With big games come big opportunities for big stars.
At this time of the year, those who have shone during the regular season are provided with an opportunity to glow even more brightly as the stakes increase.
However, this is also a stage for those who’d be considered less likely to be major factors to prove that particular notion wrong.
Sometimes, a big game can showcase a player who hasn’t been the talk of the town heading in.
Here are four under-the-radar players ahead of the Eastern and Western Finals.
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SHEMAR BRIDGES | HAMILTON TIGER-CATS | RECEIVER
Will Shemar Bridges make an impact in this weekend’s Eastern Final? (Kevin Sousa/CFL.ca)
Kind of amazing to have Shemar Bridges in this group after a sensational rookie campaign put him on the CFL map, in 2024, with 83 receptions and 933 yards.
But here we are.
That’s what happens, I guess, when a guy like Kenny Lawler comes to town and you’re running patterns out on the wide side most of the time.
With 34 catches and 361 yards in 2025, Bridges has often been an afterthought in Hamilton’s high-flying passing attack, targeted a mere 51 times, just 15 times since OK Tire Labour Day Weekend.
With the vast majority of quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell’s passes heading in the direction of Lawler, Tim White, Kiondré Smith and running back Greg Bell, Bridges has slipped under the radar this season, but you just know he has the ability to pop at any time.
KORI ROBERSON JR. | MONTREAL ALOUETTES | DEFENSIVE LINEMAN
A rare mistake from Brady Oliveira, Montreal ball!
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Montreal head coach Jason Maas continually preaches that his team be filled with players who constantly stay ready to go in at any time. It’s demanded of them.
Last week, Roberson got the call on Friday night that he was starting in place of suspended (and then released) veteran defensive tackle Shawn Oakman.
Though he played a little throughout the first half of the season (eight tackles in seven appearances), Roberson hadn’t appeared in a game since September 13.
The 24-year-old tallied three tackles in the Eastern Semi-Final, and hammered his left arm at Winnipeg running back Brady Oliveira during a run play in the fourth quarter, creating a turnover for Montreal at the Blue Bombers’ 27-yard line.
The Als will hope that Roberson can take another step towards being a household name in the Eastern Final, especially if star tackle Mustafa Johnson is once again unavailable to play.
HABAKKUK BALDONADO | SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS | DEFENSIVE END
Habakkuk Baldonado notched four sacks, a forced fumble and 17 defensive tackles in 2025 (Jimmy Jeong/CFL.ca)
In his third season with the Roughriders, Habakkuk Baldonado was increasingly used as a rotational player and has recently been a starter due to injury to veteran pass rusher Shane Ray.
In those five starts, beginning in Week 17 versus the Edmonton Elks, the 26-year-old amassed eight defensive tackles (17 on the season) and another on special teams, as well as two sacks to double his season total.
Whether as a starter in the Western Final, or as a situational drop-in, Baldonado could have something significant to say in Saskatchewan’s scheming to keep BC quarterback Nathan Rourke as uncomfortable as possible.
ZANDER HORVATH | BC LIONS | RUNNING BACK
Will Zander Horvath make an impact in the Western Final? (Arthur Ward/CFL.ca)
The Lions’ rookie tailback has seen more limited action of late, but he has shown he can be an effective battering ram when called upon.
In his first CFL start, Horvath had a monster game in Week 16 against the Calgary Stampeders, rushing 12 times for 152 yards, 70 of those yards coming on a fourth quarter touchdown run.
That game, in large part, bolstered the 26-year-old’s totals; Horvath finished the regular season with 24 touches for 231 yards and two touchdowns, leaving him with a rather extravagant 9.6 yards per carry average.
If the Lions get a lead — or should they feel that the elements dictate a need for more rushes than usual — Horvath would be in line for extra touches to spell starting running back James Butler.