The Canadian Football League is back as the 2026 regular season kicks off Thursday night with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats hosting the Montreal Alouettes on TSN.
Ahead of the season opener, TSN has ranked the league’s best players and has now unveiled its annual Top 50 CFL Players List.
The defending champion Saskatchewan Roughriders lead the way with nine players featured, while the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Winnipeg Blue Bombers sit with seven. The Ottawa Redblacks and Toronto Argonauts bring up the rear with three players each listed.
The first change from 2025 comes right at the top, as there is a new No.1 player topping the list in 2026.
1. Nathan Rourke, QB, BC Lions
It should come as no surprise that the Victoria, B.C. native slots in at the top following a record-breaking year, in which Rourke claimed the Most Outstanding Player and Canadian awards.
The 28-year-old arguably put up the best season by a Canadian quarterback ever, setting records for the most passing yards (5,290), completions (352), and 300-yard plus games (12) by a Canadian pivot in a single season. Rourke also led the team to 8.04 yards per play in 2025, the highest in CFL history.
2. Bo Levi Mitchell, QB, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Hamilton’s 36-year-old quarterback put together another superb season, falling just short of his third MOP award for the second straight year.
Mitchell led the CFL in passing yards, (5,032), touchdowns (34) and completions of 20-plus yards (47), with only 11 interceptions in 2025, as he guided a lethal Hamilton offence all the way to the Eastern Final.
3. Kenny Lawler, WR, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Alongside Mitchell, Lawler had a fantastic season in 2025, earning him a spot in the top three after a jump up in the rankings.
The 31-year-old finished the year with 86 catches (third) for 1,443 yards (second) and 14 touchdowns (first), as he remained one of the best jump ball and red zone threats north of the border.
4. Mathieu Betts, DE, BC Lions
One of the biggest risers in all of the rankings is Mathieu Betts, who is coming off another great season on the west coast.
The two-time and reigning Most Outstanding Defensive Player led the CFL in sacks (15), was second in pressures (70), fourth in pressure rate (13.4), and second in tackles amongst linemen (42) as he dominated off the edge in 2025.
5. Keon Hatcher Sr., WR, BC Lions
Lions pass catcher Hatcher rounds out the top five after a phenomenal 2025 season.
The 31-year-old not only led the league in receiving yards with 1,688, but that was the best mark in nearly a decade, coming close to Adarius Bowman’s 1,761-yard mark for the then Edmonton Eskimos in 2016.
Hatcher also put up a league-best 102 catches last season, to go along with nine touchdowns, the second-most behind only Lawler.
The full list of the rankings can be found below:
| No. | Player | Team | Pos | 2025 Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nathan Rourke | BC | QB | 7 |
| 2 | Bo Levi Mitchell | HAM | QB | 3 |
| 3 | Kenny Lawler | HAM | WR | 14 |
| 4 | Mathieu Betts | BC | DE | 31 |
| 5 | Keon Hatcher Sr. | BC | WR | - |
| 6 | Tyrice Beverette | MTL | LB | 4 |
| 7 | Brady Oliveira | WPG | RB | 1 |
| 8 | Trevor Harris | SSK | QB | 24 |
| 9 | Davis Alexander | MTL | QB | - |
| 10 | Jermarcus Hardrick | SSK | OL | - |
| 11 | Dedrick Mills | CGY | RB | - |
| 12 | Justin McInnis | BC | WR | 6 |
| 13 | Jarell Broxton | WPG | OL | - |
| 14 | Rolan Milligan Jr. | SSK | DB | 2 |
| 15 | Justin Rankin | EDM | RB | - |
| 16 | Vernon Adams Jr. | CGY | QB | 8 |
| 17 | Tevaughn Campbell | SSK | DB | - |
| 18 | Wynton McManis | HAM | LB | 5 |
| 19 | Samuel Emilus | SSK | WR | - |
| 20 | Julian Howsare | HAM | DL | - |
| 21 | Jameer Thurman | SSK | LB | 43 |
| 22 | KeeSean Johnson | SSK | WR | - |
| 23 | Malik Carney | EDM | DL | - |
| 24 | Chad Kelly | TOR | QB | 11 |
| 25 | Clarence Hicks | CGY | DL | - |
| 26 | Tyson Philpot | MTL | WR | 26 |
| 27 | Stavros Katsantonis | HAM | DB | - |
| 28 | Brandon Revenberg | HAM | OL | 35 |
| 29 | Zach Collaros | WPG | QB | 10 |
| 30 | Folarin Orimolade | CGY | DL | 21 |
| 31 | Adarius Pickett | TOR | DB | 15 |
| 32 | Jamal Peters | HAM | DB | 49 |
| 33 | James Butler | BC | RB | - |
| 34 | Logan Ferland | SSK | OL | 37 |
| 35 | Darnell Sankey | BC | LB | 40 |
| 36 | Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund | MTL | DL | - |
| 37 | A.J. Ouellette | SSK | RB | - |
| 38 | C.J. Reavis | OTT | DB | 44 |
| 39 | Evan Holm | WPG | DB | - |
| 40 | Jake Ceresna | WPG | DL | 13 |
| 41 | Tyler Snead | MTL | WR | - |
| 42 | A.J. Allen | OTT | LB | - |
| 43 | Damonte Coxie | TOR | WR | - |
| 44 | Tyrell Ford | EDM | DB | 9 |
| 45 | Nic Demski | WPG | WR | - |
| 46 | Trey Vaval | WPG | DB | - |
| 47 | Pier-Olivier Lestage | MTL | OL | 50 |
| 48 | Adrian Greene | CGY | DB | - |
| 49 | Coulter Woodmansey | EDM | OL | - |
| 50 | Justin Hardy | OTT | WR | 18 |
