WR Wilson questionable for Bills game Sunday, but says he will play

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The Jets have been hit hard by the injury bug this season. So when the top receiver was listed on the injury report this week, it raised a few eyebrows.

Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson (elbow) will be questionable for Sunday’s game against the Bills.

“Optimistic,” Jets coach Robert Saleh said about Wilson. “We’ll see. “Honestly, I’m not going to speak for him or the docs, but there’s a couple of hurdles he has to clear.

“I don’t want to jinx it. He feels good, he’s speaking the right language. Everything is positive, like I said, he’s just got to go through a couple of hurdles.”

Wilson has practiced on a limited basis this week, including Friday afternoon. He has dealt with an elbow issue since the Jets’ 16-12 loss to the Raiders last Sunday night.

The Jets have been severely hurt by injuries this season. Not only did Aaron Rodgers tear his Achilles four plays into the season opener, but left guard Alijah Vera-tucker and Al Woods tore their Achilles. They will miss the rest of the season.

But if his comments are any indication, Wilson will be in uniform against the Bills this weekend.

“It’s doing well, I’m feeling good,” Wilson said. “We are going to rock this weekend.

Wilson did tell reporters that the injury will impact him, but “they will get it done.”

Wilson being less than 100% is less than ideal for a Jets offense that has struggled after Rodgers’ Week 1 Achilles injury. The Jets currently rank 29th in total offense (283.1) and 30th in points per game (16).

New York has gone 11 consecutive games without scoring a touchdown. The last time the Jets found the end zone was during their 13-10 overtime victory against the Giants on Oct. 29. During their previous two losses against the Chargers and Raiders, the Jets scored a combined 18 points.

“We just have to keep chomping at the bit,” Wilson said. “We had a great week of preparation. In this league, people do the same thing, so we are going to get a lot of the same looks that gave us a hard time.

“It’s our job to have the answer this time. We gotta be better and we think we have a great opportunity, we really do. We know a lot of people have fallen off the wagon as they should of and that’s alright. We just gotta go do it.”

Because of the offensive struggles, the Jets are expected to make a few significant changes to their offense. One change already happened, with the team releasing former starting running back Michael Carter after three seasons with the Jets. The Cardinals claimed Carter off waivers on Wednesday.

Hall seeks another big game: One player who could help jump-start the Jets offense is Hall, who had one of his best performances of the season against the Bills in Week 1.

In the 22-16 overtime win against Buffalo, Hall rushed for 122 yards on just 10 carries. He probably would have received more carries, however, the Jets put a pitch count on Hall after his season-ending ACL tear in 2022. Hall’s carries restriction was lifted four games into the season.

The Jets will face a Bills defense that’s allowing 115.2 rushing yards per game, which is 19th in the NFL.

Brown won’t be active: Jets left tackle Duane Brown (hip) has been ruled out ahead of Sunday’s game against Buffalo. The Jets opened Brown’s 21-day activation window off injured reserve on Nov. 2.

Although he has participated fully in practice the last few weeks, Brown has yet to be placed on the active roster. The Jets have until Nov. 23 to activate Brown or he will revert back to injured reserve and miss the rest of the season.