The Buffalo Bills are preparing for their final regular season game of the year when they play the New York Jets at Highmark Stadium. The good news is that entering Week 18, the Bills are not dealing with too many injuries.
The most notable player to miss Wednesday’s practice, which was a walkthrough, due to an injury was wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders. He is dealing with a knee injury that he suffered against the Bucs in Week 14.
The veteran missed Week 15 against the Carolina Panthers but returned the following week against the Patriots. However, the knee injury lingered and he missed this past week’s game against the Atlanta Falcons.
It would not be surprising to see the Buffalo Bills remain cautious with Sanders and have him rest this week with the focus being him returning for the playoffs.
Ryan Bates was limited with an ankle injury during Buffalo Bills’ practice on Wednesday
Another notable player’s injury report worth watching this week is Ryan Bates. He has primarily been a backup during his time with the Bills but recently has gotten a chance to start. Bates has been the team’s starting guard the past two weeks, and these are two games where the offensive line has looked really good with him in the lineup.
He left the game against the Atlanta Falcons early due to a knee injury but was able to practice on a limited basis on Wednesday. This is a good sign for his availability on Sunday against the Jets but it will be worth seeing if he is able to increase the practice workload the rest of the week.
In addition to those players, the Buffalo Bills gave a number of players Vet Rest days which included Mario Addison, Jerry Hughes, and Cole Beasley with left tackle Dion Dawkins missing Wednesday’s practice for personal reasons.