Top Ranked CFL Players of Week 23: Highlighting the league’s best players

The CFL season is just around the corner and each week we’re digging into the numbers to spotlight the league’s top performers.

Thanks to constant fan demand, we bring you the top 10 highest-rated CFL players who played significant snaps, based on PFF’s rating system.

From quarterbacks dissecting defenses to defensive linemen wreaking havoc in the trenches, these are the athletes who stood above the rest in Week 23. We will highlight this group each week of the season so CFL fans can follow the top talent making an impact across the league.

Do you want to dive deeper into the data? Click here for full-season PFF grades for the CFL.

Highlight of the week: HB Destin Talbert, Hamilton Tiger-Cats

A defensive back’s overall grade in the PFF system requires context when assessing and comparing performance. Our grades are based on production, meaning a defensive back must be deployed to earn a grade on a passing play. A non-targeted defender receives a zero mark for that play unless he commits a covering penalty. Level normalization gives non-targeted coverage snaps a slight boost, so players are still above average, but they miss out on the valuable plays – like interceptions or pass breakups – that can significantly boost a grade. As a result, a cornerback who locks down his receiver all game may end up with a lower grade than one who is targeted multiple times but causes 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 only once in primary coverage, on a quick hitch that he immediately addressed for a five-yard gain. Twice he was involved as a secondary coverage defender: once he broke on a crossing route to knock down a pass and once he played perfect deep third coverage to intercept a go route.

While the numbers are based on production, PFF also tracks coverage success separately for each defensive back on each pass. In this match, Talbert had 18 individual coverage matchups and had good coverage on 15 of them. That consistency showcases his strong positioning and discipline, forcing the quarterback to look elsewhere instead of just taking advantage of the luck.

Ultimately, Talbert’s combination of tight coverage and impact play earned him a coverage grade of 90.9. He also recorded a run stop and two tackles in run defense, raising his overall grade to 91.5 – the highest mark of any player at any position last weekend and the second-highest mark of his career.

Quarterback

Run back

Wide receiver

Offensive tackle

Offensive Guard

Center

Domestic defender

Edge defender

Linebacker

Cornerback

Halfback

Safety