With 7 weeks of football in the books we are 1 third through the regular season. The CFL regular season is 1 third completed. Weeks 1-7 All-Star Team.

With the first period of the regular season complete let’s look at our First Period All-Star Team while the zambonis clean the tundra.  A 21-week season doesn’t have a good halfway point to do a 1st and 2nd half all-star team, but it does break up nicely into thirds. The selections are listed below as well as a summary of what each player achieved so far this season to earn their selection.

Other Articles:

Mike Mitchell’s Week 8 Power Rankings

Week 8 QB Rankings, Week 8 RB Rankings, Week 8 WR Rankings

Week 8 Fantasy Football Picks/Waiver Wire

6 Thoughts Following BC’s Week 7 Win

@JonathanClink on Twitter

2023 1st Period Divisional All Stars

2023 CFL 1st Period All-Star Team

Offense

Quarterbacks

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West QB – Zach Collaros (WPG)

Zach Collaros has continued to be excellent so far this season. He currently leads the league in passing touchdowns and yards. His 115.5 QBR is just behind Chad Kelly’s 116.5. With Kenny Lawler now back catching passes for the Blue and Gold the passing game for Winnipeg could elevate even further. It’s a shame Winnipeg and Toronto only play each other once this year in week 17 as it would be great to see a Grey Cup rematch sooner.

East QB – Chad Kelly (TOR)

Chad Kelly has been very impressive in his first year as a CFL starter. He has demonstrated great decision-making going through his progressions quickly finding the open target. He has done an excellent job spreading the ball around to different receivers. He has already shown tremendous growth with his last 3 games being much better than his first 2. Kelly currently leads the league in passing yards per game, QBR, and yards per attempt. Kelly has also contributed 108 rushing yards on 18 rushes and 5 touchdowns.

Running Backs

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West RB – Brady Oliveira (WPG)

Brady Oliveira is the league leader in rushing yards. Oliveira seems to run better the more you put the ball in his hands and has been an essential aspect of Winnipeg’s late-game strategy as he has put games out of reach in the 4th quarter for Winnipeg pounding the rock over and over. Oliveira has also contributed 247 receiving yards on 16 receptions.

East RB – A.J. Ouellette (TOR)

A.J. Ouellette has been doing some very hard running especially lately. Ouellette has more yards per carry than any other starting running back. He also has the most rushing touchdowns among running backs. Over his last 2 games, he is averaging 7.5 yards per carry. I recently spoke to Tibo Debaille, defensive tackle for the BC Lions, and asked him who he thought the hardest running back is to tackle.

“I think that’s pretty clear, it’s the guy from Toronto, A.J. Ouellette. He’ll lower his shoulder into you and if you’re not ready you’re going down, which I love. I think I tackled him twice and every time I said ‘man I love the way you run’. You gotta respect it. And he’s a guy that doesn’t say much, he just gets the ball tries to run through somebody gets as much yards as possible, hops back up again, and does it all over again. So you gotta love a guy like that.” Tibo Debaille on his thoughts on the toughest running back to tackle in the CFL.a

Wide Receivers

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West WR – Dalton Schoen (WPG)

7 GP, 29 Receptions, 473 Yards, and 2 Touchdowns

Dalton Schoen led the league in receiving yards as a rookie and is continuing where he left off last year. He currently leads the league in receiving yards. 

West WR – Tevin Jones (SSK)

5 GP, 28 Receptions, 415 Yards, and 2 Touchdowns

Tevin Jones is the leader in receiving yards for Saskatchewan despite missing their first game and is 5th in the league in that category. Saskatchewan had a lot of injuries to their receiving room and Jones has stepped up to the plate filling a big role for them.

West WR – Reggie Begelton (CGY)

5 GP, 28 Receptions, 406 Yards

Begelton has been a star so far this season for Calgary. More is being asked of Begelton following the Malik Henry injury and Begelton has been excellent. He essentially took himself off of the injured list and played through a rib injury when his team needed him to come back sooner following the injury to Henry. Begelton is 6th in receiving yards in the league. 

West WR – Nic Demski (WPG)

6 GP, 28 Receptions, 435 Yards, and 3 Touchdowns

Nic Demski is 3rd in the league in receiving yards and first on the Bombers in receiving yards per game. He is tied for third in receiving touchdowns in the league. Winnipeg poses a big threat to defenses with their many weapons in the passing game. In Demski’s last game, he had a 70-yard touchdown.

West WR – Alexander Hollins (BC)

6 GP, 26 Receptions, 350 Yards, and 2 Touchdowns

Last year BC had 3 receivers reach 1,000 yards in Keon Hatcher, Lucky Whitehead, and Dominique Rhymes. In the first few weeks of the season, BC lost 6 man games from those 3 due to injuries. During this time Alexander Hollins was spectacular and had some monster games when BC needed more from him. He is currently the team leader in receiving yards and is 10th in the league in that category.

Honorary Mentions: Tre Odoms Dukes for Calgary, as well as Shawn Bane Jr. for Saskatchewan, have both been excellent for their teams. They have both had big games at times stepping into bigger roles when their team while dealing with injuries to other receivers. While I did not include them on this roster I recognize they have been highly productive during this window.

East WR – Austin Mack (MTL)

5 GP, 30 Receptions, 458 Yards, and 2 Touchdowns

Austin Mack is leading the league in receiving yards per game and is 2nd in total receiving yards. The OSU product is having a fantastic rookie year so far.

East WR – Kaion Julien-Grant (MTL)

5 GP, 25 Receptions, 398 Yards

Kaion Julien-Grant has been stellar so far this year. He has played a really strong game demonstrating a great ability to fight for extra yards. KJG has been a star so far in his 5th CFL season and is currently 4th in yards in the league.

East WR – Justin Hardy (OTT)

6 GP, 32 Receptions, 334 Yards, and 1 Touchdown

Justin Hardy is the leader in receiving yards for a RedBlacks team that really struggled early on. Ottawa is finding its way now with 2 overtime wins in their last 2 games. Hardy has been very reliable for the RedBlacks and a cornerstone of their passing offense through trials such as poor 2 season-ending injuries to RedBlacks quarterbacks.

East WR – Damonte Coxie (TOR)

5 GP, 16 Receptions, 295 Yards, and 1 Touchdown

Damonte Coxie is the team leader in receiving yards for Toronto. The receivers in Toronto have to a large extent taken turns on who has had big games as the target share has been distributed rather evenly. Coxie has been very good when called upon. He opened the season with a massive game with 6 catches for 131 yards 58 of which were YAC in week Toronto’s season opener.

East WR – Duke Williams (HAM)

5 GP, 23 Receptions, 368 Yards

Duke Williams has been very productive for Hamilton despite the fact Hamilton has had injuries at the quarterback position with both Bo Levi Mitchell and Taylor Powell on the injured list. Despite only playing in 5 games so far, Williams is 3rd in receiving yards among East Division receivers.

Offensive Line

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West LT – Stanley Bryant (WPG)

Stanley Bryan has been named to the Pro Football Focus Team of the Week 2 times this season. In the 2 weeks he was recognized among the top 10 offensive linemen he allowed just 1 pressure in 64 pass blocking snaps. He did get beat a couple of times by Mathieu Betts in Winnipeg’s loss to BC but Bryant is still having a very good season overall.

West LG – Andrew Peirson (BC)

Andrew Peirson has been listed in the top 10 offensive linemen in 2 separate weeks by PFF and was named to their team of the week in week 1. He is a key part of a very well-performing offensive line in the BC Lions. In the 2 weeks he was recognized in the top 10 OL he played 79 pass blocking snaps and did not allow a single pressure.

West C – Chris Kolankowski (WPG)

Kolankowski has been named to the PFF Team of the Week 4 times this season. No other offensive lineman has been on their team of the week more than Kolankowski. He’s a big part of the Bombers’ offensive line which many consider to be the strongest in the league.

West RG – Sukh Chungh (BC)

In week 2 Sukh Chungh was recognized by PFF as having the highest pass blocking grade as he was named to the team of the week. In that week he did not allow a single QB pressure on 38 passing snaps.

West RT – Jemarcus Hardrick (WPG)

Jemarcus Hardrick is the only west division right tackle to be on the PFF team of the week twice. He has also been recognized in 4 separate weeks as being a top 10 offensive lineman in that given week. Over those 4 weeks, he played 120 pass-blocking snaps and only allowed 3 pressures.

East LT – Nick Callender (MTL)

Nick Callender has been named to the PFF Team of the Week in 3 of his 5 games played so far this season. Over weeks 3 and 4 he played 65 pass-blocking snaps and allowed 2 pressures.

East LG – Drew Desjarlais (OTT)

Over weeks 5 and 8 he played 82 pass blocking snaps and allowed 3 pressures and was recognized as a top 10 OL for those weeks by PFF. He was also named to the PFF. Team of the Week in weeks 2, 4, and 5 which is more than any other left guard. 

East C – David Beard (HAM)

David Beard has been listed in PFF’s top 10 OL 5 times this season so far. Over those games, he played 203 pass-blocking snaps and allowed 5 pressures.

East RG – Kristian Matte (MTL)

Kristian Matte was listed in the top 10 OL by PFF in 4 of his 5 games played. Over that span, he played 159 pass-blocking snaps and allowed 4 pressures. He was also named to the PFF Team of the Week in weeks 1, 4, and 5 which is more than any other right guard.

East RT – Dejon Allen (TOR)

Dejon Allen was on the PFF team of the week in week 3. He was also listed among the top 10 OL in 3 separate weeks including the number 1 in week 6. Over those 3 games, he played 85 pass-blocking snaps and allowed 2 pressures.

Defensive Line

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West DE – Willie Jefferson (WPG)

Willie Jefferson is 2nd in the sack race with 8 sacks over 6 games. He also has 2 forced fumbles and a league-leading 7 passes knocked down. Willie Jefferson is a living nightmare for quarterbacks.

West DT – Woody Baron (BC)

Woody Baron is a big part of the dominant BC Lions defensive line. He has been named to the PFF team of the week in week 1 and week 7. He is currently tied for 1st in tackles among BC Lions defensive tackles at and also has 3 sacks.

West DT – Mike Rose (CGY)

Mike Rose has the most sacks among defensive tackles with 5 over 6 games. He also has a forced fumble and 9 tackles. Rose has been named to the PFF team of the week 4 times this season which is more than any defensive lineman.

West DE – Mathieu Betts (BC)

Mathieu Betts has an astonishing 10 sacks in just 6 games. He also has 20 tackles and a knockdown. He is on pace to break the Canadian sack record which is currently held by Brent Johnson at 17.

East DE – Bryce Carter (OTT).

Bryce Carter has 8 tackles and 4 sacks. He is tied for 1st in sacks among East Division players. He was also named to the PFF team of the week following Ottawa’s win over Calgary in week 7.

East DT – Casey Sayles (HAM)

Casey Sayles has 12 tackles and 1 sack so far this season. He has also been listed as the PFF top 10 defensive linemen 4 times regarding his pass rushing. In those 4 games, he generated 12 pressures and 6 hurries.

East DT – Dewayne Hendrix (TOR)

Dewayne Hendrix has 7 tackles, 3 sacks, and a knockdown so far this season.

East DE – Folarin Orimolade (TOR)

Folarin Orimolade is tied for first in sacks in the East division with 4 and has also contributed 13 tackles. He was also named to the PFF team of the week 3 times this season.

Linebackers

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West LB – Bo Lokombo (BC)

Bo Lokombo has been all over the place for the BC Lions defense which so far has been the best performing defense in the league. Lokombo is 4th in tackles in the league with 38 and has also contributed 2 sacks and a knockdown. He would likely have more tackles if BC hadn’t been so good at getting their opponent’s offense off the field.

West LB – Larry Dean (SSK)

Larry Dean has been very good at the middle linebacker for Saskatchewan. He is 2nd in tackles in the CFL with 43 and has also contributed 1 sack, an interception, a forced fumble, and 2 knockdowns.

West CLB – Ben Hladik (BC)

Hladik has 29 tackles, a sack, an interception, and a knockdown so far this season. He’s been listed twice to the PFF team of the week as a cover linebacker.

East LB – Jameer Thurman (HAM)

Jameer Thurman has 39 tackles, 3 sacks, and 1 forced fumble so far this season.

East LB – Najee Murray (MTL)

Najee Murray has been very valuable for the Montreal defense and has played all but one of his 5 games at linebacker. He’s a versatile player who played 1 game at halfback as the lineup was shuffled around due to injury. Murray leads the Alouettes in tackles with 28 and also has an interception and a forced fumble. The Alouettes’ defense does not get as much credit as it deserves as it is currently tied for 2nd in fewest points allowed and they are third in fewest points allowed per game..

East CLB – Chris Edwards (HAM)

Edwards has 23 tackles, 3 sacks, and an interception so far this season.

Defensive Backs

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West CB – Garry Peters (BC)

Garry Peters has arguably been the best cornerback so far this year. He is tied for 2nd in the league in knockdowns with 6, 3 of which came in the end zone. He also has 23 tackles and an interception.

West HB – Marcus Sayles (BC)

Sayles has 9 tackles and 1 knockdown so far this season. He has been a big part of the BC secondary that has held their opponent’s quarterback to under 200 passing yards in 3 of their 6 games so far.

West S – Quincy Mauger (BC)

Mauger has 17 tackles, 1 sack, and 2 knockdowns so far this season.

West HB – Deontai Williams (SSK)

Deontai Williams has 12 tackles, an interception, and 3 knockdowns so far this season.

West CB – Demerio Houston (WPG)

Demario Houston has 19 tackles, a league-leading 5 interceptions, and 4 knockdowns.

East CB – Jamal Peters (TOR)

Jamal Peters has 11 tackles, an interception, a forced fumble, and a knockdown so far this season.

East HB – Robertson Daniel (TOR)

Robertson has 23 tackles, 3 interceptions, a forced fumble, 3 knockdowns, and a touchdown so far this season.

East S – Marc-Antoine Dequoy (MTL)

Marc-Antoine Dequoy covers the field extremely well for Montreal. He has 14 tackles, an interception, and a knockdown. He did have a pick-six as well that was taken off the board against BC due to illegal contact that was a little bit of a borderline call. Dequoy has been excellent so far and is the only safety to be listed twice on the PFF team of the week.

East HB – Richard Leonard (HAM)

Leonard has 17 tackles, 1 sack, an interception, and 5 knockdowns so far this season.

East CB – Brandin Dandridge (OTT)

Dandridge has had some incredible moments so far this season. He has 10 tackles, 3 interceptions, a forced fumble, 2 knockdowns, and 2 defensive touchdowns. He also has a punt return touchdown.

Special Teams

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West K – Sean Whyte (BC)

White has made 16 of his 17 field goals. He has made 8 field goals beyond 40 yards and his only missed field goal was beyond 50. He has missed an extra point as well but every kicker who has attempted more than 10 has at least 1 miss.

West P – Cody Grace (CGY)

Cody Grace leads the league in average yards per punt with 50.2 yards per punt on his 43 punts.

West ST – Mario Alford (SSK)

Mario Alford is 2nd in the league in average kick return yards with 26.7. He is third in punt return average at 13.4 on 34 returns. He has also returned 2 punts for touchdowns both coming in the same game against Calgary.

East K – David Cote (MTL)

Cote has made 12 of his 13 field goals. He has made 5 of his 6 that were attempted in the 40-49 yard range and made his only attempted field goal beyond 50 which was 51 yards. He also has the most extra points without a miss as he has made all 10.

East P – Joseph Zema (MTL)

Zema has a 48.9-yard per punt average on his 33 punts. He has also been named to the PFF team of the week twice.

East ST – Tyreik McAllister (HAM)

McAllister leads the league in average kick return at 32.1 on his 9 returns. His longest is 71. In punt returns, he is 4th in the league on average return and 1st in the East with a 12.6 average on 14 returns.