The Patriots have already announced five players as inactive for this Sunday's upcoming game against the Jets:
CB Aqib Talib - Talib injured his hip flexor last week and didn't practice until Friday (and he wasn't able to finish the warm-ups). Look for him to continue to rest up and be ready in time for Miami's Mike Wallace or Pittsburgh's Antonio Brown. Rookie Logan Ryan is expected to step up as the left cornerback across from Alfonzo Dennard, with Kyle Arrington in the slot. The loss of Talib will hurt the defense, but the Jets offense doesn't pose as much of a threat as some of the other offenses we've seen, especially with wide receiver Santonio Holmes ruled out.
WR Danny Amendola - Amendola was wiped out of last week's game with a major concussion hit. As Amendola's recovering from a groin injury, I wouldn't be surprised if the Patriots held him out through the Bye Week. Julian Edelman will once again take over as the key slot receiver, even though Amendola really didn't take the spot back once he returned. The offense will miss Amendola's depth, but the development of rookies Aaron Dobson and Kenbrell Thompkins will mean more than the loss of Amendola- especially with Edelman playing as he has been.
DT Tommy Kelly - Kelly has missed the last two weeks of practice with a knee injury he sustained against the Bengals, leaving a major void of depth at defensive tackle. With fellow DT Vince Wilfork out for the season, the Patriots will be operating without both of their starting DTs, which could lead to issues if the Jets choose to operate out of a run heavy offense (which should actually be to the Jets' benefit). Rookies Joe Vellano and Chris Jones with step up at DT, while sophomore Marcus Forston and the newly signed Andre Neblett (if active) will likely provide depth. For those keeping track, Chris Jones' 6th round draft pedigree makes him the highest selected defensive tackle on the roster. Spoiler: every other defensive tackle (including Kelly) is undrafted.
RB/KR Leon Washington - Washington has been active for two games this year (week 2 vs the Jets, week 5 vs the Bengals) and has tallied one carry for one yard out of the backfield and one kick return for 19 yards. The emergence of Stevan Ridley in the backfield last week bodes well for the Patriots' running game, while Brandon Bolden has become the go-to third down/receiving back in the absence of Shane Vereen. Look for LeGarrette Blount to continue to return kicks for his oddly solid and standard performance.
S Tavon Wilson - Wilson has been limited with a hamstring injury as of late and has been ruled out. Wilson has primarily been the dime back on the team, but lacks the range to be a deep coverage safety. With Steve Gregory playing well and rookie Duron Harmon playing solid football, Wilson's lost down the depth chart. Wilson hasn't played the last two week.s
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With those five ruled out, the Patriots still have to name two more players as inactive. Here are some possibilities:
ST Matthew Slater - Still returning from his wrist injury, the now-practicing Slater might take another week off to recover.
TE Rob Gronkowski - It'd be so-Bill Belichick to sit Gronk out another week, even though I personally (with no sources backing me up) think he'll be active. Just to mess with the Jets.
DT Andre Neblett - He's newly signed and I could see the Patriots opting to go with just Jones, Vellano, and Forston.
WR Josh Boyce - Boyce hasn't emerged like Dobson or Thompkins, but the loss of Amendola could push Boyce up for some playing time.
OG Chris Barker - Barker was made inactive last week, but the potential concussion surrounding Dan Connolly and the shoulder injury to Marcus Cannon could force the Patriots to keep him active.
I believe Slater and Boyce will be the last two inactives.