Is Saquon Barkley playing today? Latest Giants injury report vs Bills

The New York Giants offense has been an absolute train wreck this season, ranking last or second-to-last in points scored, total yards, passing yards, passing touchdowns and net yards per passing attempt. The rushing attack hasn't been much better with Saquon Barkley out of the lineup for the past three games.

The sputtering offense has been the primary factor in their 1-4 record and three-game losing streak and things don't get any easier this week. The Bills are next up on the schedule, the offensive line has been decimated by injuries, starting quarterback Daniel Jones is out with a neck injury and it's not clear if Barkley will be able to return from his ankle injury.

Giants injury update: Saquon Barkley is 'optimistic' to play in Week 6

Injury timeline: Barkley sprained his ankle in one of the final plays of the Giants' lone win, over the Cardinals in Week 2. He has missed the following three games, losses to the 49ers, Seahawks and Dolphins. He was a limited participant in practice this week as the Giants prepared for the Bills.

Expected return: Barkley's sprained ankle was suffered nearly a month ago. Even if he's unable to play against the Bills, his ability to participate in practice makes it seem like he's trending toward a return sooner rather than later. For Week 6, however, Jordan Raanan from ESPN noted that Barkley's status was "uncertain" as he appeared to be limited in practice by the ankle still.

UPDATE (Oct. 15, 11:20 a.m. ET): According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo, Barkley is "optimistic" to play in Week 6 vs. the Bills. Rapoport and Garafolo note that while the team is giving him all the time they need, there is a "real chance" he returns on Sunday night.

Potential replacements: If Barkley is unable to play, Matt Brieda will likely receive the bulk of the carries. Brieda has 21 yards on nine carries filling in for Barkley against the Dolphins. He has just a single touchdown and his longest run of the season was for eight yards.

Coach's quote: Speaking with the media after Wednesday's practice, head coach Brian Daboll said, "He's closer, he's closer again. We'll take it all the way up to the end of the week."