Injury Report: Dolphins Ready To Protect Home Field In Week 16 Versus Colts
By Abraham Gutierrez
Looking to play the role of spoilers, the Miami Dolphins welcome the Indianapolis Colts to Sun Life Stadium in Week 16 with a mountain of injuries, but everyone should be available. Although Head Coach Dan Campbell listed the names of 11 players in this week's injury report, no one has yet been ruled out.
The Dolphins breakdown is as follows: six players are probable, two are listed as doubtful, and three are considered questionable to play in the penultimate game of the season. From that group, there are nine offensive players listed and only two from the defensive unit.
Because possible DNPs are the biggest concern for Dolphins fans prior to any game, the first order of business is tackling which players could sit out of Sunday's affair. Fitting into that category are those players who were listed as doubtful, which shouldn't come as a surprise for anyone who follows this team on a weekly basis.
The two players most likely to watch the game from the sidelines are offensive tackle Ja'Wuan James and defensive tackle Earl Mitchell. Nursing an injured toe, James was limited in practice this week and will miss his eighth straight game, while Mitchell's calf kept him off the practice field all week, leading him to sit out his second game in three weeks.
The next three players belong in the questionable category, and their statuses will not be made public until moments prior to game time. The first is none other than three-time Pro Bowl center Mike Pouncey, who did not participate in practice because of an injured foot. The second is wide receiver Rishard Matthews, whose ribs still allowed him to have full practice, and linebacker Jelani Jenkins' ankle limited him on the practice field this week.
Finally, the last category to note on the Dolphins' Week 16 injury report is those players considered probable. This list consists of six players, all belonging to Miami's offensive team. The only one from this list who was not able to participate in practice this week was wide receiver Jarvis Landry, due to a knee injury.
From there, Lamar Miller and Billy Turner were limited at practice because of a quadriceps and a calf injury respectively, and the following players were all able to take 100 percent of the reps in preparations for the Colts: tackle Branden Albert (knee) and tight end Jake Stoneburner (foot).
Miami Dolphins NFL Week 16 Injury Report & Game Statuses
Probable:
Branden Albert, T (Knee) - Full Participation in Practice
Billy Turner, G (Calf) - Limited Participation in Practice
Lamar Miller, RB (Quadricep) - Limited Participation in Practice
Jarvis Landry, WR (Knee) - Did Not Participate In Practice
Jake Stoneburner, TE (Foot) - Full Participation in Practice
DeVante Parker, WR (Ankle) - Limited Participation in Practice
Questionable:
Rishard Matthews, WR (Ribs) - Full Participation in Practice
Mike Pouncey, C (Foot) - Did Not Participate In Practice
Jelani Jenkins, LB (Ankle) - Limited Participation in Practice
Doubtful:
Ja'Wuan James, T (Toe) - Limited Participation in Practice
Earl Mitchell, DT (Calf) - Did Not Participate In Practice
Abe Gutierrez's (Twitter: @GutierrezAbe) passion led him to ditch law school journey in order to launch his own publishing company. His expertise make him a valued addition to Examiner.com, AXS.com and the CBS-Sports family. Some of his work can be found on CBS-Miami (Dolphins), CBS-LosAngeles (Chargers), CBS-BayArea (Raiders), CBS-NewYork (NY Jets), CBS-TampaBay (Buccaneers), AXS.com, Examiner.com and other online publications.
