As the Saskatchewan Roughriders returned to practice on Tuesday for the first time since the Banjo Bowl, Rider Nation was greeted with some good news as quarterback Cody Fajardo was working with the starters after leaving Saturday’s game against Winnipeg with what the team was calling a minor concussion.
“He’s feeling all right and we’re confident and at least hopeful that he will be able to play,” said Riders head coach Craig Dickenson. “He was limited. He took some reps but didn’t take them all.”
Fajardo wasn’t available for interviews because the team says he is still in concussion protocol, leaving his status for Friday’s game against Toronto still somewhat unknown.
“He’s got to get through a full week with no setbacks,” said Dickenson. “We’ve got to gradually amp up his activity and he’s got to feel good doing so.
“You start real slow and if he feels good, you give him a little more and if he feels fine, you give him a little more. At the end of the week, you’ve got to make sure you stress him enough that you can get an honest answer from him about how he feels and whether he is ready.”
If Fajardo can’t go this week, then backup Isaac Harker would make his first start of the season and second of his career. Harker took plenty of reps on the first day of practice this week, which will benefit him in the event that he does start this week.
“Definitely the more you can see things and the more you can take physical reps, the better,” said Harker. “Not even necessarily for understanding the plays, but for getting timing with your receivers, I think that’s the most important part.
Dickenson said he’s “confident we can win a game with Isaac at quarterback.”
“We’ve done it in the past and I think he’s more than capable of doing what we need to do to win.”