Our third, 3-game week has officially wrapped up. With fewer games, there come fewer opportunities for shake-ups to happen. Let's discuss who impressed me in this week's write up;
Kickers
Overall, Kickers performed well this week, however, there were a couple of surprises along the way. Throughout the week, the collective attempted 17 field goals, making 15 of them for a decent 88% completion. PATs were at a premium this week, only 8 were attempted. What's worse is that only 6 were made. Statistically, this is the worst convert completion percentage during the 2022 CFL Season (75%). Let's discuss how each of the players performed with a look at my (un)Official Week 16 CFL Kicker Power Rankings;
Working top-down;
Rene Paredes (CGY) opened the game with a cheeky onside kick which the Stampeders recovered! After the electrifying start, however, Paredes missed a 41 yard field goal attempt. He came back and showed that miss wouldn't shake him, making all 4 of his remaining field goal attempts as well as his single PAT. His longest came from 39 yards out. The sheer amount of field goals Paredes has made (43) is more than any other player (2nd place has only 36 made) and to be kicking at 88% is just plain impressive.
Marc Liegghio (WPG) had a Bye Week this week, though the amount of points scored is really what is keeping him in the Second Position.
Sean Whyte (BC) had a clean week, making his only field goal attempt from 34 yards out. It's tough seeing the Lions not give him many oppourtunities, but he has worked well with what he's been given.
David Côté (MTL) was amazing this week. I had such a great time cheering for him during the Alouettes' 23-16 win over Hamilton. He went 3 for 3 on field goal attempts and 0 for 1 on PATs, however, he finally conquered his first field goal over 50 yards! Early in the Third Quarter he lined up for a 51 yard field goal and made it! As per David Arsenault, this was the first field goal of over 50 yards since Boris Bede was on the team in 2019! Let's hope Côté can keep up the great work!
Seth Small (HAM) had a quiet game, his longest attempt being from just 38 yards out. He did however play very well, making all 4 of his field goal attempts (3/3 Fg - 1/1 PAT).
Brett Lauther (SSK) will mark the last of what I would consider "consistent". He had a Bye Week this week.
Sergio Castillo (EDM) had a Bye Week this week as well but has been pretty decent for many weeks now. I believe it was time to place him in the Seventh Position.
Lewis Ward (OTT) will also jump one spot after going 3/3 of field goals this week. That's fine and dandy, but my gripe is that he never hit one longer than 40 yards. I expect a player of his calibre to do what he does under 40 yards, but I also expect him to be much, much better over 40.
Boris Bede (TOR) will drop into the Eight Position after his 3rd week of underperforming (in my opinion). He goes 1/2 this week; his make coming from 42 and his miss coming from over 50. This will drop him outside of the 80% mark, which is never where you want to find yourself as a kicker. He also missed 1 of his 5 converts, which isn't ideal. I hope he is able to turn it around in the remaining weeks. I really need to see his accuracy improve before he rises in the Power Rankings.
Punters
The Power Rankings have shifted slightly, but the Top 3 is still intact. Most CFL punters either had a good statistical week or were on Bye. Let's discuss how each of the players performed with a look at my (un)Official Week 16 CFL Punter Power Rankings;
Working top-down;
Richie Leone (OTT) had yet another stellar week punting 4 times for 187 yards (46.8 Avg.) and 174 Net Yards (43.5Net Avg.). Two of these punts went over 50 yards. Honestly, the Top 3 Punters in the CFL are extremely close in skill. They're punting at an elite level and could all be argued for the Top Spot. The reason Richie remains there? He has done it over a larger number of punts (83).
Cody Grace (CGY) had a great game where 4 of his 6 punts went over 50 yards. He finished the night with 288 yards (48 Avg.) and 234 Net yards (39 Net Avg.). He was also able to pin the opponent inside their own 20 yard line 1 time. His Inside 20% statistic is what keeps him in the Second Position over Flintoft.
Stefan Flintoft (BC) punted a season-high 9 times for 417 yards (46.3 Avg.) and 331 Net yards (36.8 Net Avg.). What stood out to me this week, is that 4 of his punts (44%) were inside the 20 yard line, which is what I've been asking for. As a cherry on top, he also hit 2 punts over 50 yards. Stefan is certainly having an impressive season.
Joseph Zema (MTL) played very well this week, making his case for Top 3 punter in the CFL this year. He punted 4 times, where 1 was muffed and the remaining 3 had penalties committed by Hamilton which caused his Net yardage to skyrocket. His 4 punts went for 178 Net yards (44.5 Net Avg.) where 3 landed inside the 20 yard line. One of those even pinned the ti-Cats deep on their own 5 yard line. He will jump into the Top 5 this week.
Marc Liegghio (WPG) had a Bye Week this week and slides due to competition heating up around him.
Kaare Vedvik (SSK) will jump a spot due this week, though he had a Bye.
Boris Bede (TOR) was a surprise addition to the Punting lineup this week as John Haggerty was out with injury. He had a good week, statistically speaking, punting 5 times for 248 yards (49.6 Avg.) and 203 Net yards (40.6 Net Avg.). I still wouldn't take him over some of the other punters on this list due to the fact that I'm not sure this is sustainable for Boris. I like seeing Bede do both, but I miss Haggerty. Hopefully, Bede will not be forced into both the kicker/punter positions for much longer. He has shown, however, that he is a serviceable replacement in an emergency.
Michael Domagala (HAM) had a tough week, as I expected. He was up against Chandler Worthy, one of the best returners in the CFL. He manages 4 punts for 148 yards (37 Avg.) and 138 Net yards (34.5 Net Avg.). On landed inside the Al's 20 yard line but that was the highlight of his night.
Jonathan Ryan (EDM) had a Bye Week this week.
Thank you for making it this far in my article! Please make sure to let me know what you think. -Big Ups to everyone on Twitter who continues to post great Specialist content. -
I couldn't do it without you :)