A.J. Brown Questionable for Patriots at Dolphins

A.J. Brown went from hoping for a full week of practice to a real question mark for Sunday, and that is a gut punch for a Patriots offense already short on receivers.

Coach Mike Vrabel said Friday that Brown is questionable for Sunday's road game against the Miami Dolphins after missing the last two practices. Brown had a knee issue flare up this week, sources told NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, on top of the right high ankle sprain from the season opener that sent him to injured reserve. "We'll see how he comes in tomorrow and we'll make a decision," Vrabel said.

New England is 4-3 and coming off a 30-24 loss at Chicago, while Miami is 1-5. A division road win at Hard Rock Stadium is the kind of game the Patriots cannot afford to give away, with or without their top receiver.

How the Week Turned

Brown was limited on Wednesday and could not finish practice. By that afternoon, his injury report listing had added the knee to the ankle. He did not practice Thursday, and he was not spotted during the media portion of practice Friday.

Before that, Brown had talked about managing the ankle and admitted he did not have his usual explosiveness on every play. He was not making excuses, though. "None of that stuff matters. I'm out here, so I'm going," he said.

The workload is part of the conversation. In his first two games back from IR, a win over the Jets and the loss to the Bears, Brown played 102 of a possible 122 snaps, and he called two games in five days "a lot for anyone." Vrabel said that usage and the current injury are "separate issues here."

Thin at Receiver

This is where it gets scary for New England. With Romeo Doubs and Mack Hollins both on injured reserve, DeMario "Pop" Douglas, Kyle Williams and Efton Chism III are the only healthy receivers on the 53-man roster. Ryan Miller, Kyle Dixon, Chandler Brayboy and Cameron Dorner are all on the practice squad.

Brown has caught six passes for 75 yards in his two starts since coming back, so the production has not fully shown up yet. But the attention he draws still matters for Drake Maye and everybody else in that receiver room.

Two More Names to Watch

Running back TreVeyon Henderson (illness) and linebacker Christian Elliss (chest) are also questionable. Henderson missed practice Thursday and was not seen again Friday. Elliss has been a full participant while managing his injury, and he leads the defense in tackles.

My Smacktok lean: if Brown sits, go higher on DeMario Douglas's receptions. He is one of only three healthy receivers on the 53-man roster, and the targets have to go somewhere.