Bills Injury Report: Josh Allen expected to play, Emmanuel Sanders doubtful for Week 15

The Buffalo Bills were holding their final practice of the week and head coach Sean McDermott provided some good news on Friday morning. The focus has been on quarterback Josh Allen, who suffered a foot injury in the second half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

After two limited practices to start the week, Josh Allen was able to practice in full on Friday. He is now expected to play which is a huge boost for this offense. He is coming off his best game of the season and the Bills offense was moving the ball almost at will against a good Bucs defense.

Emmanuel Sanders is doubtful for Week 15 matchup with the Panthers

However, Allen is expected to be on the field without starting wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders. He suffered a knee injury against the Bucs that forced him to miss the second half. Sanders was not able to practice at all this week and was listed as doubtful for Week 15.

Fortunately for the Buffalo Bills, they have great depth at the position and this should give Gabriel Davis a chance to play more. The second-year wide receiver has been a bigger part of this offense as of late and a key contributor.

Buffalo Bills have three players listed as questionable for Week 15

In addition to Sanders, the Bills had three players listed as questionable including Star Lotulelei, Taiwan Jones, and A.J. Epenesa, who was only added to the injury report on Friday after being limited in practice.

One notable player not on the injury report is defensive end Jerry Hughes. He had been limited on Wednesday and Thursday but practiced in full on Friday. Hughes is entering this game without an injury designation and should be able to play.

Big questions on the offensive line for the Buffalo Bills

On Friday morning, Sean McDermott’s mentioned on WGR550 that starting left tackle Dion Dawkins tested positive for COVID-19. This was unfortunate to hear as Dawkins had trouble with COVID-19 during the summer that included a trip to the hospital.

The hope is that this time the symptoms aren’t as severe and it doesn’t impact him as much. McDermott didn’t provide any updates on the severity Friday morning and as Katherine Fitzgerald of The Buffalo News notes, there is still a chance he could play Sunday even after testing positive on Friday.

If Dawkins does miss this game, it will create challenges for the coaching staff to replace him as there is not a clear replacement at left tackle. The Bills could move Spencer Brown to left tackle, Daryl Williams to right tackle, and have Jon Feliciano return to the starting lineup at right guard.

If the Bills don’t want to shuffle the line that much, the Bills could turn to Ryan Bates, who has some experience but has not played extended time at left tackle.