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Each player now a finalist in their category for 2016 Shaw CFL Award
The Canadian Football League announced Thursday that Tiger-Cats wide receiver Andy Fantuz and kick returner Brandon Banks have been named the East Division’s Most Outstanding Canadian and Most Outstanding Special Teams Player, respectively.
Fantuz, 32, registered 101 receptions for 1,059 yards and five touchdowns in 17 games this season and was named Hamilton’s 2016 Most Outstanding Player. The 6-4, 218-pound wide receiver became the first player in Tiger-Cats franchise history to record 100 receptions in a single season, surpassing that mark on October 21 at Ottawa. The native of Chatham, Ontario, finished the season ranked fifth in CFL receptions (101) and receiving targets (128).
Banks, 28, is the CFL’s reigning Most Outstanding Special Teams Player and was recently named an East Division All-Star for the third consecutive season. The 5-7, 157-pound wide receiver and kick returner has played 16 games for the Tiger-Cats this season and lead the CFL with three total kick return touchdowns. The native of Garner, North Carolina, recorded 61 punt returns for 588 yards with one touchdown, 55 kickoff returns for 1,245 yards and three missed field goals for 249 yards with two touchdowns. Banks finished the season ranked first in the league in missed field goal return yards, second in kickoff return yards and fifth in punt return yards. The Kansas State product became the Tiger-Cats all-time kickoff return yardage leader (3,047) on November 5 versus Montreal, surpassing Wally Zatylny’s previous record of 3,012 yards.
The Most Outstanding Player awards, which includes six categories, were decided by voting members of the Football Reporters of Canada (FRC) and head coaches from across the league.
Voters were asked to select players from their local CFL division who, through their on-field performance excellence, best represents the awards’ titles: Most Outstanding Player, Most Outstanding Canadian Player, Most Outstanding Defensive Player, Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman, Most Outstanding Rookie, and Most Outstanding Special Teams Player.
The 2016 Shaw CFL Awards will be handed out on Thursday, November 24 in Toronto, Ontario. Calgary’s Jerome Messam (Canadian) and Winnipeg’s Justin Medlock (special teams) were the West Division’s Most Outstanding Players in Fantuz and Banks’ categories.