Taylor Shire
Regina Leader-Post
For just the third time this season, the Saskatchewan Roughriders could have their top four receivers in the starting lineup.
KeeSean Johnson, Dohnte Meyers, Samuel Emilus and Kian Schaffer-Baker are all on track to suit up in Saturday’s West final against the B.C. Lions (5:30 p.m., TSN, Mosaic Stadium) with a trip to the Grey Cup in Winnipeg on the line.
FRIDAY UPDATE: Johnson has been ruled out with a knee injury and will not play. Joe Robustelli will start in his place.
The foursome was part of Saskatchewan’s starting lineup in Week 1, but due to injuries, they’ve only been on the field together once since, which was in Week 18 against Ottawa.
Meyers hurt his ankle during that game against the Redblacks and was forced to miss the final three games of the regular season while Johnson — who is listed as questionable for Saturday’s game — suffered a knee injury the next week and missed the final two games of the season.
Now, after getting a chance to recover from their respective injuries, the two second-year American receivers have returned to practice this week and appear good to go for Saturday.
“It feels great,” said Meyers, 25, who logged three full practices this week. “To put the cleats back on and put the helmet on and jersey and be back out there with the guys, especially with us trying to go 1-0 this week, it feels good.”
“Just happy to be back out there with the guys,” added Johnson, 29, who logged two limited practices Wednesday and Thursday after being held out Tuesday. “Keep working in the training room and on the field, just get back to being comfortable with the offence.”
This season, Johnson led the team with 1,159 yards while Meyers was second with 1,056. Both were named divisional all-stars in their second CFL seasons while Johnson earned additional all-CFL honours after finishing third overall in the league.
“It feels good,” said Johnson. “It’s one of your goals that you set at the beginning of the year.
“But the ultimate goal is to win as a team. So that’s the thing that’s going to feel best.”
“Just to get that personal accolade, it’s cool, but honestly, that regular season is over with,” added Meyers, who is roommates with Johnson. “All those personal accolades are in the past so me and him are just focused on going 1-0 this week and getting the job done.”
Since the Roughriders clinched first place in the division on Oct. 10, neither receiver was forced back into the lineup as the Roughriders finished their regular season with two games of no impact to the standings.
Instead, they could focus on their individual recovery with the Nov. 8 West final return date circled.
“I just think we’re fortunate,” said Meyers. “That’s just a byproduct of the work we put in.
“We wanted to clinch the West; we clinched the West. We had some games to spare. And that’s just a product of hard work and sometimes you get a bone.”
While Johnson and Meyers remained healthy throughout most of the season, the same can’t be said for Saskatchewan top two Canadian receivers in Emilus and Schaffer-Baker.
After suffering a foot injury in Week 1, Schaffer-Baker made his return to the lineup in Week 18 while Emilus missed 11 games with two separate injuries.
However, both are back healthy and ready to contribute, which is good news for quarterback Trevor Harris, who completed passes to 17 different players this season.
“The fact that we’ve got Sam, Schaf, Dohnte and who knows with KeeSean, we’re fired up about where we’re at,” said Harris. “But at the same time, it’s still on us to make sure we go out and execute the game plan and make sure we’re utilizing those guys strengths and putting them in positions to make plays.”
Injury report
Johnson and fellow receiver Ajou Ajou (ankle) are the only two Roughriders listed as “questionable for Saturday’s game while running back Mario Anderson (knee) and defensive end Shane Ray (neck) have been officially ruled out.
Everyone else is available to play according to the club’s injury report. The Roughriders will release their official depth chart on Friday.
