Winnipeg Blue Bombers rest eight key players against Montreal Alouettes

Photo courtesy: CFL/James Maclennan.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are resting most of their stars for Saturday’s game against the Montreal Alouettes.

Franchise quarterback Zach Collaros, star running back Brady Oliveira, receiver Ontaria Wilson, offensive lineman Stanley Bryant, defensive ends Willie Jefferson and James Vaughters, strong-side linebacker Redha Kramdi, and breakout returner Trey Vaval have all been placed on the one-game injured list as healthy scratches.

Chris Streveler will start at quarterback and will be backed up by Terry Wilson and Chase Artopoeus. The dual-threat passer has completed 63.9 percent of his pass attempts for 1,090 yards, six touchdowns, and eleven interceptions this season, going 3-1 as a starter.

Matthew Peterson will start at running back, where he started two games in place of Oliveira earlier this season. With the league’s reigning M.O.P. now done for the regular season, Oliveira has finished the year with 1,163 rushing yards, 61 catches for 546 yards, and three total touchdowns.

Cam Echols, a former member of the Calgary Stampeders, will start at boundary wideout in place of Wilson, while Micah Vanterpool will start at left tackle in place of eight-time All-CFL selection Stanley Bryant. Vanterpool made two starts at left tackle in July losses to the Calgary Stampeders and Toronto Argonauts.

Winnipeg is playing a brand-new group of defensive ends as Jay Person, who has dressed for 13 games and recorded one sack in a depth role behind Jefferson and Vaughters, has been demoted to the practice roster.

Matt Jaworski and Kydran Jenkins, both of whom joined the team earlier this month, will start at defensive end. Jaworski was a four-year standout at Fordham University, an FCS program located in New York, while Jenkins was named third-team All-Big Ten at Purdue University last season.

Jaiden Woodbey, who has recorded 28 defensive tackles and one special teams tackle as a rookie this season, will start at strong-side linebacker in place of Kramdi. The six-foot-one, 234-pound native of Fontana, Calif. was a collegiate

Peyton Logan, who was one of the team’s top free-agent signings, will handle return duties with Vaval out of the lineup. The former Stampeder has been a healthy scratch for the team’s last six games.

The Blue Bombers can finish no higher than third and no lower than fourth in the West Division standings, which means they will be on the road for next week’s playoff games regardless of the outcome against Montreal.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (9-8) will host the Montreal Alouettes (10-7) on Saturday, October 25 with kickoff slated for 3:00 p.m. EDT. The Alouettes are coming off back-to-back wins over the Ottawa Redblacks, while the Blue Bombers got an ugly win over the depleted Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The weather forecast in Winnipeg calls for a high of 16 degrees with sunny conditions. The game will be broadcast on TSN, RDS, and CTV in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on TSN 690 in Montreal and 680 CJOB in Winnipeg.