Through Week 5 in the CFL, we’ve been all agog about the superb performances of the receivers in 2024, particularly the Canadian ones. Well-deserved attention, too, not gonna begrudge that.
What about the rock toters, though?
Let’s give them a little attention with a subjective list of top-five running backs so far this year.
Through my eyes, It looks like the battle for first (so far) comes down to Montreal present and Montreal past.
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I remember one day, last November in Hamilton, when William Stanback was hanging around a bevy of on-field player scrums, all by himself. “Doesn’t anyone wanna talk to me?” he asked with a smile.
Then he went out and broke off a massively important 32-yard touchdown run in the Grey Cup game.
Point is, when William Stanback feels overlooked, he feeds.
Heading to BC when the Alouettes released him ahead of free agency this past off-season – the club said it was at Stanback’s request – the 30-year-old might have felt like he was being overlooked once again because it sure shows in his play as a Lion.
Tied with Saskatchewan’s AJ Ouellette for the league lead in carries, Stanback has answered the call with 311 rushing yards in five games, tops in the CFL. Add to that his 165 yards on 14 receptions and you have the league’s running back leader in combined yards, with 476. He’s ripped seven rushes of more than 10 yards, ranking him second in that regard.
The No. 2 running back in combined yards right now is Montreal’s Walter Fetcher, with 462.
Fletcher has been everything the Als thought he could be in 2024, after spending most of the 2023 season as a total-team-guy, never-complaining back-up.
The 27-year-old’s ground game totals are among the league’s top-five, ranking fifth in both yards and carries and tied for second in the CFL in average, at 4.9 yards per run over five games.
Fletcher has really popped as a receiver out of the Montreal backfield, with quarterback Cody Fajardo calling him “the answer” when opponents insist on playing zone.
Fletcher’s caught 24 of the 26 passes thrown to him, leading all running backs with 232 receiving yards (two more yards than his rushing total so far) and he’s No. 1 in yards after catch as well, with 213.
Before I move on, one more point about my top two picks: Neither has fumbled so far in 2024.
The Toronto Argonauts’ running back got lots of love for his first month of the season from PFF, grading out as the top tailback in the league for June.
Through Week 5, Carey stands third in both yards and carries and is one of three backs to record 100-plus yards in a game.
Carey, a star who shone in the Red and White of the Calgary Stampeders before injuries slowed him down in 2023, has enjoyed a very good season so far in Double Blue, looking refreshed and determined and every bit the back he was when he rushed for a thousand with the Stamps in 2022.
Carey’s always had a healthy average throughout his career and his 4.9 per lug in 2024 stands him second in the CFL. He’s first in runs of 10-plus yards, with nine, in four games played.
Who will step up for the Ottawa REDBLACKS, we all wondered when last year’s thousand-yard rusher, Devonte Williams suffered an Achilles injury just prior to training camp.
Ryquell Armstead, that’s who.
The 27-year-old rookie has grabbed the assignment with great authority in Ottawa, and he leads the CFL in average at an impressive 5.6 yards per carry, standing second to Stanback in total yards on the ground with 275. That’s in one fewer game played.
Armstead is first in average rush yards per game, at 68.8 and he has ripped off seven runs of over 10 yards so far.
Not a lot to choose between him and Carey right now.
If I’m compiling this list last week, Brady Oliveira isn’t on it. It’s probably Calgary’s Dedrick Mills or perhaps Hamilton’s James Butler in this slot instead.
But Oliveira’s monstrous Week 5 game (23 runs for 129 yards and five catches for 37 more) has vaulted last year’s West nominee for Most Outstanding Player right back into the top backs mix.
Combine the overall struggles of the Blue Bombers with Oliveira’s slow start to the season – including missing a game due to injury – and you could be forgiven for feeling that last season’s rushing leader was languishing down the list.
But Oliveira finds himself fourth in ground yards gained and third in carries, and his now healthy 4.8 yards per carry average has him just a tenth of a yard back of Carey and Fletcher.
He begged the Blue Bombers to let him carry them. Last week, they did.