Photo courtesy: Bob Butrym/RFB Sport Photography

Hamilton Tiger-Cats defensive lineman Julian Howsare has been named the CFL’s top performer for Week 18, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF).

The 33-year-old native of Altoona, Pa. recorded four defensive tackles and four sacks during his team’s 47-29 win over the Toronto Argonauts this past weekend, finishing only one sack shy of tying the team’s all-time single-game record. He earned a grade of 91.7.

The six-foot-three, 255-pound defender now has 37 defensive tackles, 11 sacks, two forced fumbles, one interception, and one touchdown on the season, his seventh in the CFL. His 11 sacks are a new career-high.

The highest-graded offensive player of the week was Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell, who completed 18-of-25 passes for 320 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception against the Boatmen. The 35-year-old now has 32 touchdown passes on the year, putting him only three shy of his previous career-high with two games remaining.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats had the highest-graded offensive line of the week with a group grade of 71.5. Right guard Liam Dobson received the highest individual score at 75.3, followed by left guard Brandon Revenberg (72.0) and right tackle Quinton Barrow (66.7).

The CFL partnered with PFF for the first time ahead of the 2023 season. The company uses game footage to review every player on the field and grades their individual performances on a scale from zero to 100.

The league unveils the top-graded players from PFF each week. Offensive and defensive players must play a minimum of 25 snaps to be eligible, and special teams players must play at least 10. Ties are broken by the number of snaps played.

The top-graded players from each position were as follows for Week 18.

QB | Bo Levi Mitchell | Hamilton | 84.7
RB | James Butler | B.C. | 72.5
REC | Keon Hatcher Sr. | B.C. | 79.1
OL | Liam Dobson | Hamilton | 75.3
DL | Julian Howsare | Hamilton | 91.7
LB | Antoine Brooks Jr. | Saskatchewan | 79.8
DB | Jackson Findlay | B.C. | 90.8
RET | Kalil Pimpleton | Ottawa | 81.1
K/P | Lirim Hajrullahu | Toronto | 82.8
ST | Jack Cassar | Toronto | 91.6

Below are the top-graded offensive and defensive performances of the season, dating back to Week 1.

99.3 | W9 | DL | Willie Jefferson | Winnipeg
93.4 | W15 | QB | McLeod Bethel-Thompson | Montreal
93.4 | W16 | QB | Nathan Rourke | B.C.
93.2 | W11 | QB | Nathan Rourke | B.C.
93.0 | W7 | QB | Trevor Harris | Saskatchewan
92.6 | W7 | DB | Destin Talbert | Hamilton
92.6 | W14 | RB | Justin Rankin | Edmonton
92.2 | W15 | REC | Tyson Philpot | Montreal
91.7 | W18 | DL | Julian Howsare | Hamilton
91.6 | W13 | DL | Malik Carney | Saskatchewan