If you’re looking for a receiver to add to your CFL fantasy roster this week, Saskatchewan Roughriders’ receiver Brayden Lenius wants you to choose him.
“That’s a great play,” said Lenius via videoconference. “I wouldn’t say that’s a good play, that’s a great play. That’s a sure play for you.”
The second-round 2019 CFL Draft pick felt nervous as the team finalized the roster at the end of training camp, though he survived the final cuts. As is typical for professional football, the Riders only spoke to those who did not make the roster, leaving the players who cracked the lineup in silence throughout the day.
“I didn’t even sleep the night before,” said Lenius. “I was just kind of up and pacing around. It’s kind of weird, you think you’d get a call, right? Or you’d see something, but I guess you gotta wait until the next day.”
The 24-year-old Regina native started his professional career at 243 pounds after playing a year at tight end in college. He cut weight all off-season to make the full-time shift to wideout, weighing just 213 pounds at the midway point of training camp.
The Riders are looking to start two Canadian receivers for Friday’s game against the B.C. Lions and Lenius is proud of the national talent Saskatchewan has cultivated across the roster.
“It’s awesome,” said Lenius. “Especially during the off-season, those Canadians that are hopefully getting that starting spot this week, we were kind of the guys that were in here this whole off-season. It’s not by surprise that we’re in this position because we worked for it — we stacked those days day after day.
“When we’re put in a position like this it was only a matter of time before we’d be successful in order to take that spot. It’s exciting. I don’t know exactly who’s starting where but hopefully we can get all the Canadians that we can get starting,” said Lenius.
Saskatchewan’s national pass-catchers drew the praise of head coach Craig Dickenson, who joked about their impressive size.
“Lenius has had a good camp, (Mitch) Picton’s had a good camp. We got (Jake) Harty, we got (Terrell) Jana, (Justin) McInnis can play,” said Dickenson. “Kian Schaffer-Baker might have had as good a camp as anyone. That’s a good bunch. I’d like to put a basketball team together with that group and go play somebody. They would be tough to beat, so we feel really good about it.”
Lenius is hopeful that one of the team’s two Canadian starting spots goes to him, feeling as though he deserves to be in the No. 1 lineup.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if I got that position because I worked for it. It’s something that I set my goal in as soon as my rookie year was done and I wasn’t going to stop until I achieve it. Hopefully I get that start. It’ll be awesome because all of my family is here in Saskatchewan, so it would be awesome to see everybody up in the stands as well,” said Lenius.
