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In a little more than 90 minutes, the New England Patriots will play their 11th game of the season. The defending world champions, who currently hold a 8-2 record, will host the 4-6 Miami Dolphins in Foxboro's Gillette Stadium. The team will do just that without the following players, who have been declared inactive:
OC David Andrews
TE Martellus Bennett
OT Marcus Cannon
RB Mike Gillislee
WR Chris Hogan
CB Eric Rowe
WR Matthew Slater
David Andrews, Marcus Cannon and Chris Hogan have already been ruled out as part of Friday's final injury report of the week, while Martellus Bennett was expected to be a no-go due to his status as “doubtful”. The replacements for the four injured players are the usual candidates: Ted Karras will replace Andrews, LaAdrian Waddle will slide into Cannon's spot. Hogan and Bennett, on the other hand, will likely be replaced by a mix of running backs and depth.
Eric Rowe and Matthew Slater will also miss another week due to their shoulder and hamstring injuries, respectively. Second-year man Jonathan Jones will again help fill both players' roles on defense and special teams. One of the players listed as an inactive is a healthy scratch: Mike Gillislee, who is inactive for the third straight game. Dion Lewis will therefore once again serve as the Patriots' top running back option.
From the good news department, Malcom Brown is returning to the lineup after a three-game absence. With fellow defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois also active, the Patriots might opt to limit Brown's snapcount during his return from injury. Recently added defensive edge Eric Lee is also active and give his Patriots debut.
The Dolphins' inactives look as follows:
QB Jay Cutler
DB Maurice Smith
CB Torry McTyer
OG Isaac Asiata
OT Jermon Bushrod
WR Rashawn Scott
DE William Hayes