Collaros continues to reign atop TSN's CFL Top 50 Players list
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The 2024 Canadian Football League is back in action on Thursday, and TSN has released its annual Top 50 CFL Players list.
The Montreal Alouettes went 11-7 to get into the playoffs last year before knocking off the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Toronto Argonauts in the playoffs, setting up a clash with the powerhouse Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 110th Grey Cup.
The Blue Bombers led the 2023 CFL Top 50 with 11 players making the list, and went into the championship matchup as heavy favourites.
After trailing for the majority of the game, Montreal scored a touchdown in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter for a 28-24 victory, winning their first championship since the 2010 season.
Winnipeg once again sports the most players on TSN’s CFL Top 50 rankings heading into the 2024 season, but there are three names cracking the top five for the first time in their careers, to go along with some surprises being listed among the CFL’s elite.
Distribution by team
Winnipeg Blue Bombers – 10
Toronto Argonauts – 7
Montreal Alouettes – 6
Hamilton Tiger-Cats – 6
B.C. Lions - 5
Calgary Stampeders – 5
Edmonton Elks – 4
Saskatchewan Roughriders – 4
Ottawa Redblacks – 3
1. Zach Collaros, QB, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
For the third year in a row, Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros takes the top spot on TSN’s Top 50 CFL players list.
The 35-year-old has already won the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player award twice since joining the Blue Bombers in 2021, and is coming off arguably his best statistical season.
He posted a career-high 4,252 yards through the air in 2023, while leading the league in passing touchdowns (33) for the third straight year.
Collaros has kept getting better with age, and will look to lead his Blue Bombers back to the Grey Cup for the fifth consecutive season.
2. Brady Oliveira, RB, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Jumping all the way up from the 48th spot last season, Blue Bombers running back Brady Oliveira takes the second spot on this year’s list.
Oliveira, 26, rushed for 1,534 yards in 2023, the second highest total for a Canadian player in league history.
He also led the league in yards from scrimmage (2,016) and touchdowns (16) on his way to earning the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian award, the Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy as the West Division’s Most Outstanding Player, and All-Star honours in an accolade-filled season.
Fresh off of a two-year contract extension signed in February, the Winnipeg native will look to continue his dominance on the field, and perhaps overtake teammate Collaros for the top spot on next year’s list.
3. Vernon Adams Jr., QB, B.C. Lions
After not being listed on last year’s rankings, B.C. Lions quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. broke out last season in a major way to land at number three on TSN’s Top 50 CFL players list.
Adams Jr. finished the season with 4,796 passing yards and finished second in touchdowns (31) and completions (333), all good for career-highs.
The 31-year-old led the Lions to a 12-6 record and a playoff berth in his first full season in B.C., before falling to the Blue Bombers in the Western final.
In February, Adams Jr. signed a three-year extension with the Lions. Now he will look to lead them to their first Grey Cup appearance since 2011.
4. Dalton Schoen, WR, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Blue Bombers dominance atop the list continues with wide receiver Dalton Schoen coming in fourth, up one spot from last year’s rankings.
Schoen followed up his 2022 Most Outstanding Rookie award win with another stellar year, catching 71 passes for 1,222 yards and a league-leading 10 touchdown receptions in just 16 games played.
The Kansas State product has become Collaros’ top option through the air, having been targeted on 219 occasions over the last two seasons, 45 more times than the next closest Blue Bombers receiver.
He has earned CFL All-Star honours in each of his first two seasons in the Canadian Football League.
5. Chad Kelly, QB, Toronto Argonauts
Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly burst onto the scene last year in his first season as a starter by leading his team to a 16-2 record, en route to winning the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player award and being named as a league All-Star.
The 30-year-old recorded 270 completions for 4,123 passing yards and 23 touchdowns, finishing top-five in each category. He also ran for eight touchdowns while averaging 6.0 yards per rush attempt.
Toronto will have to overcome Kelly’s absence for at least the first nine games of the season after he was suspended by the league office last month.
The full TSN’s Top 50 CFL Player rankings list can be found below:
6. Adarius Pickett DB OTT
7. Tim White WR HAM
8. Wynton McManis LB TOR
9. Willie Jefferson DL WPG
10. Folarin Orimolade DL TOR
11. Marc-Antoine Dequoy DB MTL
12. Dejon Allen OL TOR
13. A.J. Ouellette RB SASK
14. Keon Hatcher WR BC
15. Kenny Lawler WR WPG
16. Eugene Lewis WR EDM
17. Jake Ceresna DL TOR
18. Garry Peters DB BC
19. Cody Fajardo QB MTL
20. Mike Rose DL CGY
21. Jermarcus Hardrick OL SASK
22. Tyrice Beverette LB MTL
23. Ryan Hunter OL TOR
24. Reggie Begelton WR CGY
25. Cam Judge LB CGY
26. Jamal Peters DB HAM
27. Nic Demski WR WPG
28. Alex Hollins WR BC
29. Demerio Houston DB CGY
30. Javon Leake ST EDM
31. Brandon Revenberg OL HAM
32. Micah Awe LB CGY
33. Trevor Harris QB SASK
34. Deatrick Nichols DB WPG
35. Jameer Thurman LB SASK
36. Kevin Brown RB EDM
37. Casey Sayles DL HAM
38. James Butler RB HAM
39. Stanley Bryant OL WPG
40. Mustafa Johnson DL MTL
41. Darnell Sankey LB MTL
42. Bryce Carter DL OTT
43. Reggie Stubblefield DB MTL
44. T.J. Lee DB BC
45. McLeod Bethel-Thomspon QB EDM
46. Drew Desjarlais OL OTT
47. Pat Neufeld OL WPG
48. Adam Bighill LB WPG
49. Anthony Lanier II DL SASK
50. Shawn Bane Jr. WR SASK