Sammy Watkins continues to deal with injuries this season that leave him doubtful to take the field. Week 9 is no exception. The wide receiver has missed his share of time this season and an ankle injury is the latest cause for concern. Watkins missed the game in London after being in a walking boot and on crutches. While he has returned to practice in limited fashion, head coach Rex Ryan is making no guarantees about whether or not he plays.
Watkins is practicing on a limited basis. He was seen running and participating on Thursday which should give hope to Bills fans that he will be available on Sunday. However, Ryan made it clear that if he believes Watkins could suffer some kind of setback in his recovery then he will keep him out.
"We hope he plays," Ryan said, via Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News. "If he's at more risk I'd say no, but hopeful he'll be ready to go."
Watkins has made it clear that he wants to play and he wants passes thrown his way. That could be made a lot easier on Sunday with Percy Harvin expected to be out. While Harvin is dealing with a hip injury, the Buffalo News reported he is also having knee problems. Harvin has been at the team facilities getting evaluated by team doctors as Ryan told the media that the receiver certainly wants to play, but is not healthy right now.
"He's in the building, I think," Ryan said, via NFL.com. "He's obviously in the training room a little today. We'll see how it goes, but I know he wants to play and wants to contribute to this team."
Without Harvin, Watkins becomes crucial to the offense along with Robert Woods and Charles Clay who need to do more for the team. LeSean McCoy is healthy while his backup Karlos Williams makes his return after dealing with a concussion. They will try and work against a good Miami front seven. The good news for Buffalo is that Tyrod Taylor is fully healthy and expected to start over EJ Manuel who filled in while the quarterback dealt with a knee injury. The quarterback told the media that he felt healthy and was ready to go against the Miami Dolphins.
"Just gonna go out there and be myself and the trainers did a good job of getting me back to where I'm at now and I guess there is no hesitation," Taylor said, via ESPN.com.
