TSN's 2023 CFL Top 50 Players

With the 2023 Canadian Football League season kicking off Thursday night, TSN unveils its yearly Top 50 CFL Players list.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers rolled to a 15-3 record last season in a loaded West Division and looked primed to win their third consecutive Grey Cup in a matchup against the 11-7 Toronto Argonauts.

Winnipeg looked like world beaters throughout the regular season, and with five of the top 10 players on last year's list, the dominance was not unexpected.

But the Argos pulled off the major upset in the Grey Cup, winning 24-23 at Mosaic Stadium to knock the dynasty off balance.

Heading into the 2023 season, the Blue Bombers dominate the top of the list once more, but some surprising names have found their way to the elite ranks of the CFL.

Distribution by team

BC Lions - 4
Edmonton Elks - 4
Hamilton Tiger-Cats - 7
Saskatchewan Roughriders - 3
Winnipeg Blue Bombers - 11
Calgary Stampeders - 10
Montreal Alouettes - 1
Toronto Argonauts - 5
Ottawa Redblacks - 5

1. Zach Collaros, QB, Winnipeg Blue Bombers

For the second consecutive season, Winnipeg's Zach Collaros takes the top spot on TSN's Top 50 CFL players list.

The 34-year-old signal caller earned his second consecutive CFL Most Outstanding Player award last season, after completing 70 per cent of his passes for 4,183 yards and a league-leading 37 touchdowns.

His 37 touchdowns eclipsed a previous career high of 25, which he set with the Tiger-Cats in 2015 and led the league in 2022 by 12 (Nathan Rourke of the BC Lions was second with 25).

2. Eugene Lewis, WR, Edmonton Elks

Lewis, 30, spent the first five seasons of his CFL career with the Alouettes before joining the Elks as a free agent this off-season.

Lewis helped lead the Alouettes to a 9-9 record and a playoff berth last season, where he caught 91 passes for 1,301 yards and 10 touchdowns.

He ranked in the top five of catches (second), receiving yards (third) and receiving touchdowns (third) last season despite playing in only 17 games.

Lewis earned East Division Most Outstanding Player honours last season with Montreal.

3. Ka'Deem Carey, RB, Calgary Stampeders

Carey, 30, joined the Stampeders late in the 2018 season after spending time with the Chicago Bears of the NFL.

He has spent all three of his CFL seasons with the Stampeders and set career highs across the board in 2022 with 1,088 rushing yards, 10 touchdowns and 14 games played.

He also added 28 catches for 248 yards out of the backfield.

Carey led the league in rushing yards, and his 6.63 yards per carry led all players who attempted at least 100 carries on the season (Jeshrun Antwi was second with 5.66 YPC in 106 attempts for the Alouettes).

Carey earned his first career CFL All-Star honour last season.

4. Stanley Bryant, OL, Winnipeg Blue Bombers

The veteran Bryant earns a top-five spot on the list for the second consecutive year after earning his second consecutive CFL's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman award – the fourth of his career.

The 37-year-old played in 17 games last season and helped anchor an offensive line that propelled the Blue Bombers to the second-highest-scoring offence in the league (29.9 points per game) and second-best rushing attack in the league (113.5 rushing yards per game).

Bryant earned his seventh CFL All-Star honour last season.

5. Dalton Schoen, WR, Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Schoen, 26, burst onto the scene as a rookie last season out of Kansas State, earning CFL Most Outstanding Rookie honours.

He caught 70 passes for 1,441 yards and 16 touchdowns. He led the league in receiving yardage and his 20.59 yards per catch led all players who caught at least 50 passes by a wide margin (16.5 for Malik Henry of the Stampeders was second).

Schoen was a CFL All-Star in his first season in the league.

There were no rookies in the top 10 of this list last season, and Schoen is primed to continue his ascension this season.