9 players who could impact second half of the season

As we hit Week 12 of the 2025 CFL season, all focus is slowly turning towards the all-important marquee OK Tire Labour Day Weekend.

Don’t take my word for it, I’ve spoken to half a dozen CFL players this past week in preparation for my Friday Night Football assignment of Edmonton and Ottawa. They acknowledged that despite the long lead-up and plenty of practice reps still to come before September, the mindset is starting to creep towards those pivotal rivalry moments.

Once Labour Day hits, the kids return to school and the playoff hunt truly begins to refine itself. There are players who will step up and make a bigger name for themselves than they already have.

Here are nine names of note who I believe could make a major difference between now and the point when playoff positioning is solidified.

TRAVIS THEIS | RUNNING BACK | MONTREAL ALOUETTES

Back in the preseason, Travis Theis burst onto the CFL scene with his physical running style and relentless tackle-breaking.

Since then, he’s shown flashes here and there while Sean Thomas Erlington has carried the bulk of the load. But with a banged-up STE, Theis will likely get more runway, and with both Davis Alexander and McLeod Bethel-Thompson injured, you have to think Montreal will maximize his abilities in the weeks ahead.

TONY JONES | LINEBACKER | WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS

If the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are going to put together a second-half run to another Grey Cup, Tony Jones is the man to lead the charge.

Willie Jefferson is sensational and brings that game-changing element off the edge, but when the Bombers are at their best, Jones is consistently in the middle of the fray. I fully expect him to be there week after week as Winnipeg pushes the pedal in the second half of the season.

KIONDRÉ SMITH | RECEIVER | HAMILTON TIGER-CATS

It seems ridiculous to say that the 12th-leading receiver in the CFL is set to have a big second half, but as long as Bo Levi Mitchell is at the controls, a monster game like the one Kiondré Smith had in Vancouver earlier this year is always on the table.

DAMON WEBB | DEFENSIVE BACK | CALGARY STAMPEDERS

The Calgary Stampeders made one of the best splash signings of free agency when they signed Damon Webb from the Ottawa REDBLACKS.

A couple of big plays have shown off his natural instincts, but there have also been missed opportunities in a defence still sorting through personnel and play-calling rhythms. Webb will push his game to a new level down the stretch, and I believe he could contend for the CFL’s interception title by late October.

KEVIN MITAL | RECEIVER | TORONTO ARGONAUTS

Kevin Mital has already had a stellar year, but this name comes from covering Argonauts games early this season and hearing the coaching staff say they’re just beginning to unlock the full potential of his pass-catching game.

The ceiling is high, and the Argos are ready to see what he can do, beginning with the monster matchup against Hamilton on Labour Day Monday.

MALIK CARNEY | DEFENSIVE LINEMAN | SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS

With Shane Ray opposite him and a Corey Mace-designed defence that knows its identity and maximizes playmaking ability, perhaps no Rider is more ready to change the game down the stretch than Malik Carney.

His pass-rushing presence has never been in doubt, but a strong second half could solidify him as elite.

KALIL PIMPLETON | RETURNER | OTTAWA REDBLACKS

Recency bias be damned, the guy is good, and we were all waiting for a special play like his last week’s touchdown to remind us that his breakout 2024 wasn’t a flash in the pan.

Kalil Pimpleton delivered last week with a late-game, monster missed-field-goal return, and he could be the explosive difference-maker on special teams that Ottawa desperately needs to offset its often-reserved offensive output.

DEONTA MCMAHON | RUNNING BACK | TORONTO ARGONAUTS

The Argonauts have to find a ground game at some point, right? Right?! Toronto currently sits dead last in the CFL with just 48.2 rushing yards per game.

If a second-half turnaround is coming, Deonta McMahon will likely be the catalyst.

DARNELL SANKEY | LINEBACKER | MONTREAL ALOUETTES

Linebacker Darnell Sankey has two sacks and 52 defensive tackles so far in 2025 (Timothy Atticus/CFL.ca)

Darnell Sankey currently sits sixth in the CFL with 52 defensive tackles, which is a solid season for any linebacker.

But for a player like Sankey, who is used to being in the CFL’s top five, and for a defence that knows it carries water for much of the Als’ success, the pressure is on. Few players thrive under it more than Montreal’s man in the middle.

9 players who could impact second half of the season

Tags: