The Patriots are readying for their regular-season finale vs. the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium, and are continuing to manage injuries on the roster in Week 18.

On a positive note, rookie LT Will Campbell and DT Milton Williams are officially active after being activated from injured reserve on Saturday. Campbell returns to the active roster for the first time since injuring his knee in Week 12, while Williams will likely see his first game action since suffering his ankle injury in Week 11. Starting WR Kayshon Boutte also returns to the game-day roster after missing last week's win over the Jets due to a concussion.

New England's game-day inactives are LB Robert Spillane (ankle), OLB Harold Landry III (knee), NT Khyiris Tonga (foot), LG Jared Wilson (concussion), G Caedan Wallace, OT Marcus Bryant, and QB Tommy DeVito is the emergency third quarterback. After carrying questionable designations, FB Jack Westover (ankle) and CB Charles Woods (foot) are both active for Sunday's game.

Starting with the Patriots defense, Williams' return to the lineup is massive. The standout defensive tackle was having a Pro Bowl-caliber season before suffering a high-ankle sprain early in the Patriots Week 11 win over the Jets. Williams returned to practice for the first time since his injury last week, but was held out of the second Jets meeting in the Meadowlands. Now, the playmaking defensive tackle returns to ramp things back up for the Patriots playoff run.

Before he suffered his ankle injury, Williams ranked fifth among defensive tackles in pressure rate (12.7%) with 17 total pressures, while helping anchor New England's run defense with nine run stops in 11 games. In the season's first 10 weeks, the Patriots run defense was fourth in rush EPA allowed, while New England didn't allow a 50-yard individual rusher until Week 10. However, without Williams and others, the Pats run defense is 30th in rush EPA allowed since Week 12. ​

Although the hope is that Williams' return will see the run defense return to form, the Patriots are still playing without three key starters on defense: Landry, Spillane, and Tonga. Landry continues to rest a lingering knee injury that stems from a scare in Week 6. For several weeks, the Pats captain played through his injury, but the Patriots opted to shut him down over the last two games, hoping that Landry resting his knee would help him get his burst back for the playoffs. As for Spillane and Tonga, both Patriot defenders are eying returns in the postseason as well.

On Friday, Spillane returned to practice in a limited capacity for the first time in three weeks, a positive first step toward a return. Spillane last logged a snap in a Week 13 win over the Giants, but didn't play despite being active vs. the Bills in Week 15. Tonga hasn't practiced since suffering his foot injury in a Week 16 win over the Ravens, but told reporters this week that he hopes to be ready for the playoffs.

Ideally, all four banged-up starters on defense are ready to go for the postseason run, helping the Patriots defense return to controlling the line of scrimmage as it was in the first half of the season. Although three regulars remain sidelined, it'll be great to see how Williams looks in his return, as he is arguably one of the Patriots most important players outside of QB Drake Maye.

Moving over to the Patriots offense, Campbell was activated from injured reserve after missing the minimum four weeks with an MCL sprain. Campbell was injured pulling in space on a run play when a Bengals defender struck the side of his knee, but the standout rookie participated in a full capacity in all three practices this week. After sitting out the last four games, it'll be good for Campbell to knock some of the rust off before playing in his first playoff game in the NFL.

After posting the second-lowest pressure rate among rookie tackles in his first 12 starts, Campbell will likely return to the starting lineup for the Patriots offensive line. However, third-rounder Jared Wilson remains out due to a concussion he suffered in Week 16. The Pats starting left guard was put in concussion protocol following New England's win over the Ravens, and has yet to practice since. For the second time this season, the Patriots are expected to start LT Will Campbell, LG Ben Brown, C Garrett Bradbury, RG Mike Onwenu, and RT Morgan Moses along the offensive line.

At the skill positions, WR Kayshon Boutte is active following a one-game absence due to a concussion. Boutte is fourth on the team with 527 receiving yards and has the second-most touchdown catches for the Patriots this season (6). Plus, Boutte has been one of the NFL's most efficient deep threats, catching 70% of his deep targets (7-of-10), while ranking fifth in total EPA on throws over 20 air yards this season (+19.8). Patriots FB Jack Westover, who was rolled up on while blocking on a kickoff return last week, is also active despite carrying a questionable designation into the game. This season, New England ranks fifth in two-back usage, using two-back groupings on 26.8% of their offensive snaps.

QB Drake Maye's Supporting Cast vs. Dolphins

OL - LT Campbell, LG Brown, C Bradbury, RG Onwenu, RT Moses, OT3 Munford

WR - Diggs, Boutte, Douglas, Williams, Chism III

TE - Henry, Hooper, Dippre, Westover (FB)

RB - Stevenson, Henderson, Johnson

From this perspective, New England could continue to lean on its jumbo package with a sixth offensive lineman and two tight end sets without versatile WR Mack Hollins (IR), which it used on 32 snaps last week. Above is the projected supporting cast for QB Drake Maye in Sunday's regular-season finale vs. the Dolphins.

Lastly, the Dolphins inactives include star RB De'Von Achane (shoulder), WR Jaylen Waddle (ribs), S Minkah Fitzpatrick (calf), and pass-rusher Chop Robinson. Achane, who leads the NFL in yards per carry (5.7) and explosive runs (40), is officially inactive after being listed as doubtful on Miami's final injury report. On the one hand, it would've been nice to see the Patriots run defense try to slow down Achane as a tune-up for the playoffs, but Miami being down its two best playmakers is a big loss for the Dolphins.

Although the Patriots are already playoff-bound as AFC East champs, they're still playing for seeding in the AFC playoffs on Sunday. With a win, the Patriots can finish no lower than the No. 2 seed in the AFC and become the No. 1 overall seed if the Broncos lose to the Chargers. If the Patriots lose to Miami, New England could fall to the No. 3 seed if the Jaguars score holds against the Titans in Jacksonville. By the time the late afternoon slate wraps up, we'll know if the Patriots earned the No. 1 seed or who they'll play on Wild Card weekend.

The Patriots host the Dolphins in their regular-season finale at 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday.

DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer