After 14 weeks of play, you can generally expect the list of MOP candidates to be short. That’s not the case in 2024 as no one really leads the charge. The two most talented player in the league, Nathan Rourke and Chad Kelly, won’t win because they missed half the season and no other player stands out.

Like the NFL’s MVP award, the CFL MOP is a quarterback driven award. QBs have won six of the last seven MOP awards, but with no signal caller standing out this season, it could be a rare non-quarterback MOP year.

So, who has the edge to win MOP in 2024? Let’s look at some of the candidates.

Bo Levi Mitchell

Hamilton’s Bo Levi Mitchell, who would likely be serving as a backup if Taylor Powell didn’t get hurt, is a two-time MOP winner and he currently leads the CFL in both passing yards (3,383) and passing TDs (21). However, there’s a couple problems with Mitchell winning. Most importantly, the Ti-Cats are the worst team in the league and I would argue the MOP winner can’t come from a non-playoff team. Mitchell has also thrown the second-most interceptions this season (12) and he’s gone through stretches when he’s been benched. That doesn’t sound like a MOP candidate.

Cody Fajardo

Cody Fajardo is another option as the starting quarterback of the league-best Montreal Alouettes. Fajardo missed four games due to injury, limiting his stat line to 2,212 passing yards (seventh-most in CFL) and 13 passing TDs (sixth). That puts him on pace for roughly 3,700 passing yards and 20 passing TDs. It’s a stretch to say those are MOP numbers.

Brady Oliveira

A running back hasn’t won MOP since Jon Cornish in 2013, but Brady Oliveira arguably should have won last year and he remains one of the best running backs in the CFL. The problem is, he was recently passed by William Stanback as the CFL’s leading rusher (Stanback has 938 rushing yards in 13 games, Oliveira has 894 yards in 12 games). Oliveira also hasn’t scored a touchdown this season (he had nine last year) and he’s on pace to rush for 268 yards less than he did in 2023.

Justin McInnis

BC’s Justin McInnis has the best shot at being the first wide receiver to win MOP since Brandon Banks in 2019. McInnis is the first player to hit 1,000 receiving yards this season (1,074) and he leads the CFL with seven receiving TDs. Unfortunately, McInnis’s production has significantly dipped as he’s averaged less than 50 receiving yards per game over the Lion’s last seven contests. He’ll have to form a serious connection with Nathan Rourke to remain in the hunt for MOP.

Other candidates

A pass rusher could win MOP, but there’s a bit of a logjam with six players tied for the lead league with six sacks each. Sione Teuhema has the most total tackles (29) of that group, but he’s still only on pace for nine sacks.

Solomon Elimimian was the last linebacker to win MOP in 2014, but again, there’s been no clear-cut standout. Nyles Morgan leads the CFL with 85 total tackles, but there’s also a case for Tyrice Beverette, who has more sacks (four) and leads the league in forced fumbles (four).

A defensive back has never won MOP, but it’s a possibility this year. Roland Milligan Jr. and Tyrell Ford are tied for the league lead in interceptions (six), but Milligan hasn’t recorded a pick in a month and Ford performed poorly early in the season.

Amazingly, a kicker won MVP in the NFL in 1982, but it’s never happened in the CFL. Like a lot of positions, however, the case can be made for multiple players as the best kicker in the CFL this season. Rene Paredes leads the CFL in field goal percentage (96.9 per cent) and Sean Whyte is a close second (94.7 per cent). Lewis Ward is first in total field goals (41) and Sergio Castillo has the longest kick this season (60 yards).

The race for MOP is anyone’s guess at this point.