James Wilder Jr has become a household name for the Toronto Argonauts since his breakout performance Week 13 against the Edmonton Eskimos. Wilder amassed 257 combined offensive yards and a touchdown in a 34-26 win. And since then he helped the Argos’ to a 5-2 record down the stretch.

His prominence could grow further Sunday, in his first playoff game when the Argonauts host the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Eastern Final.

Watch the game live Sunday at 1pm et/10am pt on TSN and TSN GO.

“The straw that stirred the drink down the stretch this year was James Wilder,” CFL on TSN analyst Matt Dunigan said. “Toronto wins (Sunday) if they establish Wilder because that will give Ricky Ray an opportunity to use all those weapons.”

TSN on CFL analyst Jock Climie likewise said it will be key for the Roughriders’ defence to limit the damage Wilder can do on Sunday.

“Saskatchewan will win if they can hold Wilder to under 100 yards combined,” Climie said. “This guy is a dual threat but I believe that Toronto is starting to really rely on this guy. So you’ve got to force Toronto to beat you in other ways. Do not let him run roughshod over you. Under 100 yards (for Wilder), (the Roughriders will) win.”

The East Division nominee for Most Outstanding Rookie, Wilder finished the year with 872 yards and five touchdowns on 122 carries, and added another 533 yards through the air. 700 of his rushing yards and 441 of his receiving yards came in the last six weeks of his regular season, starting with his breakout Week 13.

Agreeing the Roughriders could very likely focus on shutting down Wilder, CFL on TSN analyst Milt Stegall said some of Toronto’s ancillary will have to step up for the Double Blue.

“If their secondary receivers, everyone but SJ Green, can come up big, (they can win),” Stegall said. “(DeVier) Posey, (Armanti) Edwards, (Anthony) Coombs. If those guys can combine for 200 yards and two touchdowns, they have a great chance of winning this game.”

“I think the x-factor there is Coombs,” Dunigan added. “Because I think everybody else is going to get theirs. Posey, Edwards, (SJ) Green, those guys are outstanding.”

While Green led the team in receiving with 104 receptions for 1,462 yards and 10 touchdowns, the trio of Posey, Edwards, and Coombs combined for 184 receptions, 2,163 yards, and 12 touchdowns in 39 games, a combined average of 14 catches for 166 yards and just under one touchdown per game.

And while Wilder drew more headlines this season, the Roughriders aren’t without their own shiny new weapon for the Eastern Final.

Four days before Wilder’s breakout game in mid-September, the Roughriders signed a forgotten CFL star in kick returner, running back, and wide receiver Marcus Thigpen.

Thigpen had been out of the CFL since a two-year stint with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats from 2010-2011, when he set a CFL record for scoring a touchdown five different ways in a single season (running play, reception, kick return, punt return, missed field goal return).

After six years out of the league, some spent playing in the NFL, Thigpen signed with the Roughriders, getting his feet wet in the regular season before exploding for 169 yards and a touchdown on the ground, and an additional 38 yards returning kicks.

“I think Saskatchewan will win if they establish Marcus Thigpen,” Dunigan said. “And I think Toronto just went, ‘uh oh!’ because he is a completely new weapon in their arsenal.”