{"id":231948,"date":"2025-10-22T13:19:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T13:19:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/231948\/"},"modified":"2025-10-22T13:19:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T13:19:08","slug":"who-needs-to-play-for-the-roughriders-in-their-next-cfl-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/231948\/","title":{"rendered":"Who needs to play for the Roughriders in their next CFL game?"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s nothing wrong with the Saskatchewan Roughriders<\/a> resting players for late-season games after clinching their first-place spot in the CFL playoffs.<\/p>\n

Having rested several starters for their 17-16 loss last week against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers<\/a>, the Roughriders (12-5) face similar decisions for their regular-season finale Saturday against the visiting B.C. Lions (10-7). Because the Roughriders get a bye week preceding the West final at Mosaic Stadium on Nov. 8, this week\u2019s Big Question is, \u201cWho needs to play against B. C.?\u201d<\/p>\n

Quarterback Trevor Harris needs to play<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Maybe not the whole game, but after standing on the sidelines as the third-stringer behind Jake Maier and Jack Coan, it\u2019s imperative Harris gets some playing time.<\/p>\n

He is 39, missed parts of the last two seasons with knee injuries and absorbed some hits this season that wobbled him and once sent him to the injury list, but Harris\u2019 peak performance will be required if the Roughriders intend to make their first Grey Cup appearance since winning in 2013.<\/p>\n

Not seeing any game-speed action for three weeks could certainly hinder Harris\u2019 postseason performance. And Harris needs tailback A.J. Ouellette, centre Logan Ferland and tackle Jermarcus Hardrick back in the lineup, at least when he\u2019s taking snaps.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also important to play Maier, who was acquired as a veteran backup and in two starts this season showed he\u2019s capable of winning in Harris\u2019 absence. Unlike last game, Maier needs to play the fourth quarter<\/a> against B.C., giving him an opportunity to operate a late-game offence.<\/p>\n

Saskatchewan\u2019s receiving corps has, at various times, been without front-liners Dohnte Meyers, KeeSean Johnson, Joe Robustelli, Shawn Bane Jr., Kian Schaffer-Baker, Ajou Ajou and Sam Emilus. Find the healthiest group and put them where they\u2019re most needed.<\/p>\n

On defence, the Roughriders have been injury-riddled in their secondary. If they can put corners Marcus Sayles and Tevaughn Campbell on the field with halfbacks Rolan Milligan Jr. and DaMarcus Fields, that\u2019s a strong unit surrounding safety C.J. Reavis.<\/a><\/p>\n

Usually a strong-side linebacker, Reavis has been effective in his new spot while his replacement, Antoine Brooks Jr., had a two-sack outing against Winnipeg. Another game in those new spots would be helpful. The other linebackers, A.J. Allen and Jameer Thurman, have played well and perhaps deserve a break.<\/p>\n

Defensive tackle Micah Johnson (rest) and end Shane Ray (injury) missed the last game. The Roughriders often rotate nine defensive linemen through four spots. If healthy, they don\u2019t need a rest.<\/p>\n

Saturday\u2019s game could be important for the Lions, who are trying to place second and host the West semifinal. It\u2019s conceivable the Lions and Saskatchewan could meet again in the West final.<\/p>\n

Even though there\u2019s a risk of injury, it\u2019s not a bad idea to pit the Roughriders\u2019 starters against B.C.\u2019s starters. At least for a little while.<\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

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With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark leaderpost.com<\/a> and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here<\/a> to subscribe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There\u2019s nothing wrong with the Saskatchewan Roughriders resting players for late-season games after clinching their first-place spot in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":231949,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[89648,11137,49,48,521,522,520,97274,69899,107929,107930,77021,89321,11141,46244,4400,69898,82,28158,11135,7504],"class_list":["post-231948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cfl","tag-ajou-ajou","tag-b-c-lions","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canadian-football-league","tag-canadianfootballleague","tag-cfl","tag-cfl-playoffs","tag-damarcus-fields","tag-jack-coan","tag-jake-maier","tag-jameer-thurman","tag-keesean-johnson","tag-marcus-sayles","tag-rolan-milligan","tag-saskatchewan-roughriders","tag-shane-ray","tag-sports","tag-tevaughn-campbell","tag-trevor-harris","tag-winnipeg-blue-bombers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231948","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=231948"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231948\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/231949"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=231948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=231948"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=231948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}