Nik Needham is back while Isaiah Wynn goes to IR and Jevon Holland stays in concussion protocol

Nik Needham is back for the Miami Dolphins. After a year recovering from an Achilles injury, Needham has been officially activated off the PuP list and should be available this Sunday against the Patriots.

Miami gets good news with Needham who has been a very capable and consistent contributor on defense. Sadly, they will likely be without Jevon Holland who was placed in the concussion protocol on Monday after his collision with David Long, Jr.

Holland missing Sunday is not good and we may see Needham step into that role. Chances are, the Dolphins will keep Needham on a play count this week as he works his way back into playing shape.

On offense, Isaiah Wynn will miss the next four weeks with a leg injury. Wynn missed a large portion of Sunday's loss to the Eagles. Lester Cotton stepped in to replace him but there is no word that he will officially be starting on Sunday against New England.

The Dolphins are banged up ahead of a big divisional match-up. The Patriots are coming off a huge win against the Bills and almost came back against the Dolphins earlier in the season. Now, Miami will have to hope they can keep pressure on Mac Jones and force him into errors while offensively putting points on the board against a defensive unit that is very good.

Miami has struggled against really good defenses this year. The Patriots kept Miami's passing game in check in week two. Buffalo and Philadelphia, both losses for Miami, were able to keep Miami's offense from gaining any momentum.

This week is an important game for Miami who maintains a slim one-game lead on Buffalo in the AFC East. A loss will allow both the Jets and Patriots back into the chase.