ESPN's Mike Reiss suggests that "there's no reason to think" that Lewis -- who is bouncing back from a torn right ACL that he suffered on Nov. 8 -- "won't be available for when the games count."

ESPN's Mike Reiss suggests that "there's no reason to think" that Lewis -- who is bouncing back from a torn right ACL that he suffered on Nov. 8 -- "won't be available for when the games count."

Analysis:

The report relays that Lewis' recovery from his Nov. 18 knee surgery (performed by Dr. James Andrews) has been encouraging, with a routine January check-in revealing in terms of the running back's progress, that "things were exactly where they should be, if not better." While the Patriots do figure to take it slowly with Lewis in the coming months, it appears as though he's on track to reprise his role in the team's offense in 2016, in the absence of any injury setbacks. Of course, it's a little early to get a good read on the running back's fantasy prospects for the coming season, given that the Patriots figure to make some personal changes in their backfield this offseason, with veteran "big backs" LeGarrette Blount and Steven Jackson slated to become free agents.