts	55	65.4

Offensive Tackle

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Dino Boyd	Ottawa Redblacks	62	67.4
Quinton Barrow	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	62	66.9
Drew Desjarlais	Ottawa Redblacks	62	65.1
Brett Boyko	Edmonton Elks	52	63.0
Kendall Randolph	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	46	62.9
Stanley Bryant	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	46	61.6
Jamar McGloster	Montreal Alouettes	56	59.9
Nick Callender	Montreal Alouettes	58	59.8
Chris Schleuger	B.C. Lions	48	59.5
Martez Ivey	Edmonton Elks	52	58.4

Offensive Guard

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Jacob Ruby	Ottawa Redblacks	62	72.6
Donald Ventrelli	Montreal Alouettes	56	64.8
Sam Carson	Ottawa Redblacks	62	64.7
Pier-Olivier Lestage	Montreal Alouettes	58	63.7
Patrick Neufeld	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	46	63.7
Christy Nkanu	Calgary Stampeders	62	63.5
Brandon Revenberg	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	62	63.0
Carter O'Donnell	Edmonton Elks	52	60.9
Zack Williams	Calgary Stampeders	62	60.1
Liam Dobson	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	62	59.9

Centre

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
David Beard	Edmonton Elks	52	70.0
Coulter Woodmansey	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	62	66.5
Peter Godber	Ottawa Redblacks	62	65.8
Christopher Fortin	Calgary Stampeders	62	64.9
Chris Kolankowski	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	46	58.0
Peter Nicastro	Toronto Argonauts	55	56.7
Michael Couture	B.C. Lions	48	55.7
Justin Lawrence	Montreal Alouettes	58	46.4

Interior Defender

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Jonah Tavai	B.C. Lions	32	85.9
Jaylon Hutchings	Calgary Stampeders	40	77.3
Anthony Lanier II	Toronto Argonauts	55	74.8
Mustafa Johnson	Montreal Alouettes	40	73.7
Tomasi Laulile	B.C. Lions	30	72.9
Nathan Cherry	B.C. Lions	29	70.3
Miles Fox	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	25	68.8
J-Min Pelley	Toronto Argonauts	38	66.0
Dylan Wynn	Montreal Alouettes	26	65.6
Ricky Correia	Toronto Argonauts	39	64.3

Edge Defender

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Andrew Chatfield Jr.	Toronto Argonauts	38	88.9
Clarence Hicks	Calgary Stampeders	39	80.0
Julian Howsare	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	52	79.4
Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund	Montreal Alouettes	50	73.2
Levi Bell	B.C. Lions	38	71.7
James Vaughters	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	54	70.6
Derek Parish	Toronto Argonauts	34	70.6
Mathieu Betts	B.C. Lions	44	69.7
Lorenzo Mauldin IV	Ottawa Redblacks	28	66.5
Brandon Barlow	Edmonton Elks	53	66.0

Linebacker

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Adarius Pickett	Ottawa Redblacks	46	85.3
Jovan Santos-Knox	Ottawa Redblacks	37	82.0
Tyrice Beverette	Montreal Alouettes	55	73.9
Reggie Stubblefield	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	51	73.4
Najee Murray	Montreal Alouettes	55	71.2
Tony Jones	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	59	70.1
Micah Awe	B.C. Lions	57	68.1
Kyrie Wilson	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	46	68.0
Ben Hladik	B.C. Lions	20	67.7
Darnell Sankey	Montreal Alouettes	55	67.2

Cornerback

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Lorenzo Burns	Montreal Alouettes	52	72.5
Jonathan Moxey	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	51	70.1
J.J. Ross	Edmonton Elks	62	70.1
Tyrell Ford	Edmonton Elks	62	69.9
Garry Peters	B.C. Lions	60	69.7
Shakur Brown	Ottawa Redblacks	46	65.3
Demerio Houston	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	62	65.0
Kabion Ento	Montreal Alouettes	55	64.9
Jamal Parker Jr.	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	44	63.5
Dexter Lawson Jr.	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	28	62.7

Halfback

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Wesley Sutton	Montreal Alouettes	55	79.0
Deatrick Nichols	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	61	78.4
Jackson Findlay	B.C. Lions	55	74.4
Evan Holm	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	62	73.9
Deandre Lamont	Ottawa Redblacks	46	73.4
Tarvarus McFadden	Toronto Argonauts	58	70.8
Kobe Williams	Edmonton Elks	62	70.1
DaShaun Amos	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	52	66.7
T.J. Lee	B.C. Lions	62	65.5
Darrius Bratton	Toronto Argonauts	58	64.9

Safety

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Kordell Jackson	Edmonton Elks	62	77.5
Marc-Antoine Dequoy	Montreal Alouettes	55	76.4
Jackson Findlay	B.C. Lions	55	74.4
Deandre Lamont	Ottawa Redblacks	46	73.4
Derek Slywka	Toronto Argonauts	55	71.9
Cam Allen	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	62	60.2
Stavros Katsantonis	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	51	54.9
Damon Webb	Calgary Stampeders	48	52.9