The BC Lions will travel to Winnipeg to take on the Blue Bombers in both teams' final preseason tilt before the regular season. The BC Lions are fine-tuning their starters in this match, bringing a star-studded roster with the likes of QB Nathan Rourke, RB James Butler, WR Keon Hatcher, and WR Justin McInnis.
The Bombers, on the other hand, are using this game in large part to evaluate depth pieces. Winnipeg only has 2 quarterbacks rostered for this game, with Taylor Elgersma listed as the starter ahead of Bryce Perkins as they look to nail down who will be QB2 to start the season. We will also get to see Canadian running back Matthew Peterson get the start, who was impressive as a rookie last season.
Game Details:
Date/Location: Saturday, May 29 / Princess Auto Stadium, Winnipeg, MB
Kickoff Time: 7:30 PM CDT (8:30 PM ET, 5:30 PM PT)
Channel: CFL+
Lions to Watch
12 QB Nathan Rourke
Nathan Rourke is the league’s reigning MVP and will look to get regular-season ready after sitting out the first preseason game.
7 QB Chase Brice
Brice completed 8 of his 10 passes last week for 77 yards and a touchdown. He is entering his 4th season with the Lions.
16 QB Jarret Doege
Doege completed 6 of his 10 passes for 67 yards last week.
19 QB Kaidon Salter
Salter completed 7 of his 14 passes for 67 yards last week for 67 yards. Of the 3 quarterbacks behind Nathan Rourke, Salter had the least productive day last week, making this game highly important for him.
34 RB Zander Horvath
Horveth is listed behind star running back James Butler. He played great last year when called upon, rushing 24 times for 231 yards (9.62 average) and 2 touchdowns. He would be a great option to give the ball to more often this season to lessen the number of hits sustained by Butler.
29 RB Emani Bailey
Bailey rushed 10 times for 54 yards last week.
84 WR Nate DeMontagnac
BC’s first round pick this past CFL Draft, Nate DeMontagnac, caught 2 passes last week for 39 yards.
Lions’ CFL Draft Summary: BC Selects North Dakota WR Nate DeMontagnac 7th Overall, Lions CFL and Global Draft Summary
87 WR Jaden Williams
Led the team in receiving last week, catching 3 passes for 53 yards.
53 LB Darnell Sankey
Danell Sankey will make his debut as a BC Lion after being the starting middle linebacker for Montreal since joining them in 2013.
23 DB Tyler Coyle
Coyle is listed as a second-string nickel linebacker after recording 5 tackles and a knockdown last week.
44 LB Ralen Goforth
Goforth led the team in tackles last week with 7 and is listed as a 2nd string middle linebacker for this contest.
Blue Bombers to Watch
13 QB Taylor Elgersma
Taylor Elgersma has a lot of hype surrounding him after being a 2nd round draft pick in the 2025 CFL Draft. He played well in the 2025 NFL preseason with the Green Bay Packers but was released in the final roster cuts. Elgersma struggled in his first CFL preseason game, completing 6 of his 13 passes for 78 yards and 2 interceptions.
9 QB Bryce Perkins
Bryce Perkins played for the Michigan Panthers in the UFL in 2024 and 2025, where he was named the league MVP last year. His high level of play led to him playing 1-game with the Carolina Panthers last NFL preseason, where he had the highest offensive grade from Pro Football Focus for the team. Last week, Perkins completed 5 of his 9 passes for 67 yards with an interception toward the end of the game.
Perkins demonstrated immense talent in the UFL to the point that I believe he has the ceiling to be in the running for CFL MOP Awards if given the opportunity to start a full season.
22 RB Matthew Peterson
Peterson looked good as a rookie last year, rushing 66 times for 329 yards (5.65 average) and a touchdown. He’s a player I really liked in college coming out of Alberta. Michael Chris-Ike and American Stevie Rocker are also in line for some touches at running back.
73 TE Dante Daniels
Dante Daniels was drafted 10th overall by Winnipeg out of North Carolina State. Daniels is listed as a starting tight end in this game, and there are no fullbacks listed, something I do not recall seeing on a CFL depth chart before.
17 WR Dorian Singer
Singer caught 3 of his 6 targets for 59 yards last week, leading the team in receiving.
43 DE Nuer Gatkuoth
Gatkuoth was drafted by Winnipeg this past CFL Draft, 4th overall. He had 2 tackles last week.
52 LB Charles-Elliot Bouliane
Charles-Elliot Bouliane was drafted 24th overall by Winnipeg this past CFL Draft.
39 LB Jaylen Smith
Smith led the team in tackles last week with 5, including a sack. This week, he is listed as a 2nd string sam linebacker behind Michael Griffin.
37 CB Ridge Texada
Texada joined the Bombers in September, where he spent time on the practice roster. Last week, he had 2 tackles, an interception, and a knockdown. With Demerio Houston having signed with Ottawa, the Bombers need to narrow down who will be a starting cornerback.
41 CB Major Williams
Williams had 2 tackles last week, listed as a 2nd string corner behind W Burrell, who also had 2 tackles. This week, it is Williams' turn to be listed as the starting corner.
Depth Charts:
Score Prediction:
I am predicting Winnipeg to win 31-27.