New England Patriots WR Danny Amendola injured his ankle during a punt return in week 13 against the Los Angeles Rams. He has been sidelined until this week, where he spoke with the media to give an injury update. Amendola was a participant in practice and the team will release their first injury report on Wednesday.
#Patriots WR @DannyAmendola talks to media for first time since injuring ankle in week 13. #wbz #Texans pic.twitter.com/tz6SZesyOm
— Scott Sullivan (@SullyBunz) January 10, 2017
“I feel good,” Amendola said. “Taking it day-by-day. I feel good today and getting ready for tomorrow. I’ve had no setbacks. The only thing I’ve been focused on the past four or five weeks is to get as healthy as possible and feel as good as I can and be available for whatever Coach [Bill Belichick] wants me to do. It's been a long four to five weeks, but I feel good today.”
Amendola has 243 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns on 23 receptions, which rank 7th, t-3rd, and 7th, respectively. He has produced despite playing a mere 266 snaps (23.8%) as the fourth option behind Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan, and Malcolm Mitchell. Amendola is also behind Martellus Bennett in the offensive pecking order.
But where Amendola lacks in volume, he makes up in opportunity. Amendola ranked 3rd on the team with 14 receptions on third or fourth down, along with 11 first down conversions; he also caught all seven of his red zone targets.
The Patriots might not rely on Amendola as an every-down player, but he contributes- and delivers- in high leverage situations. He’s exactly the type of player that can help a team win and it looks like he’s returning to health just in time for the playoffs.