As expected, the injury-riddled lineup the Saskatchewan Roughriders fielded in the final week of the CFL regular season was mostly due to rest and precaution in advance of the postseason.
The final injury report in the lead-up to the Western Semi-Final against the B.C. Lions reveals that the vast majority of starters will be available for the showdown with the B.C. Lions on Saturday afternoon.
The news isn’t all perfect, though.
Starting safety Nelson Lokombo suffered a hip injury in the Week 21 win over the Edmonton Elks. He attempted to battle through it through practice earlier this week in limited reps but has been ruled out for Saturday.
As a result, Regina product and backup safety Jaxon Ford is expected to get the start in the position against the Lions.
Saskatchewan will also be without receiver Dylan Djete, who gave it a shot at practice on Tuesday but didn’t see the field the remainder of the week due to an injured ankle.
Outside of those two, almost everyone who was nicked up in the lead-up to the regular-season finale and sat out will be back in action.
That includes running back A.J. Ouellette (neck), offensive lineman Jermarcus Hardrick (knee) and defensive lineman James Vaughters (knee), all of whom were at full speed all week.
Receiver KeeSean Johnson saw limited reps on Tuesday as he deals with a sore ankle, but was in full action the rest of the week. Offensive lineman Daniel Johnson was in the same situation as he overcomes a back ailment, and linebacker Seyi Oladipo Jr. battled through an ankle injury and was in full action all week.
Defensive lineman Derick Roberson and Aaron Patrick will both be game-time decisions with thumb and knee injuries, respectively.
You can check out the full injury report list below.
The Rider Broadcast Network will have all the action from the Western Semi-Final on Saturday beginning at 11:30 a.m., as Dave Thomas and Wes Cates will host the pregame show prior to kickoff. Dave and Luc Mullinder will then have all the game action when things get underway at 2:30 p.m. at B.C. Place in Vancouver.
