The Saskatchewan Roughriders are back from their final bye week of the 2026 regular season — with some reinforcements eyeing returns to the lineup. Running back A.J. Ouellette, injured in Week 8, and receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker, who was injured the following week, both appear primed and ready to make their returns Friday when the Riders head to B.C. to take on the Lions. “Any time you miss one game, one play, it sucks,” Ouellette told reporters after practice Monday. “It’s good to get back out here and I hope coach gives me the nod to play this week.” “It’s never a fun one to go through, but you just always got to trust the process,” Schaffer-Baker added. “You never know what’s on the other side of things. I just kept trusting, kept believing and I’m right back again.” Both dealt with individual knee injuries and found themselves on the six-game injured list. Ouellette has had two stints on the injured list this year, playing just four games in 2026. This latest injury forced him to miss seven games, including Week 15’s Banjo Bowl loss prior to the bye. The running back admits he feared the seriousness of the injury. “That was the first time I felt that feeling in my knee,” Ouellette said. “You don’t want to think the worst, but when you get to your phone and you have old medical staff people saying, ‘Hey, praying for you, did not look very good,’ you’re like, ‘oh shoot.’” He added that it was a huge relief to be told the injury wasn’t as bad as initially feared after the MRI reading. Schaffer-Baker was injured in Week 9 and spent the full six weeks out of the lineup. With both Ouellette and KSB out, Saskatchewan was 3-3 and averaged 23.8 points per game over the stretch. “At the end of the day, our bodies — we know them best,” Schaffer-Baker said about his pending return. “We know how we feel, how we perform and the biggest one is just having faith and knowing that God’s got us every single step of the way.” The loss in the Labour Day rematch to the rival Winnipeg Blue Bombers was Saskatchewan’s worst offensive output of the year — scoring just six points and managing only 278 yards of total offense. With the pending returns of a star rusher and catch passer, the offence is hoping to peak with just five games remaining in the regular season. “[Schaffer-Baker] brings a fun-loving personality and he brings some tenacity, some juice and some dog in him,” quarterback Trevor Harris noted. “And so does A.J., [he] brings that attitude as well. The guys stepping up for these guys got a lot of experience; they can be great players in this league. But obviously it’s a welcome sight to have them back.” Saskatchewan’s head coach agreed. “They each have different intangibles — I think helps the team,” added head coach Corey Mace. “To throw a blanket on the both of them, they just work their tales off, so the more and more people you have in the building who can do that is great.” With five games remaining this season, and a tight battle in the West Division, Saskatchewan is in second place at 8-5. Wins in all five could mean the Riders finish atop the division, but losses could eliminate them from the playoffs altogether. It’s a critical stretch in which Ouellette and Schaffer-Baker could play big roles. “[We] need 89,” Schaffer-Baker joked. “The boys keep plugging away no matter who’s in there. We’ve had lots of guys step up in crucial moments and that’s going to keep happening throughout the season.” Ouellette wanted to see the run game play a bigger part in the offence. “That’s a shot at [Marc] Mueller,” the running back said with a wink. “I’m going to be harping all week to open with ‘Tommy Time.’ Just let me play a little fullback and let and let him run through a couple linebackers.” Saskatchewan will finalize their roster — and the statuses of Ouellette and Schaffer-Baker — later this week ahead of Friday night’s game against B.C.
