7:59pm: Watkins himself has weighed in (via Twitter ), claiming that he’s planning on playing tomorrow: “Ready to go out there and compete at the highest level!”
7:42pm: The Bills are hoping that wide receiver Sammy Watkins is able to play against the Cardinals on Sunday, but head coach Rex Ryan admitted that the chances of Watkins suiting up are “probably not real good,” according to Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. The likelihood of Watkins being ready to go is “50/50 at best,” tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.
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Watkins’ health has been an issue dating back to May, when the third-year wideout suffered a reportedly “minor” foot fracture. Subsequent reports suggested that Watkins could miss games at the start of the season, but he’s so far been able to plug along, though his results have been less than stellar. Through two contests, Watkins has managed only six receptions for 63 yards, though he has stayed on the field, playing in 80.4% of the Bills’ offensive snaps.
Earlier this month, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reported that Watkins was likely to miss regular season action at some point, noting that while an MRI didn’t reveal any new fractures, Watkins has been playing through immense pain. It seems as though Watkins isn’t going to come close to recovering without rest, but given that Buffalo has just fired its offensive coordinator at sits at 0-2, the club needs all the firepower it can get.
Per Rodak, Ryan wouldn’t show reluctance to play Watkins on Sunday even though the pass-catcher hasn’t practiced at all during the week. “If he feels good and he’s up to it, then we’ll put him in there,” Ryan said. “If a guy’s that good, we’ll play him.”
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.