FOXBORO, Mass. — New England Patriots fans and fantasy football owners will have to wait until Thursday night to find out if running back Dion Lewis will play against the Miami Dolphins.
Lewis was listed as limited in practice in the sessions leading up to the Patriots’ Week 8 Thursday night matchup with the Dolphins. Lewis was listed as questionable in Week 6 and played sparingly against the Indianapolis Colts, catching three passes for 18 yards with just four carries for 21 yards. He was questionable again in Week 7 against the New York Jets but was declared inactive before the game.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick implied Lewis will be a game-time decision.
“We’ll see tomorrow,” Belichick said. “I mean, we didn’t really practice this week. A lot of us could have got through practice. My mom probably could have got through practice.”
The Patriots likely will wait until Thursday night to determine if wide receiver Keshawn Martin, guard Shaq Mason and running back Brandon Bolden — all of whom were limited in practice Tuesday — can play.
“Yeah, I don’t think we — most of those kind of decisions are game-time decisions,” Belichick said. “Sometimes they declare earlier than that, but generally you don’t want to take a player out a day and a half before the game and test him, when you can give him another, let’s call it 36 hours, and test him, you might see a better result. We’ll just have to wait and see.”
If Lewis can’t play, James White likely would play the Patriots’ third-down role, while LeGarrette Blount probably would receive a heavier workload as a between-the-tackles rusher.
White has 40 carries for 201 yards and two touchdowns this season with 26 catches for 256 yards with a touchdown.
Thumbnail photo via Brian Spurlock/USA TODAY Sports Images
