New England Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola (80) catches a pass against the Buffalo Bills during the second half at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Patriots beat the Bills 23-21. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

New England Patriots injured star pass-catchers Danny Amendola and Rob Gronkowski could be making their returns any game now, but Amendola has a better shot at playing in this week’s big game against the Cincinnati Bengals than Rob Gronkowski does. Multiple reports stated earlier that Gronkowski will likely miss this week’s game, and that makes sense since the Patriots and Gronk want to exercise extreme caution with the TE’s return. He is expected to make his season debut against the New Orleans Saints in Week 6, and it would be a surprise for him to miss that game too. Gronk isn’t expected to play this week, though, but there is still the possibility of him playing.

The Boston Herald’s Karen Guregian supports the earlier Gronkowskis reports by reporting, citing a source, that Gronk is “still not a sure bet” to play this week. Guregian adds that there is “more optimism” on the chances of Danny Amendola playing this week than the chances of Gronkowski suiting up, and that’s honestly great news for Patriots fans.

Why? Well, Gronk’s status is basically set in stone. We know that he’s ready to play this week if the Patriots want him to, so the only thing stopping him from playing is the Patriots wise desire to make sure he is as healthy as possible. The fact that Danny Amendola has a better shot at playing than Gronkowski speaks volumes to how tough Amendola is, because he has, as usual, made a quick progression from an injury (completely torn adductors). I think he will almost certainly be playing this week, whereas Gronkowski will indeed likely be out. One key thing pointing in favor of Gronk playing, though, is the fact that the Patriots released Zach Sudfeld, but that’s probably not much of a factor in the scope of one week (Gronk is set to come back in Week 6, barring something unexpected).

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