Citing league sources, Mark Gaughan of The Buffalo News reports that Buffalo Bills running back Fred Jackson will miss 4-6 weeks with a broken bone in his left hand, while Marshawn Lynch will miss 3-4 weeks with a sprained ankle.
Buffalo's regular season opener is exactly four weeks from today, when the team will take on the Miami Dolphins on September 12 at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Jackson's timetable makes it highly questionable that the veteran will be available for the Bills when the regular season begins. Lynch's timetable is a bit more manageable, but ankle injuries can be tricky to heal up correctly.
For now, it looks like rookie C.J. Spiller will be Buffalo's starting tailback for the immediate future. As we discussed this morning, he, Joique Bell and Chad Simpson have excellent opportunities to prove themselves worthy of Buffalo's final roster at this point. The team may also be forced to move backup fullback Rodney Ferguson back to tailback to have enough bodies to get through practices.