Of all the injured players the Saskatchewan Roughriders could get back before the end of the season, one that appears ready to suit up again in game action could have the biggest impact.
Receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker has been a full participant in practice this week after missing the last six contests with a knee injury. It’s looking like he’ll return to the lineup Friday against the B.C. Lions.
That can’t come soon enough, according to CFL analyst and SportsCage regular Glen Suitor.
“It’s not just him catching the ball. It’s not just what he brings (on the field), but it’s the explosive plays, Suitor said. “It could be a hitch that he takes 40 yards. It could be the fade route. He could run those bender routes around linebackers.
“He can blow the top off of a defence in a heartbeat. That’s sort of been missing.”
Schaffer-Baker was second in the CFL with a 100.6-yard receiving average through his first seven games and third in the league with 704 yards.
The Riders finished off a win in Edmonton on Aug. 1 after Schaffer-Baker sustained his injury in the second half, but they’ve gone 3-3 since.
“There’s other guys that can do it,” Suitor said. “KeeSean (Johnson) has been carrying a ton of the load for this team when it comes to the receiving corps. Dhel Duncan-Busby has stepped up in a big, big way. His opportunity, he’s taking full advantage of. That’s the good side.
“You bring in and now add Kian Schaffer-Baker to this mix and you’ve got that down-the-field explosive guy that can win the jump ball. That’ll bring confidence to the offence.”
Schaffer-Baker wasn’t the only key player the Riders have played without during this timeframe.
Defensive backs Rolan Milligan Jr. and Tevaughn Campbell have been out, with the latter getting hurt in the same game as KSB. Running back A.J. Ouellette has been sidelined all but four games this season. He looks like he could play again Friday, too. Fellow pass catcher Sam Emilus got hurt again in the one game in which he returned to the lineup.
It would be helpful to the Riders to have all of them in helmets and pads again. Suitor mentioned Campbell, as an impactful Canadian, by name.
But none of them have the whole package that Schaffer-Baker can bring to the table.
“The one other factor,” Suitor said, “is just his enthusiasm. When he makes those catches and he’s signalling the first down … even when he was injured and on the bench in street clothes, he would be up there on the bench waving to get the fans going.
“That can be infectious on your team, too. He'll bring a little bit of that energy and that juice to the huddle. The Riders could use that on offence right now.”
Watch the full segment below, which covers plenty of other CFL tidbits.
