Week 12 is fast approaching, kicking off with a Thursday night bout between the Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans in primetime. By the time the Bills take the field, the hope is that they’ll have a much better bill of health than they did when they took the practice field on Tuesday.
Coming off last week’s impressive win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Buffalo Bills are instead dealing with several injuries, primarily on the offensive side of the ball.
Which Key Bills Players Are in Danger of Missing the Texans Game?
According to head coach Sean McDermott, wide receivers Mecole Hardman and Curtis Samuel, tight end Dalton Kincaid, and defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis did not participate in Tuesday’s practice. During a short week, any absence from practice makes it much tougher for a player to suit up for a Thursday night game.
Per #Bills HC Sean McDermott, no practice today for…
– Dalton Kincaid
– Phidarian Mathis
– Curtis Samuel
– Mecole Hardman#BillsMafia
— Justin Siejak 📝 (@justinsiejak) November 18, 2025
The list is headlined by Kincaid, one of the best young tight ends in the league and often a go-to target for quarterback Josh Allen. The 26-year-old has been dealing with a hamstring injury since exiting the Nov. 9 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
Now, he is on the verge of missing his second consecutive game, barring a miraculous turnaround over the next two days. Considering the volatile nature of soft-tissue injuries, the Bills may opt to keep Kincaid shelved and allow Dawson Knox to log his second consecutive start at tight end.
Not having a dynamic threat like Kincaid at their disposal could be a major blow for the Bills. His value is shown in his 87.2 PFSN TE Impact score, which ranks third in the league behind Tyler Warren of the Indianapolis Colts and Tucker Kraft of the Green Bay Packers, who sustained a season-ending knee injury earlier this month.
The same concerns apply to Samuel, the veteran wideout who recorded two receptions for 19 yards last week against the Buccaneers while being hindered by elbow and neck injuries. Samuel has become something of an afterthought in his second season in Buffalo, playing in just six games this year and recording seven receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown. If he can’t play, a heavy workload could be on the way for Keon Coleman and Elijah Moore, who were both healthy scratches last week.
Additionally, Hardman, the dynamic return man who won three Super Bowls with the Kansas City Chiefs, was just signed to the Bills’ practice squad last week. He was promoted to the 53-man roster in time for Sunday’s game and even returned a kickoff 61 yards before exiting with a calf injury. His availability for Thursday night is now in jeopardy.
The Bills’ depth on the defensive line may also be tested if Mathis is unable to suit up. A former second-round pick of the Washington Commanders, Mathis is currently dealing with a shoulder injury that could force him to miss his second consecutive game.
The injury is ill-timed for Mathis, who has played in just three games for Buffalo this season. He logged a season-high 21 defensive snaps in the aforementioned loss to the Dolphins and has not been back on the field since.