The Toronto Argonauts will be without their top receiver when they visit the Edmonton Elks, as Kurleigh Gittens Jr. has officially been ruled out with a hamstring injury.
The 25-year-old had a spectacular 2022 campaign that saw him catch 81 passes for 1,101 yards and five touchdowns en route to being named a CFL all-star for the first time in his career. The Ottawa native earned the East Division nomination for Most Outstanding Canadian while leading the Double Blue in every major receiving category.
The budding star was held to just three catches for 38 yards in Toronto’s season opener last week and has now been placed on the one-game injured list. He will be replaced in the starting lineup by offseason addition David Ungerer III.
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Also surprisingly absent from the gameday roster is hulking defensive tackle Shawn Oakman, who has been added to the one-game injured list despite not being listed on the injury report and practicing fully all week. The six-foot-nine, 280-pound monster has collected 65 defensive tackles and 12 sacks in 31 career games with Toronto, earning a reputation as one of the league’s most feared defenders.
The loss of Oakman will be lessened by the return of his running mate along the interior, Dewayne Hendrix, who missed the opener with an ankle injury. The 27-year-old started all 17 games he played in 2022, collecting 33 tackles and a sack. Canadian defensive tackle Sam Acheampong will also draw into the lineup.
Bolstering the defence is the addition of CFL all-star cornerback Jamal Peters, who returned from the NFL last week but sat out Week 2 while getting acclimated. Youngster Qwan’tez Stiggers, who recorded an interception while starting in Peters’ place, has been returned to the practice roster.
The team has also made an adjustment on special teams, making returner Javon Leake a healthy scratch and bringing in rookie B.J. Byrd, who excelled in preseason. Starting centre Darius Ciraco (ankle) has been listed as a game-time decision and would likely be replaced by right guard Peter Nicastro, with either Gregor MacKellar or Dylan Giffen gaining the start.
The Argos (1-0) are scheduled to visit the Elks (0-2) on Sunday, June 25 with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EDT. They are currently [metabet_core_dynamic_odds market=”spread-away” query=”531016″ site_id=”3downnation”] point favourites.
Photo courtesy: Toronto Argonauts
