Buffalo Bills star wide receiver Sammy Watkins got past some nagging injuries earlier this season, and he’s exploded ever since, posting incredibly impressive games against the Minnesota Vikings and New York Jets before the team’s Week 9 bye. Unfortunately, Watkins picked up another injury this week, as he aggravated a groin issue at practice on Wednesday. It was reported that Watkins’s injury wasn’t considered to be serious, but the problem with these reports is that they take a longer term view of those injuries, rather than offering as much short-term predictive value. In other words, they tell us that Watkins won’t miss a significant period of time, but they don’t tell us whether or not he’ll be able to play in this given week.
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According to WGR 550’s Joe Buscaglia, Watkins, who was considered day-to-day, missed practice again today. He still has a shot at playing and will likely be listed questionable, but the fact of the matter is that it’s never good for a rookie to miss practice on Friday, especially if they suffered an aggravation of a soft-tissue injury earlier in the week. Established players like Brandon Marshall can get away with that and still play, but I have a feeling the Bills will continue to play it safe and rest up Watkins. After all, they did send him in for a precautionary MRI after he suffered the injury.
If Watkins is unable to play, then the Kansas City Chiefs will have a much easier time stopping the Bills offense, and the Bills could also be without Fred Jackson for another week. It seemed like Jackson would be able to make another early return, but a groin injury could keep him out another week. The Chiefs have been rolling lately, so the Bills could be in trouble on Sunday if both Watkins and Jackson are ruled inactive.