New England Patriots - NESN.com
The Patriots will be shorthanded at receiver for Thursday night’s home game against the New York Jets.
On Wednesday, New England ruled out wideout Kayshon Boutte for the primetime matchup at Gillette Stadium. It also ruled out running back Rhamondre Stevenson, tight end Austin Hooper and linebacker Christian Elliss.
Boutte also sat out last Sunday’s road win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers due to a hamstring injury suffered the previous week. The third-year pro now will have extra time to prepare for a potential return against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 12.
Boutte posted 23 catches for 431 yards and a team-leading five touchdowns before suffering his injury.
With the LSU product out of the picture, the Patriots’ top receivers will be Stefon Diggs, Mack Hollins and DeMario Douglas. New England also could run more plays for rookie Kyle Williams, who broke out last week with a 72-yard touchdown.
As for the Jets, they’ll be without star receiver Garrett Wilson, who was ruled out due to a knee injury. Tight end Mason Taylor and running back Breece Hall rank second and third on the Jets in both receptions and yards, respectively.
Thursday night’s game is scheduled to kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET.
