Neither Marcus Howard, the Eskimos leading pass rusher, nor Shakir Bell, their leading running back, will play Saturday when the Edmonton Eskimos face the B.C. Lions at Commonwealth Stadium at 2 p.m.
Howard, who suffered what appeared to be an arm or shoulder injury early in Edmonton’s 25-18 victory over Hamilton last week, was added to the six-game injured list on Friday.
The five-year veteran has recorded six quarterback sacks this season.
Bell, a rookie, who signed with the 8-4 Eskimos as a free agent in April, has been nursing a sore ankle. His 446 yards on 81 carries leads the Eskimos and places him fourth in the CFL so far this season. He also has caught 20 passes for 226 yards receiving.
Chad Simpson, who will start as running back Saturday, has played four games for the Eskimos this season. His most productive outing came on Aug. 6 against the Lions in Vancouver, when he carried 13 times for 96 yards in a 26-23 Eskimos loss.
The Eskimos added defensive lineman Cedric McKinley to their roster for Saturday’s game, which will be his first this season. They also placed veteran Canadian offensive lineman Simeon Rottier on the 46-man roster, so he, too, will be eligible to play his first game this season.
Canadian fullback Aaron Milton also has been activated for Saturday’s game. Elie Ngoyi, a Canadian defensive lineman, also was added to the one-game injured list.
