It’s a bit of a quirky fact that will be waved away as inconsequential by some and yet held up by others as an important and telling statistic for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as they springboard into the late summer/early fall games with mammoth consequences.

So, here we go: which member of the Blue Bombers is currently second to Nic Demski in receptions for the club through the first 10 games of the season with 36?

Keric Wheatfall? Nope. Jerreth Sterns? Try again. Could it be Kevens Clercius? Apologies, but no.

Try Brady Oliveira, who continues to be a bulldozing back for the Blue Bombers offence, but over the last three games has also racked up a team-high 22 receptions.

That’s telling because it speaks of his value to an attack still working its way through the gears — that, and the injury to Dalton Schoen — but it also points to offensive coordinator Jason Hogan trying to get this club’s offensive workhorse more touches.

Oliveira racked up 210 yards from scrimmage last week — the second-best total of his career — with 137 along the ground and 73 more through the air on nine receptions. Those nine catches matched a season and career high — he did the same vs. Calgary earlier this month — and are also an attempt to ensure teams don’t just continue to stack bodies in and around the line of scrimmage to take away Winnipeg’s vaunted ground game.

“People know we want to run the football. That will always be our identity,” said Oliveira after Thursday’s closed practice. “I always say that as the offensive line goes is how we go as a unit and usually when we’re playing well the result at the end of the game is a positive one. Teams know that, so we’ve got to get creative and– not just myself — but find a way to scheme things up for your playmakers.

“There’s multiple guys in this offence that deserve the ball, and you need to find a way to get the ball in their hands because they’re dangerous.

“Jay’s (offensive coordinator Jason Hogan) doing a great job right now of getting creative and getting me involved in the pass game.”

That was especially critical in last week’s win over Montreal with both Demski and Sterns exiting the game before halftime and the club dipping deep into the roster to the point that quarterback Chris Streveler was lining up at receiver in the second half.

Winnipeg finished with 425 yards of net offence against one of the Canadian Football League’s stingiest defences — including a tidy 263 yards through the air as Zach Collaros completed a sparkling 87 percent of his passes on 27 of 31 attempts.

They’ll need that and then some against the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Sunday’s Labour Day Classic. The Riders defence ranks second best in points allowed at 21.5 and first against the run at 76.3 yards per game.

That certainly doesn’t mean you stop feeding Oliveira the ball out of the backfield, but his growing game as a receiver offers a tasty option.

“Very early on you would say his hands are comparable to any receiver we have. He’s got excellent, excellent hands,” said head coach Mike O’Shea on Thursday.

“When you catch that well out of the backfield and have a great understanding of the offence and what each play calls for, he’s available. You know that Zach trusts him and knows when he delivers the ball he’s going to come down with the catch and he’s going to get some YAC (yards after catch). I haven’t had to, but I’m sure he’s a tough guy to tackle out on the edge.”

The Blue Bombers will need more of what we saw in Montreal from Collaros, Oliveira & Co. in the final 10 games of the season, beginning with the first of the annual Labour Day/Banjo Bowl doubleheader with the Riders.

Momentum might not be a tangible thing for individual numbers from week to week, but confidence can be.

“I feel like I can do that every week — obviously it’s not always going to show up like that,” said Oliveira. “But there is something to be said about coming off a big performance and leading that into the following week and just keep it rolling.

“I’ve said lots of times: I play my best football, I think, in the second half of the season. I just start rolling and just start feeling really good. Everything becomes second nature when it comes to my eyes, my reads, my cuts — everything just becomes easy. And when I say ‘easy’ it’s because I’ve been putting so much work throughout the season and I’m so well prepared as the weeks go on that second half of the season that’s when you should be in midseason form and that’s exactly how I feel right now.

“There’s a thing to be said coming off a big performance that you can carry that — maybe momentum’s not the word — but carry that confidence. Confidence is a thing of beauty, and it allows you to play free and play fast.”

THE LDC VIBE: No amount of words can properly describe the vibe at the Labour Day Classic, which will be played Sunday in front of the largest crowd in new-ish Mosaic Stadium history. (The 2013 game drew 44,910 at old Taylor Field, which had been expanded that season to host the Grey Cup).

You truly have to take one in live to get a feel for the vibe.

“It’s a great environment,” said O’Shea. “You want to be playing in front of a packed house with fans that are into it and we get the luxury of doing that 10 times a year.”

Asked if he takes any time the day before the game to soak up any of the atmosphere, O’Shea grinned and added:

“Nah, I usually go to bed. But I do appreciate it. When I walk to the stadium I like to see the tailgate areas all going on. I like that they (security) makes it tough to get into the stadium even though you have your credentials — that’s always been tough. I like the rivalry. It’s awesome. It lets you know it’s alive and well.

“You can’t miss it when you’re heading into the city, when you’re just walking around going out to eat you can’t help but notice it and feel the energy, which I think is excellent.”

OUCH UPDATE: Thursday’s practice was closed to the media, but today’s injury report lists Demski as ‘limited.’ Ditto for veteran DB Nick Hallett.

The club is not practising on Friday, so the next update will come when the depth chart is released Saturday.

Injury Report: August 28, 2025#ForTheW | @DoctorsManitoba pic.twitter.com/4XN57g223p

— Winnipeg Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) August 28, 2025

TAKE NOTE: Fan Appreciation Day details are here:

this one’s for you, bomber nation!

fan appreciation day is almost here! come hang with the team, enjoy giveaways, activities, and plenty more.

when: September 14
where: Princess Auto Stadium#ForTheW pic.twitter.com/SNHenValPq

— Winnipeg Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) August 28, 2025

ICYMI: Collaros and Darren Cameron welcomed Pat Neufeld and Stanley Bryant to the Handled Internally podcast this week. Check it out here: