DeVante Parker Injury: Patriots Wideout ‘Hopeful’ To Play Vs. Jets

The New England Patriots could be back to full strength offensively as they return from their bye week.

Wide receiver DeVante Parker, listed as questionable with a knee injury, is “hopeful to play” Sunday against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium, according to a report from NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.

“The plan was for him to miss just a game and then use the bye to get healthy,” Rapoport tweeted Sunday morning. “Appears to be on track.”

Parker suffered the injury on the opening snap of the Patriots’ Week 8 win over the Jets at MetLife Stadium. He did not return to the game and sat out the next week’s victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

The Patriots’ marquee offseason addition, Parker has been a sporadic contributor during his first season in New England, but he’s the team’s top downfield receiving threat, registering eight 20-plus-yard receptions and two of 40-plus yards. At 6-foot-3, 219 pounds, the 29-year-old isn’t a natural separator but has long been effective in contested-catch situations.

Parker’s last full game with Patriots starting quarterback Mac Jones was his best of the season: a five-catch, 156-yard breakout in a Week 3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Foxboro. Getting him back Sunday would boost a receiving corps that’s been overly reliant on top target Jakobi Meyers.

Meyers enters Week 11 with 40 receptions. No other New England wideout has more than 15, and running back Rhamondre Stevenson (35) is the only other player with more than 20.

Center David Andrews also will return to action against New York after missing the last two games with a concussion. So to will running back Damien Harris following his one-game illness-related absence.

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET.