Photo courtesy: Saskatchewan Roughriders/Electric Umbrella/Liam Richards.
Kian Schaffer-Baker has been cookin’ to start the 2026 Canadian Football League season.
The 28-year-old has made 42 catches for 656 yards with four touchdowns in six games. He’s averaging seven grabs and 109.3 yards per game, that puts him on pace to break the Saskatchewan Roughriders single-season receptions and receiving yards records.
Don Narcisse caught 123 passes in 1995, which stands as the franchise record. Joey Walters (102), Craig Ellis (102), Curtis Marsh (102), and Narcisse (95) round out the top five best season totals for receptions in team history.
Walters produced 1,715 receiving yards in 1981, which remains the most in Green and White lore. Walters (1,692), Marsh (1,560), Ray Elgaard (1,494), and Elgaard (1,444) close out the top five.
Despite not playing with Schaffer-Baker in his first season with the Riders, veteran quarterback Trevor Harris believed No. 89 was capable of elite-level production.
“When I first got here, I didn’t get to play with him in 2023, but during that season I thought it would be an opportunity for me to study the games of each of the receivers,” Harris told the media.
“I took a few weeks and studied each receiver. After the season I said, ‘I hope we get a full season together because I think you’ll go for 1,500.’ I think maybe I lowballed him.”
Schaffer-Baker underwent offseason hip surgery in 2023, which caused him to miss the first 10 weeks that year. Meanwhile, Harris suffered a season-ending tibial plateau fracture in his right knee in Week 6.
The 112th Grey Cup MVP missed six games in 2024 and his athletic target was sidelined for 13 games in 2025. Health has helped both the trigger man and pass-catcher be on the field together.
“Kian’s the type of guy that he’s capable of going for these type of numbers. I’m glad that I’m not letting these guys down in terms of getting them their numbers. We dictate the flow of the game, but we’ll try and take what they give us,” Harris said.
“Either way, that’s not really what it’s about. Schaff, KeeSean [Johnson] and Sam [Emilus] would tell you the same thing, it’s not about numbers. It’s about us doing the best we can for the Saskatchewan Roughrider football club, doing what it takes to win games. Sometimes that’s going to mean we throw for 200, sometimes it means we’re going to throw for 400. We’ve got that if we need it.”
Schaffer-Baker does not have a 1,000-yard campaign on his resume, but seems well on his way to a career-first in addition to possible Riders records. He’s in his sixth CFL season after playing his U Sports football at the University of Guelph.
Harris’ current touchdown pass pace, 16 in six games, could see him set a single-season franchise record. It’s not impossible to think he could tie Doug Flutie’s CFL mark (48) from 1994, while throwing for 6,000 yards through the air.
One-third down and two-thirds to go for Schaffer-Baker and Harris.
Saskatchewan (4-2) visits the Elks (6-1) at Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday, August 1 with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EDT. The two teams met in Regina this past week, Vincent Blanchard kicked a walk-off 57-yard game-winning field goal.
The weather forecast in Edmonton calls for a high of 24 degrees and a 30 percent chance of showers. The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the United States, and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune in on 620 CKRM in Regina or 880 CHED in the Alberta capital.
