Saskatchewan Roughriders officially rule out KeeSean Johnson for Thanksgiving game

Photo courtesy: Saskatchewan Roughriders/Electric Umbrella/Liam Richards.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders will officially be without their top receiver when they face the Montreal Alouettes on Thanksgiving Monday.

KeeSean Johnson has been ruled out with an ankle injury, which has kept him out of practice all week. Head coach Corey Mace previously stated that he would be a game-time decision “at best,” but the decision has been made early.

The 30-year-old suffered the injury with less than five minutes left in the third quarter against the Calgary Stampeders in Week 18 and did not return to the game. American linebacker Marquel Lee rolled up on his lower leg while tackling him to the turf at Mosaic Stadium.

Johnson leads the Riders with 147 targets, which he has turned into 101 receptions for 1,243 yards and seven touchdowns in 15 regular season games. Last year, he saw 120 targets, which led to him producing 86 catches for 1,159 yards with four touchdowns.

Also ruled out for this week is Canadian receiver Samuel Emilus, who is making his way back from a lower leg injury, and fullback Albert Awachie, who is battling a quad issue. Left tackle Payton Collins has been deemed questionable due to an ankle injury.

Ratio-breaking Canadian cornerback Tevaughn Campbell is expected to make his return after recovering from a forearm injury. Also available are returner Matthew Sexton (lower leg), defensive end Derick Roberson (knee), and short-yardage quarterback Tommy Stevens (illness).

Official depth charts for the game will be released on Sunday morning.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders (8-7) will visit the Montreal Alouettes (12-3) on Monday, October 12, with kickoff scheduled for 1:00 p.m. EDT. The Roughriders are coming off an upset loss to the Calgary Stampeders, while the Alouettes crushed the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the United States, and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune in on 620 CKRM in Regina and TSN 690 (English) or 99.5 Montreal (French) in Montreal.