Star receiver Manny Arceneaux worked with the starting unit at Riders practice Tuesday.
Saskatchewan returned from a bye week following a 37-10 loss to Calgary in Week 4.
“He’s practising. We’re going to basically play the best guy on Saturday, so if he has the best week of practice you’ll see him, if he struggles a little bit you might not,” Riders head coach Craig Dickenson said.
Arceneaux could make his Riders debut against his former team, the B.C. Lions in Week 6.
“I’m sure he wants to play well, but in pro sports you know that you’re going to get traded and let go at some point. I don’t think he’s necessarily motivated by B.C., I think he motivated to get out and play,” Dickenson said.
“I can’t say what I want to say on camera. I really don’t give two cares about my former team,” Arceneaux said. “Them guys know how I talk reckless and the trash talk and then my antics, it’s going to be at a whole other level if I’m out there.”
Arceneaux suffered a torn ACL against Saskatchewan on August 25, 2018 and has been working back towards 100 per cent. The Riders signed Arceneaux to a one-year contract through the 2019 season during free agency in February. He played in nine games last season making 32 catches for 553 yards and one touchdown – 1,000-yard pace.
“Being with him in B.C. last year was definitely beneficial. Being able to throw with him all year, I think our timing is superb and I got a really good feel for what he does, what routes he likes, where he likes the ball to be located, so we got a really good relationship” Saskatchewan quarterback Cody Fajardo said.
“He’s going to make contested catches.”
He spent the first eight years of his CFL career with the B.C. Lions. The 31-year-old has played 129 games recording 556 receptions for 8,169 yards and 55 touchdowns. Arceneaux had three straight 1,000-yard seasons – including a career-high 1,566 yards in 2016 – from 2015-2017. Two times Arceneaux has been named a CFL all-star (2015 and 2016).
