Three Stars: Drew Willy, Ricky Foley and Josh Bartel shine in Week One

With a new CFL season through its first week, it's time to bring back our regular Three Stars feature. Here's a look at the top offensive, defensive, special teams and Canadian players across the league in Week One. Check back here after each week's games for further instalments.

First star/offensive player of the week: Drew Willy, quarterback, Winnipeg Blue Bombers: There were plenty of questions about Willy as a starting quarterback heading into this season given his limited experience, but he did his best to answer those in Winnipeg's 45-21 win over Toronto Thursday, throwing for 308 yards and four touchdowns. He did have one interception, but he also had a 70.4 per cent completion rate, and he outdueled another very impressive quarterback (the Argonauts' Ricky Ray). His start was crucial to the Bombers' win Thursday, and if he can keep playing like this, it could be a good season for Winnipeg.

(Honourable mentions: Anthony Allen, RB, Saskatchewan; Nic Grigsby, RB, Winnipeg; Adarius Bowman, SB, Edmonton.)

Second star/defensive player of the week: Ricky Foley, defensive end, Saskatchewan Roughriders: The Roughriders' defensive line was crucial to Saskatchewan's 31-10 win over Hamilton Sunday, recording eight of the team's 10 sacks of Tiger-Cats quarterback Zach Collaros. Foley had three of those sacks, more than anyone else, and he also tied for the team lead with six tackles. He was crucial to keeping Collaros under pressure, too, a big part of why the Hamilton quarterback only threw for 159 yards.

(Honourable mentions: Eric Samuels, LB, Edmonton; Charleston Hughes, DE, Calgary; Sam Hurl, LB, Saskatchewan.)

Third star/special teams player of the week: Josh Bartel, punter, Saskatchewan Roughriders: A downpour made for difficult kicking conditions in Saskatchewan's win over Hamilton Sunday, but Bartel persevered through it, launching six punts an average of 47 yards each. He continually backed the Tiger-Cats up into tough territory, which contributed to their offensive struggles. Not a bad showing against his old team, either...

(Honourable mentions: Chad Owens, PR, Toronto; Swayze Waters, K/P, Toronto; Sean Whyte, K/P, Montreal.)

Bonus star/Canadian player of the week: Ricky Foley, defensive end, Saskatchewan Roughriders: Foley's pass-rushing exploits against Hamilton have already been discussed above, but it's also interesting to note that he keeps producing despite people writing him off. Foley was criticized after going to Toronto (instead of heading back to B.C.) midseason in 2010 when he returned from the NFL, and he only recorded one sack that year, but rebounded to notch six in 2011. 2012 was more of a down year for him in the sack department, as he landed just three, but he shone on the big stage in the Grey Cup, picking up four tackles and a sack in the Argonauts' win. Foley then went to Saskatchewan in free agency and was big for them all year in 2013, notching 45 tackles and eight sacks. He already has three in 2014, proving that he's far from finished at 32.

(Honourable mentions: Sam Hurl, LB, Saskatchewan; Andrew Harris, RB, B.C.; Cory Watson, SB, Winnipeg.)

Thanks for reading! You can submit nominations for the Three Stars feature to me during the week's games via Twitter or e-mail. Check back at 55-Yard Line after the week's games for the results.