CFL Week 4: PFF Team of the Week & Player Awards

• Toronto Argonauts lead with seven selections: Quarterback Chad Kelly and halfback Robertson Daniel headline an Argonauts-heavy Team of the Week.

• WR Kaion Julien-Grant earns Offensive Player of the Week honors: Grant caught all six of his targets for 129 yards, with 51 of those coming after the catch.

• HB Robertson Daniel remains dominant in coverage: Daniel picked off three passes in Week 4 and leads the CFL this season with an 88.7 coverage grade. 

Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes

With only six teams in action for Week 4, there are a lot of repeats in the Team of the Week. Unsurprisingly, the Toronto Argonauts lead the way with seven selections. But perhaps more surprising is that the Montreal Alouettes offense that scored just three points in Week 4 actually had five different players grade out as top players of the week.

Team of the Week

OFFENSE

QB: Chad Kelly, Toronto Argonauts
RB: De’Montre Tuggle, Ottawa Redblacks
Outside WR: Keon Hatcher, BC Lions
Slot WR: Kaion Julien-Grant, Montreal Alouettes
Slot WR: Dalton Schoen, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Slot WR: Cam Phillips, Toronto Argonauts
Outside WR: Austin Mack, Montreal Alouettes
LT: Nick Callender, Montreal Alouettes
LG: Drew Desjarlais, Ottawa Redblacks
C: Chris Kolankowski, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
RG: Kristian Matte, Montreal Alouettes
RT: Landon Rice, Montreal Alouettes

DEFENSE

DI: Tibo Debaillie, BC Lions
DI: Josh Banks, BC Lions
Edge: Folarin Orimolade, Toronto Argonauts
Edge: Willie Jefferson, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
LB: Wynton McManis, Toronto Argonauts
LB: Jonathan Jones, Toronto Argonauts
Cover LB: Malik Clements, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
CB: Brandon Dandridge, Ottawa Redblacks
CB: Kai Gray, Edmonton Elks
HB: Robertson Daniel, Toronto Argonauts
HB: Douglas Coleman II, Ottawa Redblacks
S: Brandon Alexander, Winnipeg Blue Bombers

SPECIAL TEAMS

K: Lewis Ward, Ottawa Redblacks
P: Joseph Zema, Montreal Alouettes
Returner: Javon Leake, Toronto Argonauts

Players of the Week

Quarterback of the Week: QB Chad Kelly, Toronto Argonauts

It was a tough week of quarterback play in the CFL for anyone not named Chad Kelly. While his numbers weren’t anything spectacular, this game was more about what Kelly didn’t do. He took care of the ball better than he has thus far this season, avoiding any turnover-worthy plays. He finished with an 80.0% adjusted completion percentage and also added a nice big-time throw. Kelly’s 83.7 passing grade was well ahead of second-place Tyrie Adams’ 64.5.

Offensive Player of the Week: WR Kaion Julien-Grant, Montreal Alouettes

Despite scoring only three points, there were a few highly graded bright spots on the Alouettes' offense. Julien-Grant was the top player (77.8 receiving grade) and had the best offensive performance of the week. He caught all six of his targets for 129 yards, with 51 of those coming after the catch. He forced a couple of missed tackles when he had the ball in his hands and was one-for-one on contested catch opportunities. 

Offensive Line of the Week: Winnipeg Blue Bombers

After a tough game a week ago, the Bombers' offensive line bounced back big time. They didn’t allow a sack and let up pressure on just 20.7% of their snaps, which was the lowest number of any offensive line this week. They also led a Bombers rushing attack that controlled the game, with Winnipeg rushers averaging a league-high 2.6 yards before contact per attempt. 

Pass Rusher of the Week: EDGE Willie Jefferson, Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Jefferson has been known to wreak havoc on opposing offenses, and that’s exactly what he did this week. His 78.0 pass-rushing grade led the league thanks to his CFL-high nine pressures. Two of those pressures were sacks and another took the quarterback to the ground. He recorded a pressure on 25.7% of his snaps, one of the top marks in the league.  

Run Defender of the Week: HB Emmanuel Rugamba, BC Lions

Although the Lions’ run defense wasn’t overly spectacular as a whole, Rugamba stood out. The defensive halfback led the league with a 79.7 run-defense grade thanks to a handful of positive plays throughout the game. He made three tackles and two assists (with an average depth of tackle of just 2.0 yards) and earned a positive grade on 22.2% of his run-defense snaps. 

Coverage Player of the Week: HB Robertson Daniel, Toronto Argonauts

Daniel was the most obvious player to highlight this week. While he did allow a few first downs in coverage, he more than made up for it by picking off three separate Vernon Adams Jr. throws. If that seems impressive, know that it should have been four. On Jonathan Jones’ interception, the ball bounced right off Daniel’s hands before it was caught off the rebound by Jones. That huge performance is part of the reason Daniel leads the CFL this season with an 88.7 coverage grade.