Last week, LeSean McCoy tweaked his hamstring in practice. The initial word was that the Bills would play it safe with their star running back and rest him on Sunday. Instead, the Bills allowed Shady to play against the Dolphins where he re-aggravated his injury. This week, Buffalo has listed McCoy as doubtful for their upcoming game. The tailback did not practice today and coach Rex Ryan all but confirmed that he won’t be able to go against the Patriots. 
“Obviously he never practiced this week, so you guys can figure that one out,” Ryan told reporters.
Of course, given the tricky nature of hamstring injuries, it’s fair to wonder if McCoy could also be hampered in the longer term. Last year, McCoy missed time with hamstring issues and was out of action for one-quarter of the regular season.
If the Bills don’t throw everyone a curveball again this week, backup Mike Gillislee is expected to get the start. In his limited work this season, the soon-to-be 26-year-old has been impressive, averaging 6.2 yards per carry. With only 75 carries in parts of three seasons, the Bills are eager to see what he can do as the lead back for an entire game.
The Bills don’t necessarily have to add a running back as they already have Gillislee, Reggie Bush, and Jonathan Williams on the 53-man roster. They don’t have any running backs on their 10-man practice squad.