Bills' Dalton Kincaid, two others questionable to face Jets on Week 18 injury report

The Buffalo Bills have decisions to make on whether to rest or play a number of banged-up pieces against the New York Jets on Sunday

Dec 7, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid (86) runs the ball in the fourth quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Highmark Stadium. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

The Buffalo Bills will have plenty of key pieces available for the Highmark Stadium finale on January 4, but how many of them they choose to use remains to be seen.

At the top of the list is quarterback Josh Allen, who has been cleared for the 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff against the New York Jets despite a banged-up right foot. Although he doesn't carry a Week 18 injury designation, Allen may not play more than the one snap required to extend his consecutive starts streak.

Three notable contributors are questionable to play against the Jets, and there's a case for the Bills to rest all three for the following week's playoff opener. Tight end Dalton Kincaid, defensive end Joey Bosa and defensive tackle Jordan Phillips are all in different situations, but all would certainly benefit from a game off.

RELATED: Bills decline to pursue emergency QB with Josh Allen banged up in Week 18

“We need to obviously prioritize the safety of our players as best we can. And yet at the same time, we want to play well and we want to do right by the fans as best we can in this case," said Bills' head coach Sean McDermott during his Friday appearance on WGR's Extra Point Show.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen looks for an open receiver during second half action against the Philadelphia Eagles at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Dec. 28, 2025. He ends up gettig sacked by an Eagles player who came running up the left side. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Kincaid, who is managing a knee problem that originated back in training camp, missed last Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles. He practiced all week on a limited basis.

Bosa also appears to be on a maintenance plan of sorts after tweaking his hamstring late in November 30 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The 30-year-old Bosa has played in three straight games after missing the December 7 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. He has a financial interest in playing on Sunday, too. With one more sack, Bosa earns a $250K bonus per Spotrac.

Phillips, 33, has missed the last two games due to an ankle issue. He was upgraded to full participation at Friday's practice after back-to-back limited sessions.

Three defensive starters unavailable

Defensive tackle DaQuan Jones, safety Jordan Poyer and linebacker Terrel Bernard are all ruled out due to injuries.

Poyer and Jones both missed the December 28 game against the Philadelphia Eagles. The former is nursing a hamstring injury that popped up late in the December 21 over the Cleveland Browns. Meanwhile, Jones has been bothered by the reemergence of a calf injury that originated in October.

After returning from a right elbow injury, Bernard injured his calf last time out against the Eagles. He left the game early and did not return. The team captain was unavailable to practice all week.

Dec 21, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns running back Trayveon Williams (38) is chased down by Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Daquan Jones (92) during the first half at Huntington Bank Field. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Prater's highly-anticipated return

After two weeks of instability at kicker, veteran Matt Prater has been cleared for game action. He tweaked his quad late during the December 14 win over the New England Patriots.

MORE: Bills' kicking situation finally takes turn in right direction on New Year's Eve

The Bills deployed practice squad addition Michael Badgley each of the last two games, and he missed multiple key kicks. With Prater trending in the right direction, Buffalo released Badgley this past Monday.

Prater was a full participant all week at practice.

Sep 14, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Buffalo Bills place kicker Matt Prater (15) kicks a field goal against the New York Jets during the first half at MetLife Stadium. | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Bills' Injury Report (Week 18)

FRIDAY
LB Terrel Bernard (calf) — DNP
(Game: OUT)

DT DaQuan Jones (calf) — DNP
(Game: OUT)

S Jordan Poyer (hamstring) — DNP
(Game: OUT)

QB Josh Allen (foot) — Limited
(Game: - )

DE Joey Bosa (hamstring) — Limited
(Game: Questionable)

RB James Cook (vet rest) — Full
(Game: - )

DE AJ Epenesa (illness) — Full
(Game: - )

OT Tylan Grable (personal) — Full
(Game: - )

TE Dalton Kincaid (knee) — Limited
(Game: Questionable)

TE Dawson Knox (knee) — Full
(Game: - )

DB Cam Lewis (hamstring) — Full
(Game: - )

DT Jordan Phillips (ankle) — Full
(Game: Questionable)

CB Tre'Davious White (illness) — Full
(Game: - )

FB Reggie Gilliam (illness) — Full
(Game: - )

K Matt Prater (quad) — Full
(Game: - )

DT Deone Walker (illness) — DNP
(Game: - )

THURSDAY
QB Josh Allen (foot) — DNP

LB Terrel Bernard (calf) — DNP

DE Joey Bosa (hamstring) — DNP

RB James Cook (vet rest) — DNP

DE AJ Epenesa (illness) — DNP

OT Tylan Grable (personal) — DNP

DT DaQuan Jones (calf) — DNP

S Jordan Poyer (hamstring) — DNP

TE Dalton Kincaid (knee) — Limited

TE Dawson Knox (knee) — Limited

DB Cam Lewis (hamstring) — Limited

DT Jordan Phillips (ankle) — Limited

CB Tre'Davious White (illness) — Limited

FB Reggie Gilliam (illness) — Full

K Matt Prater (quad) — Full

WEDNESDAY
QB Josh Allen (foot) — DNP

LB Terrel Bernard (calf) — DNP

DE Joey Bosa (hamstring) — DNP

FB Reggie Gilliam (illness) — DNP

DT DaQuan Jones (calf) — DNP

S Jordan Poyer (hamstring) — DNP

TE Dalton Kincaid (knee) — Limited

TE Dawson Knox (knee) — Limited

DB Cam Lewis (hamstring) — Limited

DT Jordan Phillips (ankle) — Limited

K Matt Prater (quad) — Full

*Bills held a walkthrough on Wednesday, meaning player participation is an estimation

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