\u00bb 4 Elite Canadian pass-catchers headline Friday Night Football<\/a>
\u00bb\u00a03 keys to victory for Toronto, Saskatchewan in Week 4<\/a>
\u00bb 4 storylines to watch in Week 4<\/a>
\u00bb\u00a0Sign up and watch CFL games on CFL+ in the U.S. and Internationally<\/a><\/p>\n
1. NATHAN ROURKE | QUARTERBACK | BC LIONS<\/p>\n
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So long as there is a highly talented starting quarterback with Canadian designation in the CFL, they will always be on this watch list.<\/p>\n
Nathan Rourke<\/a> and the Lions are off to a slow start, due in large part to factors outside of his control as the defence works to get stops and slow opposing passers. But Rourke\u2019s numbers should stack up among the league\u2019s top five by season\u2019s end, and that will always be enough to keep him in MOC contention.<\/p>\n 2. BRADY OLIVEIRA | RUNNING BACK | WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Entering Week 4 sitting fifth in CFL rushing, Brady Oliveira<\/a> and the Bombers remain a work in progress after falling to Edmonton on Thursday night.<\/p>\n Still, I have no doubt Winnipeg\u2019s power back will get every chance to shine as the season rolls on under new offensive coordinator Tommy Condell.<\/p>\n 3. TYSON PHILPOT | RECEIVER | MONTREAL ALOUETTES<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Likely the front-runner at this early stage of the campaign, Tyson Philpot<\/a> has made a massive statement so far in 2026 and enters Week 4 as the CFL leader in catches, targets and receiving yards.<\/p>\n He has shown he is ready to take the next step in his journey from 110th Grey Cup hero in 2023 to weekly touchdown threat.<\/p>\n 4. KIAN SCHAFFER-BAKER | RECEIVER | SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Get used to having plenty of receivers on this list.<\/p>\n Canadian pass-catchers are lighting the league on fire right now, and Kian Schaffer-Baker<\/a> has the early lead over teammate Samuel Emilus<\/a>, who will likely feature prominently in this conversation by season\u2019s end.<\/p>\n 5. KIONDR\u00c9 SMITH | RECEIVER | HAMILTON TIGER-CATS<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Thirteen catches on 14 targets and tied for the CFL lead with three receiving touchdowns? Yeah, that\u2019ll do just fine.<\/p>\n The forever-slighted Kiondr\u00e9 Smith wears a boulder-sized chip on his shoulder every week. If this keeps up, he just might be the MOC, and then the critics will truly be silenced.<\/p>\n 6. KEVIN MITAL | RECEIVER | TORONTO ARGONAUTS<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n A 19.1 yards-per-catch average might not last until the end of the season, but right now it leads the CFL. And with Chad Kelly<\/a> at quarterback, never say never.<\/p>\n Kevin Mital<\/a> signed an extension in Toronto<\/a> and has shown clear progression from ball-control receiver to multi-layered threat. He is such a weapon with the ball in his hands that his early-season form as a downfield target should help create a difficult scouting report as the weeks march on.<\/p>\n 7. STAVROS KATSANTONIS | DEFENSIVE BACK | HAMILTON TIGER-CATS<\/p>\n Stavros said I\u2019ll take that!<\/p>\n \ud83d\uddd3\ufe0f: Lions vs. Tiger-Cats LIVE NOW \u2014 CFL (@CFL) June 20, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n A pair of interceptions early in the season is a big reason why Stavros Katsantonis<\/a> is listed here.<\/p>\n Defensive secondary players have a tough time putting up any numbers that catch your attention quite like a pick, but when watching Hamilton film, it is the instincts and natural range Katsantonis shows that has me throwing flowers at the stage.<\/p>\n 8. GEOFFREY CANTIN-ARKU | LINEBACKER | MONTREAL ALOUETTES Montreal Alouettes linebacker Geoffrey Cantin-Arku has seamlessly stepped into a larger role in 2026, emerging as one of Marshall Ferguson\u2019s early Most Outstanding Canadian candidates (Nicole Osborne\/CFL.ca).<\/p>\n Stepping into Darnell Sankey\u2019s place could not have been an easy ask for Geoffrey Cantin-Arku.<\/p>\n But he has done so at both middle and weak-side linebacker through the Als\u2019 first three games without blinking. His control of Noel Thorpe\u2019s defensive ideology confirms he\u2019ll be the leading Canadian at linebacker until further notice.<\/p>\n 9. BRETT LAUTHER | KICKER | OTTAWA REDBLACKS Ottawa REDBLACKS kicker Brett Lauther<\/a> has made all seven of his field goal attempts this season, earning a spot on Marshall Ferguson\u2019s early Most Outstanding Canadian watch list (OttawaREDBLACKS.com).<\/p>\n Brett Lauther<\/a> was tied with Edmonton\u2019s Vincent Blanchard for field goals made by a Canadian, with both sitting at 7-for-7 through two games.<\/p>\n But Lauther gets the nod here for stepping seamlessly into Lewis Ward\u2019s old stomping grounds. Will a kicker win MOC? Not unless something spectacular happens, but it\u2019s early and he deserves the love after such a great start to the season.<\/p>\n 10. JUSTIN MCINNIS | RECEIVER | BC LIONS<\/p>\n JUSTIN MCINNIS HANGS ON \ud83e\udd2f<\/p>\n McInnis with a huge catch to put the Lions into scoring position!<\/p>\n \ud83d\uddd3\ufe0f: Lions vs Roughriders \u2014 CFL (@CFL) June 14, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n The Lions go as Nathan Rourke<\/a> does, and Rourke often goes as Justin McInnis<\/a> does.<\/p>\n Which is to say, with everything connected, I have no doubt McInnis\u2019 numbers will continue to rise as the season rolls on and BC finds its footing. Averaging over 100 yards per game already, McInnis is well on track to eclipse 1,000 yards receiving for the third straight season and perhaps chase his career high of 1,469 set in 2024.<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udcfa: TSN and CFL+#CFLGameDay<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/Gl7ZVGu9FM<\/a><\/p>\n
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\ud83d\udcfa: TSN, CBSSN and CFL+#CFLGameDay<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/33zP4gWSBX<\/a><\/p>\n