With a great Week 11 complete, we are now officially more than halfway through the 2025 season.<\/p>\n
And after presenting some \u201cnon-traditional\u201d award winners for last week\u2019s MMQB<\/a>, this week we\u2019re focusing on the league\u2019s top individual honour: Most Outstanding Player.<\/p>\n With an incredible amount of difficulty narrowing things down, we\u2019ve got six leading MOP candidates at the midway mark. Of note, three of our highlighted players are quarterbacks, which seems fair knowing the position has won this award a little under 60 per cent of the time since 1953.<\/p>\n RELATED It\u2019s also important to note we\u2019re shining the spotlight on six players, but that doesn\u2019t mean players not highlighted are necessarily \u201ctrailing\u201d in this race.<\/p>\n Also in the mix:<\/p>\n Damonte Coxie<\/a> (receiver, Toronto Argonauts) BO LEVI MITCHELL | QUARTERBACK | HAMILTON TIGER-CATS<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Bo Levi Mitchell<\/a> is listed first because he would be our choice for this award at the midway mark. Even after his toughest outing of the season in Saturday\u2019s 29-9 loss to Saskatchewan, Mitchell is having a campaign worthy of a third career MOP nod. On top of that, the Tiger-Cats are having a resurgent season and remain on top of the East Division.<\/p>\n The raw numbers are beyond impressive. Mitchell leads the league with 3,057 passing yards and 21 touchdowns, which looks even better when you consider he\u2019s thrown just five interceptions. On pace to set a career high in passing yards for a second straight season, Mitchell\u2019s return to form is one of the better CFL feel-good stories in recent years.<\/p>\n TREVOR HARRIS | QUARTERBACK | SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n I\u2019m not sure where Trevor Harris<\/a> would sit on most ballots if they were being cast right now, but for me he\u2019d finish a close second to Mitchell. After all, Harris is having the best statistical season of his career while the Riders have put together the league\u2019s best record at 8-1.<\/p>\n Harris leads the league with a 75.5 per cent completion rate and an absurd 121.6 quarterback rating to go along with 2,490 passing yards and 16 touchdowns. Already one of the most accurate pivots in CFL history, Harris extended his record of consecutive games over 70 per cent passing to 12 games in Saturday\u2019s statement win over Hamilton.<\/p>\n JAMES BUTLER | RUNNING BACK | BC LIONS<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n James Butler<\/a>\u2019s return to BC, where his CFL career started in 2021, has been nothing short of outstanding. With a pair of 1,000-yard seasons already under his belt, Butler has been the league\u2019s best tailback this season while being a huge steadying force in what\u2019s been an up-and-down campaign for the Lions.<\/p>\n Butler leads the league with 785 rushing yards, while his 5.5 yards-per-carry average is also number one amongst players with 50 or more carries. And when you consider his receiving totals, Butler\u2019s contributions become that much more impressive. With 245 receiving yards, Butler\u2019s numbers rise to 1,030 offensive yards and seven total touchdowns.<\/p>\n JAYLON HUTCHINGS | DEFENSIVE TACKLE | CALGARY STAMPEDERS<\/p>\n TAKEN DOWN!<\/p>\n Jaylon Hutchings has his fifth sack of the year!#CFLGameDay<\/a> \u2014 CFL (@CFL) August 10, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n You don\u2019t often see interior linemen in MOP conversations, which just underlines how stellar a season Jaylon Hutchings is having. We haven\u2019t seen a defensive tackle named Most Outstanding Defensive Player since Calgary\u2019s Joe Fleming in 2003, and Hutchings has a great chance to end that streak. He\u2019d be our mid-season choice for the award.<\/p>\n Hutchings has been dominant in his first full season with the Stamps after joining the team under the radar in October. Despite being doubled on a regular basis, Hutchings sits tied for second overall with six sacks to go along with 24 defensive tackles. In addition, Hutchings has been rated the best interior lineman at Pro Football Focus for much of the season.<\/p>\n KENNY LAWLER | RECEIVER | HAMILTON TIGER-CATS<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n In a year full of great performances at receiver (see Coxie and Hatcher Sr.), we\u2019re highlighting Kenny Lawler<\/a> because he\u2019s been just a cut above. In his first season with Hamilton, Lawler leads the CFL with eight touchdown catches and an 18.4 average per reception while sitting third with 845 receiving yards.<\/p>\n And perhaps most impressive is how Lawler has performed in an offence rife with targets. Remember, the Ticats also boast the likes of Tim White<\/a>, Kiondr\u00e9 Smith, and last year\u2019s East Division Most Outstanding Rookie Shemar Bridges. Despite that, Lawler has been a dominant force even with three Hamilton receivers at 67 or more targets.<\/p>\n NATHAN ROURKE | QUARTERBACK | BC LIONS<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The final quarterback on our list, it feels like a dead heat between Nathan Rourke<\/a> and Adams Jr. to slot in behind the two quarterbacks previously highlighted. And we\u2019re giving Rourke a VERY slim edge due to slightly better counting stats over similar workloads.<\/p>\n Back in the CFL for his first full season since 2022, Rourke sits third overall with 2,686 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, and a 110.4 quarterback rating. Rourke\u2019s two touchdowns and 269 yards on the ground only add to his case. Likely the frontrunner for Most Outstanding Canadian, Rourke also firmly belongs in the MOP conversation.<\/p>\n
\u00bb\u00a03 stats that defined Saskatchewan\u2019s Week 11 win over Hamilton<\/a>
\u00bb 3 stats that defined BC\u2019s Week 11 win over Montreal<\/a>
\u00bb\u00a03 stats that defined Winnipeg\u2019s Week 11 win over Ottawa<\/a>
\u00bb\u00a03 stats that defined Edmonton\u2019s Week 11 win over Toronto<\/a><\/p>\n
Adrian Greene<\/a> (defensive back, Calgary Stampeders)
Keon Hatcher (receiver, BC Lions)
Tyrice Beverette (linebacker, Montreal Alouettes)
Vernon Adams Jr. (quarterback, Calgary Stampeders)
Jameer Thurman<\/a> (linebacker, Saskatchewan Roughriders)<\/p>\n
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