FOXBORO -- Aaron Hernandez will not be active for New England's afternoon tilt against the Bills. The tight end suffered an ankle sprain against the Cardinals in Week 2 and missed the next three games. He returned to play against Seattle and the Jets. But the Patriots re-shelved Hernandez in Week 8, as he didn't even travel to London to face the Rams abroad.
Apparently, even after added rest during the bye, he's still not ready to come down again.
New England will, however, have tight end Visanthe Shiancoe active against Buffalo. It's the first game of 2012 for Shiancoe, who spent the early part of the season on short-term IR.
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Guard Logan Mankins will play today after missing the Patriots' last two games.
Safety Steve Gregory is also in. It's his first activation since injuring his hip against the Bills in Week 4. His partner in the backend of the secondary, Pat Chung, is sidelined for the third straight week with a nagging shoulder issue.
The full list of Patriots inactives:
TE Aaron Hernandez
S Pat Chung
DL Ron Brace
DB Malcolm Williams
DE Jake Bequette
DE Trevor Scott
LB Tracy White
Inactive for the Bills:
DE Mark Anderson
QB Tarvaris Jackson
DE Chris Kelsay
LB Kirk Morrison
DB Mana Silva
OT Thomas Welch
CB Aaron Williams