New England Patriots RB LeGarrette Blount sidelined by illness

New England Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount sat out practice for the second day in a row on Thursday due to illness.

Blount was seen by reporters at Gillette Stadium but did not participate on the field. The workhorse back is expected to play on Saturday (8:15 p.m. ET) as the top-seeded Patriots host the AFC South champion Houston Texans in a divisional round playoff game.

Blount had an NFL-best 18 rushing touchdowns and team-leading 1,161 yards on 299 carries this season. The 30-year-old erupted for 105 yards and two scores in New England's 27-0 rout of Houston on Sept. 22.

Should Blount be sidelined, Dion Lewis and James White likely would see an increase in their respective workloads while fellow running backs D.J. Foster and Brandon Bolden could also see an uptick in playing time.