The Saskatchewan Roughriders headed back onto the Taylor Field turf on Tuesday morning to start their preparations for the BC Lions trip to Mosaic Stadium this Saturday.

 

The Green & White were missing a few players though on Day 1 of the work week, most noticeably, star slotback Andy Fantuz, who left Saturday’s win over Toronto with an ankle injury.

 

“Right now, to the best of my knowledge, he's day-to-day,” said head coach Ken Miller following the workout.  “I expect that he might practice, but I don't know that for sure.  So again, just day-to-day.

 

“The doctors say a grade one sprain, but it's serious enough, that he wasn't practicing”

 

Miller says that if Fantuz can’t go, that he expects Jason Clermont to get the start against his former team, the Lions, “It's possible, and again, that's a ratio concern and would depend some on Shologan too, but Jason or Cary Koch will our next receiver in if Fantuz can't go.”

 

Canadian defensive tackle Keith Shologan also missed practice with a lower body injury.  Defensive backs Lance Frazier and Tristan Jackson were absent as well.

 

Clermont says he’ll be ready to go if called upon, “I think that my teammates and the coaches have confidence in what I can do, and I like getting opportunities, unfortunately, I'd rather have Andy healthy.”

 

He says this is something he’s been through now for three years since signing with his hometown Riders, "I'm kind of use to it.  I got some good advice from Chris Szarka and that I've been using.

 

“He basically just said to keep focused and stay calm, but on your little trot out to the huddle, you've kind of got to amp it up with every little step and get ready to go.”

 

Quarterback Darian Durant, who is nursing some sore ribs, says it’s nice to have such good depth and experience on the roster, “It's great that you can put a guy in like Jason when Andy goes down, I feel like we're not missing a beat right there.  It's great to have the depth that we do right now at receiver.”

 

Durant doesn’t expect the loss of Fantuz to have that much of an effect on the offence, “Jason’s similar to Andy, just a great guy in time and space and he knows how to find open windows.”

 

The Riders return to practice on Wednesday morning.  They host BC on Saturday afternoon at 2pm in a key divisional game.