Blue Bombers RB Oliveira headlines TSN's Top 50 CFL Players

The Canadian Football League is back as the 2025 regular season kicks off Thursday night with a matchup between the Ottawa Redblacks and Saskatchewan Roughriders.

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 Redblacks, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and Edmonton Elks are tied for having the most players on the list with seven, while the Calgary Stampeders sport the lowest total with three.

2025 CFL Top 50 team breakdown

Wide receivers once again pace the position groups this year with nine players on the list, while just three running backs and one special teams player received enough votes to make it inside the top 50.

Still, there has been significant turnover from last year, especially in the top five where four new names now hold spots.

The biggest change, however, is that Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros has been dethroned as the No. 1 player for the first time in three seasons.

1. Brady Oliveira, RB, Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Brady Oliveira Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Brady Oliveira is the No. 1 player on TSN’s Top 50 list, taking the mantle from his teammate as the top player in the league.

Oliveira was named as the Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Canadian at the 2024 CFL Awards last fall, becoming just the third player in league history to win both honours in the same season.

The Winnipeg native led all running backs with 1,353 rushing yards on 239 carries last year while recording four majors en route to his second consecutive CFL All-Star selection.

The 27-year-old rusher made his first appearance in the top five last year, jumping from 48th all the way to No. 2 before taking the top spot this time around.

He received 14 first-place votes this year, 11 more than the next closest player.

2. Rolan Milligan, DB, Saskatchewan Roughriders

Rolan Milligan Saskatchewan Roughriders

Rolan Milligan makes his first appearance on the Top 50 list, debuting in the No. 2  spot following a stellar 2024 campaign that saw him take home the CFL’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player award.

Milligan, 30, became the first defensive back to win the honour since Winnipeg’s Jovon Johnson in 2011.

The Lake Wales, Fla., native led the league with eight interceptions in just 16 games, while also finishing top five in total tackles with 91.

Milligan helped anchor a Roughriders’ defensive unit that allowed just 360.9 yards and 24.1 points per game, the second and third-lowest marks in the CFL.

Limited to just four games in 2023 due to a season-ending injury, the Toledo product bounced back in a big way last year, earning his first career CFL All-Star selection.

He received three first-place votes, tied for the second-most behind Oliveria.

3. Bo Levi Mitchell, QB, Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Bo Levi Mitchell Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Tiger-Cats quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell returns to TSN’s Top 50 list for the first time since 2023, moving up all the way to No. 3.

Mitchell was left off the list last year entirely following an injury-plagued season that saw him make just six appearances in his first season with Hamilton.

The 12-year veteran stayed healthy in 2024 and lead all quarterbacks in completions (420), passing yards (5,451), and touchdowns (32). He was named a CFL All-Star for his efforts and finished as a runner-up to Oliveira for the league’s MOP award.

Mitchell, like Milligan, got three votes for the top spot on the list.

4. Tyrice Beverette, LB, Montreal Alouettes

Tyrice Beverette Montreal Alouettes

Montreal Alouettes linebacker Tyrice Beverette vaults up from the No. 22 spot last year and into the top five for the first time in his career.

Coming off of a Grey Cup victory with the Alouettes in 2023, Beverette entered last season as a household name in the league. The hard-hitting linebacker would take things a step further in 2024, cementing himself as one of the top players in the CFL.

The Lakewood, N.J. native led all defensive players with four forced fumbles while also recording five sacks and two interceptions. His 111 total tackles topped the East Division, with only the Elks duo of Nick Anderson and Nyles Morgan recording more across the league.

Beverette was named a 2024 CFL All-Star and finished as the runner-up to Milligan for the Most Outstanding Defensive Player award.

The Stony Brook product helped his Alouettes to the best record in the league at 12-5-1, leading their defence to the second-best marks in points (24.1) and yards per game (360.9) league-wide.

Montreal rewarded Beverette’s play by inking him to a contract extension through 2026 at the start of the offseason.

5. Wynton McManis, LB, Toronto Argonauts

Wynton McManis Toronto Argonauts

After leading the Toronto Argonauts to their second Grey Cup title in three seasons, Wynton McManis makes his debut in the top five of TSN’s Top 50 List.

McManis jumps up three spots from No. 8 last year when he was coming off back-to-back CFL All-Star selections.

The Memphis native was limited to just 12 games in the 2024 regular season after hitting the six-game injured list in August, but still managed to record 60 tackles, two fumble recoveries, one sack, one interception, and a touchdown.

His time off the field last season likely cost him consideration for league honours, but a strong showing down the stretch and into the playoffs was enough to grab the last spot in the top five.

The full list of the rankings can be found below: