TORONTO — Three running backs have made their case for a potential Most Outstanding Player award at the end of the season.
Brady Oliveira, Walter Fletcher and William Stanback have all functioned as the engine for their team’s respective offences and compiled the necessary stats to be considered for the most prestigious player award in the CFL.
Their case might in fact be among the strongest in a year with no clear-cut standout at the often awarded quarterback position.
“If we are talking truly most outstanding player, it’s not a quarterback this year,” said Marshall Ferguson in a chat with Donnovan Bennett in this week’s edition of The Waggle Podcast.
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There are defensive players who could make a case to be voted MOP as well, like Saskatchewan’s Rolan Milligan Jr. and Winnipeg’s Tyrell Ford, but the tailbacks could also throw their names into the mix.
Oliveira has 1,783 yards from scrimmage with four majors as the most important offensive player for the West Division-leader Blue Bombers. Fletcher meanwhile amassed 1,352 yards and six majors as a dual-threat tailback for the East Division champions Montreal Alouettes. Finally, Stanback has been one of the best off-season acquisitions, rushing for 1,175 yards and three scores while adding 413 yards and two more majors as a pass-catcher for the BC Lions.
“Is it a defensive player? We’ll see, but if we’re just talking running backs right now, William Stanback, I think BC has gotten more out of him than they ever could have imagined, and I’m extremely happy to see the way that he’s played, but he is in the outside looking in for me in this discussion, and it comes down to two players.”
Those two are Oliveira and Fletcher, who not only have to contend with players on other teams but also their own standout teammates.
“Walter Fletcher is unquestionably one of the most outstanding players in the Canadian Football League,” added Ferguson. “This year, Montreal is going to get one chance to nominate a MOP. Is it (Cody) Fajardo? Is it Tyrice Beverette? Is it Darnell Sankey? Is it Walter Fletcher?
“Because technically, you could have three or four Alouettes that could be counted amongst the top 10 of Most Outstanding Players in the Canadian Football League at their position for their influence on the game. Walter Fletcher‘s ability this year, unlike anybody else in the Canadian Football League, to match receiving yards and rushing yards and overall production and influence on the game has been unbelievable to watch.”
Oliveira meanwhile has done nothing but produce as the Bombers recovered from an early-season slump to return to the top of the AMSOIL Power Rankings with a week left in the regular season.
The National tailback is the favourite amongst the position to be considered as the top player in 2024, according to Ferguson.
“Brady Oliveira is the choice when it comes to an MOP candidate running back. And I don’t think that there’s anybody else who’s close at the running back position right now.”
“Like I always say in this Bomber’s offence, Collaros is the brain,. (Oliveira) is the motor. And nothing turns unless Brady Oliveira and that offensive line are pushing the line of scrimmage four or five yards down the field at any given moment in the game.”