Top CFL returner Isaiah Wooden returns for Hamilton Tiger-Cats against Elks

Photo: Paul Yates/B.C. Lions

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats will have one of the most explosive players in the CFL back at their disposal on Saturday.

Budding young return specialist Isaiah Wooden will officially step back into the lineup this week after missing the last four regular-season games due to a shoulder injury he sustained against the B.C. Lions in early August.

The five-foot-nine, 170-pound speedster was arguably the CFL’s most dangerous returner for the first half of the season, recording 24 kickoff returns for 747 yards and two touchdowns, 27 punt returns for 454 yards and one score, and three missed field goal returns for 67 yards.

The Southern Utah University product currently leads the league in punt return average (16.8 yards), kickoff return average (31.1 yards), and total return touchdowns (three). Phillip Brooks has been demoted to the practice roster in order to make room for his return.

Unfortunately, the Ticats will be without promising linebacker Kyler Fisher, who has been added to the one-game injured list due to a shoulder issue. The 24-year-old has amassed 43 defensive tackles, eight special teams tackles, and a sack in 11 games this year. Braxton Hill will step into the starting weakside spot, while Ray Wilborn has been activated to back him up.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats (8-5) will host the Edmonton Elks (5-8) at Hamilton Stadium on Saturday, September 20 with kickoff slated for 7:00 p.m. EDT. The Elks are coming off a 31-30 last-second loss to Toronto, while the Tiger-Cats beat Winnipeg at Hamilton Stadium by a score of 32-21.

The weather forecast in Hamilton calls for temperatures of 15 degrees and cloudy skies. The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS2 in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on 880 CHED in Edmonton and Ticats Audio Network in Hamilton.