Dressler off the roster when Bombers face Redblacks Friday

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This article was published 03/08/2017 (3015 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — The Winnipeg Blue Bombers will be without veteran receiver Weston Dressler for Friday’s game against the Ottawa Redblacks at TD Place.

When the Bombers (3-2) released their depth chart early Thursday, Dressler, who hadn’t practised all week since suffering a lower-body injury in the first half of last week’s win over Montreal, wasn’t only left off but had been placed on the six-game injured list. The move came as somewhat of a surprise, if only because Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea had said all week that Dressler would be a game-time decision.

But that doesn’t seem to be the case, as Winnipeg will have to get used to life without one of their top receivers in the lineup, likely for some time. Dressler leads the Bombers in receiving yards through five games, reeling in 23 catches for 342 yards — an average of nearly 15 yards per reception.

It’s not the first time that Dressler, 32, has been forced to miss notable time for the Bombers. In his first year with the Blue and Gold last season, Dressler suffered a concussion in Week 1 that forced him to miss one game. He’d miss three more after pulling up lame with an injured right leg in a Week 6 loss to Edmonton.

Ryan Lankford, who replaced Dressler last week and reeled in a four-yard catch that sparked the Bombers’ thrilling comeback against Montreal, will make his first start at receiver against Ottawa. Matt Coates will take over for Dressler as the holder on field goals for kicker Justin Medlock.

It wasn’t all bad news for the Bombers. Linebacker Maurice Leggett, who missed the last two games with a lower-body injury, will play Friday. His replacement the last two games was Brandon Alexander, who is doubtful against the Redblacks after having not practised the entire week. Alexander suffered a lower-body injury against Montreal but played the entire game, including recovering a last-minute onside kick.

The Bombers appear to have mixed up their secondary a bit, moving Roc Carmichael back to field-side corner and Brian Walker to the halfback position on that side. Walker has played the last two games at corner, while Carmichael played the first three games there.

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Jeff Hamilton
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Jeff Hamilton is a sports and investigative reporter. Jeff joined the Free Press newsroom in April 2015, and has been covering the local sports scene since graduating from Carleton University’s journalism program in 2012. Read more about Jeff.

Every piece of reporting Jeff produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.