The Buffalo Bills are dealing with a slew of injuries to many of their marquee players. Quarterback EJ Manuel continues to miss games with a knee injury. Wide receiver Stevie Johnson has missed games. Safety Jairus Byrd is just now making his return to the field. CJ Spiller has been a constant in the lineup, but an ankle injury could seriously limit his production.
Spiller is concerned that he might not be 100 percent healthy for a while. The ankle injury has been a nagging presence for a while now and the running back believes it might just be something he has to get used to playing with. He is hopeful that after the bye week, things might start to improve.
"I think it'll be something that'll be healed up before the bye week," Spiller said, via the team's website. "I don't think it's going to be something that's going to linger into November. It's getting better and better each week and as long as it continues to do that I'll be fine. There are a couple of more hurdles that I have to get over, but I can definitely see the finish line of me getting back to 100 percent quickly."
Spiller has been limited in practice all week, playing just a limited number of snaps. He did not practice on Wednesday making his status questionable for the Bills matchup against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. While Spiller is confident that his ankle will be healthy after the bye week, that is not until Week 12 so Spiller's production could see several dips.
"I definitely wasn't 100 percent," Spiller said. "It's all about having that confidence to cut off it and that's the biggest hurdle I face each week going into the game. It definitely felt better than last week, but I still feel like I'm not exploding like I normally do."
While Spiller believes he will likely play, giving Fred Jackson some time on the fantasy roster might not be the worst thing. Jackson has also been dealing with knee issue, but is taking more first-team reps in practice. Head coach Doug Marrone has been giving Jackson an expanded role in the offense and has praised the backup for the job he has done.
Jackson has done a great job showing versatility in his limited role. So far this season he has 344 yards rushing while also putting up 166 yards receiving on 21 catches. With the Bills working with uncertainty in the quarterback role, Jackson will be relied on heavily.
