Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Mike O'Shea told media Tuesday that he doesn't believe wide receiver Nick Demski will play this week, although he thinks Demski will be ready to return for the playoffs.
The five-foot-eleven, 212-pound target suffered a hamstring injury in Winnipeg's recent loss to the Edmonton Elks and sat out last week against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The 31-year-old has 67 catches for 1,001 yards and seven touchdowns this season, leading the Blue Bombers in all receiving categories.
Native of Winnipeg, Man. Originally drafted in the first round of the 2015 CFL Draft out of the University of Manitoba. He caught 494 passes for 6,285 yards and 42 touchdowns in 152 CFL regular-season games with the Roughriders and Blue Bombers, reaching the 1,000-yard mark in three straight seasons.
As for who will be under center for this week's regular-season finale against the Montreal Alouettes, O'Shea was less clear.
“We haven't decided what we're going to do yet. We'll figure it out.” He said. “We haven't decided on the lineup yet.”
Zach Collaros went 6-7 as a starter this season, completing 72.6 percent of his passes for 3,048 yards, 17 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He also rushed 18 times for 130 yards and one score.
Chris Streveler started the team's remaining four games, posting a 3-1 record. The 30-year-old Crystal Lake, Ill. native completed 63.9 percent of his passes for 1,090 yards, six touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He also rushed 67 times for 301 yards and nine touchdowns on the year, partly due to his role as Winnipeg's short-yardage specialist.
Defenseman Michael Griffin II, who has missed four straight games with a knee injury, was active in practice Tuesday. Demski (hamstring), fellow receiver Kerik Whitfall (unrelated to injury) and defensive lineman Jamal Woods (shoedler) did not participate.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (9-8) host the Montreal Alouettes (10-7) on Saturday, October 25, with kickoff scheduled for 3:00 pm ET. The Alouettes are coming off back-to-back wins over the Ottawa Redblacks.Bye The Blue Bombers pulled off an upset win over the depleted Saskatchewan Roughriders..
The Blue Bombers can finish no higher than third in the West Division standings and no lower than fourth, which would allow them to advance to the East Division as the third seed.
The weather forecast for Winnipeg calls for temperatures of up to 16 degrees and sunny skies. The game will be broadcast on TSN, RDS and CTV in Canada and CFL+ worldwide. Radio listeners can tune in to TSN 690 in Montreal and 680 CJOB in Winnipeg.
