Matt Nichols, who started the season as Winnipeg’s backup quarterback, was named the team’s most outstanding player for the 2016 season on Wednesday.

The 29-year-old is one of the team’s annual six major award winners as voted upon by the local chapter of the Football Reporters of Canada and head coach Mike O’Shea.

The other winners are: running back Andrew Harris (Canadian), linebacker Moe Leggett (defensive), kicker/punter Justin Medlock (special teams), safety Taylor Loffler (rookie), and left guard Travis Bond (offensive lineman).

The six award winners will now advance to the next stage of voting and go against the rest of the West Division winners in their respective categories.

Nichols, who came to the CFL six years ago this month, became a bona fide starter for the first time on July 28 in Edmonton, when he made his first start of the season in place of the demoted Drew Willy. The team was 1-4 at the time, but Nichols was instrumental in turning the team’s fortunes around and leading it to its first playoff spot since 2011. Winnipeg is 9-3 since then, and Nichols is the main reason why.

The former Eastern Washington star has completed 69.7% of his passes for 3,367 yards, 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions. His ability to not turn the ball over is a big reason why the Bombers lead the league with a plus-28 turnover ratio and are 10-7 going in to Friday’s regular season finale in Ottawa.

Harris signed a lucrative contract in February to join his hometown team after spending the first six years of his career with the B.C. Lions. The 29-year-old has been a workhorse for the Blue and Gold, missing only three games due to injury.

The former Oak Park Raiders star is fourth in the CFL in yards from scrimmage thanks to 914 on the ground and 552 through the air.

Medlock has made 56 field goals, which is tied for the third most in a CFL season. He needs four on Friday night in Ottawa to break the record of 59 that Saskatchewan’s Dave Ridgway set in 1990.

The former UCLA kicker has been worth the $185,000 the Bombers are paying him this season. He hasn’t missed from inside 40 yards, and he’s the only kicker in the league who hasn’t missed a convert kick. Medlock is the CFL’s career leader in field goal percentage, at 87.5%, and he has made his last 14 attempts. He is tied for third this season, also with an 87.5% mark.

Leggett, a former NFLer who in his third season with the Blue and Gold, co-leads the CFL with seven interceptions, three of which he has returned for touchdowns. The 30-year-old also has two fumble recoveries, a sack, a forced fumble and a tackle for a loss that helped the Bombers beat the Lions on Oct. 14 at Investors Group Field. He also has five pass knockdowns.

Loffler took over as the team’s starting safety on July 28 following an injury to Macho Harris, and he hasn’t looked back. The former member of the UBC Thunderbirds and Boise St. Broncos has four interceptions, three forced fumbles, four pass knockdowns, and a sack in his first professional season.

The Bombers are 9-3 since Bond joined the offensive line at left guard on July 28. The 6-foot-7, 356-pound behemoth has been a stabilizing presence in front of Nichols, who also made his first start in that late July game.

kpenton@postmedia.com