Fuller Lands on IR

Will Fuller V's absence from the Miami Dolphins lineup will be at least three games.

The team placed the speedy wide receiver on injured reserve Wednesday, three days after he sustained a broken finger during the 27-17 loss against the Indianapolis Colts at Hard Rock Stadium.

This means that Fuller will have to miss at least the games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Atlanta Falcons, and the first game for which he's eligible to play is the Oct. 31 game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium.

Fuller's injury occurred in the second quarter of the Colts game when he went down to try to catch (unsuccessfully) a low third-down throw from quarterback Jacoby Brissett.

This latest development, combined with the trade of Jakeem Grant to the Chicago Bears on Tuesday, almost assuredly means a return to the lineup for fellow wide receiver Preston Williams, who was inactive the past two games after making his only appearance of the season in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills.

It's the latest setback for what has been a very difficult first season in Miami for Fuller, who joined the Dolphins as an unrestricted free agent in March when he signed a one-year, $10 million contract with an additional $3 million attainable through incentives, according to overthecap.com.

Fuller had to sit out the opener against the New England Patriots as he finished serving the NFL suspension he incurred last year as a member of the Houston Texans; he missed the home opener against Buffalo after leaving the team to deal with a personal matter; and he was injured late in the Week 3 game against the Las Vegas Raiders after being targeted on an incompletion in the end zone in overtime.

That injury at Las Vegas was classified as cramping, but then Fuller missed practice last Wednesday because of chest/elbow issues.

In his one-plus game this season, Fuller has four catches for 26 yards.