Three Stars: Ricky Ray, Charleston Hughes and Brandon Banks top Week 18′s list

It's time for another edition of our weekly Three Stars series, looking at the top offensive, defensive, special teams and Canadian players from Week 18's action.

First star/offensive player of the week: Ricky Ray, quarterback, Toronto Argonauts: Ray returned to spectacular form this week with a career-high 505 passing yards in the Argonauts' win over Winnipeg Thursday, but what was most impressive was his efficiency. He completed a stunning 39 of 45 passes, giving him a remarkable 86.7 per cent completion mark, and tossed three touchdowns without an interception. If Ray keeps playing like this, he and the Argonauts will be a force in the playoffs.

(Honourable mentions: Adarius Bowman, SB, Edmonton; Stefan Logan, RB, B.C.; Dontrelle Inman, WR, Toronto.)

Second star/defensive player of the week: Charleston Hughes, defensive end, Calgary Stampeders: The Stampeders' defence played a huge role in their 29-25 win over the Roughriders Saturday, and Stamps was crucial to that effort. He recorded three sacks and five tackles on the day and provided a consistent pass rush, keeping pressure on Saskatchewan quarterback Darian Durant. Hughes and the Calgary defence also stood strong against the run, holding Kory Sheets to 42 yards on 11 carries. Hughes leads the CFL with 18 sacks on the year and has been vital to the Stampeders' defensive success.

(Honourable mentions: Simoni Lawrence, LB, Hamilton; Chip Cox, LB, Montreal; John Chick, DE, Saskatchewan.)

Third star/special teams player of the week: Brandon Banks, punt returner/kick returner, Hamilton Tiger-Cats: Banks came up with perhaps the most impressive play of the week in Hamilton's 27-24 victory over Montreal Saturday, taking a missed Sean Whyte field goal back 107 yards for a touchdown. He also had 61 kick return yards (on four attempts) and 42 punt return yards (on three attempts) on the day. Not bad for a guy playing in just his fourth CFL game. Banks was effective as a change-of-pace rusher on offence, too, collecting a touchdown on a 45-yard run and picking up 47 rushing yards overall on two carries. He may make a difference for the Tiger-Cats in the playoffs if he can keep this up.

(Honourable mentions: Swayze Waters, P/K, Toronto; Stefan Logan, PR/KR, B.C.; Rob Maver, P, Calgary.)

Bonus star/Canadian player of the week: Andrew Harris, RB, B.C. Lions: A week after he missed a flight, only received eight touches and generally looked set to take a smaller role in B.C., Harris bounced back in a big way in the Lions' win over Edmonton Friday. Harris had 11 rushes for 76 yards (6.9 yards per carry) Friday and proved a valuable backfield partner to Logan, with his pounding style setting up his teammate for slashing outside runs, but perhaps most importantly, he was a huge contributor as a receiver out of the backfield, catching four balls for 34 yards and two touchdowns. Harris may not be the unquestioned top back in B.C. any more now that Logan's back, but he can still be a key part of this offence.

(Honourable mentions: Jon Cornish, RB, Calgary; Rob Maver, P, Calgary; Shamawd Chambers, SB, Edmonton.)

Want to nominate a candidate for next week's Three Stars? Get in touch with me during the week's games via Twitter or e-mail.