FOXBORO, Mass. — Running back Mike Gillislee was not able to work himself back into the New England Patriots’ offense this week.
Gillislee is listed as a healthy scratch Sunday for the third straight week as the Patriots prepare to take on the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium. Gillislee didn’t suit up against the Denver Broncos in Week 10 or versus the Oakland Raiders in Week 11. The Patriots won both games by 25 points apiece.
Here’s the Patriots’ full list of inactives:
RB Mike Gillislee
WR Chris Hogan (shoulder)
WR Matthew Slater (hamstring)
TE Martellus Bennett (hamstring/shoulder)
RT Marcus Cannon (ankle)
C David Andrews (illness)
CB Eric Rowe (groin)
Here are some notes on the repercussions of the inactives:
— Rex Burkhead, Dion Lewis and James White will take New England’s reps at running back with Gillislee out. Expect Lewis to be the Patriots’ top ball-carrier.
— LaAdrian Waddle and Ted Karras will start for Cannon and Andrews, respectively. Both Waddle and Karras have filled in well this season.
— Phillip Dorsett will take the majority of Hogan’s snaps at wide receiver, but Danny Amendola could see an uptick in targets.
— The Patriots will have Dwayne Allen and Jacob Hollister to back up Rob Gronkowski at tight end with Bennett out. Bennett only has taken on a limited role since his return to New England.
— Jonathan Jones and Johnson Bademosi will continue to back up Malcolm Butler and Stephon Gilmore with Rowe out. Expect Jones to be the Patriots’ No. 3 cornerback this week.
— Jones and Bademosi also should have important roles on special teams as the team’s gunners with Slater out.
— Defensive tackle Malcom Brown is active for the first time since Week 6. He missed the Patriots’ wins over the Los Angeles Chargers, Broncos and Raiders, and the team’s run defense suffered without him.
— New pass rusher Eric Lee, who was signed off the Buffalo Bills’ practice squad, will make his Patriots debut Sunday.
