FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The mantra of the New England Patriots when a player gets injured is "next man up." This week that man will be backup linebacker Dane Fletcher. With Brandon Spikes joining three key defenders on injured reserve with a knee injury, Fletcher is likely to see a lot more action when the Patriots host the Indianapolis Colts in an AFC divisional-playoff game Saturday night. "Everybody has to step up," Fletcher said Tuesday. "Everybodys role kind of increases on defence, especially in the linebacker unit." Spikes, an outstanding run stopper in his fourth season, was placed on injured reserve Monday. That left the Patriots with six linebackers on their 53-man roster, including rookie free agent JaGared Davis, who was signed off the practice squad Tuesday. Two others have played very little on defence. Rookie Steve Beauharnais has one tackle in two games and Chris White has one defensive tackle while being used mostly on special teams. The remaining starters are Donta Hightower and rookie Jamie Collins, a first-round draft choice. Fletcher, a better pass defender than Spikes, has averaged just 14 defensive snaps in the 15 games hes played, starting just one. He played more than half the snaps only once, against Denver and Peyton Manning. "Spikes has done a great job this year," safety Devin McCourty said, "being a guy thats been a leader on the defence, a guy thats stepped up and made key plays, I think, like hes always done, but really stepping into a leadership role. But now its next man up and being ready to go." That figures to be Fletcher. "Every play matters. Every second youre in there matters," he said. "It could be one problem play that costs your whole team so you dont want to be that guy. So its just kind of that time of the year where everything amps up in every aspect of the game." New England has played most of the season with three of its best defensive players on injured reserve. Tackle Vince Wilfork played the first four games, tackle Tommy Kelly played the first five and linebacker Jerod Mayo played the first six. The Patriots did well enough without them to earn a first-round bye. But will the latest injury be one too many? "I hope not," McCourty said with a laugh. Balenciaga Shoes Sale . Leaning forward with both hands on his knees, Buffon appeared to be resting or somehow trying to withstand the rain. Or perhaps the 36-year-old goalkeeper and Italy captain was reflecting on this: He is only the third player in history to be part of five World Cup squads, along with Germany great Lothar Matthaus and former Mexico goalkeeper Antonio Carbajal. Sneakers Sale . As if he had been rehearsing it, Vasquez looked around with a grimacing stare as he clinched two fists and flexed his muscles. What do you think of DeMar DeRozans face after he hits a big shot, he was asked moments earlier. https://www.wholesaleshoesforcheap.com/vans-shoes-sale/. The Blue Jackets play Thursday night at New Jersey in their first game after the NHLs Olympic hiatus. A native of Trencin, Slovakia, Gaborik has represented his country at the 2006 and 2010 Olympics but was unable to play in Sochi because of his injury. Air Jordan Sale .Y. - His opponent couldnt stop him, and LeBron James didnt quite know what to think when his coach tried. Air Max Plus Sale . And theyre pointing to the NHLs biggest market: Toronto. With Gretzky paid out for what is believed to be $7 to 8 million, Gretzky may be eager to get back into the NHL and TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reports that the Maple Leafs are very much interested in The Great Ones services.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Golden State Warriors will try to pad their franchise-best 13-game winning streak on Wednesday, but will face a tall order in the form of the visiting Houston Rockets. The Warriors have vaulted atop the standings in the NBA, but the Rockets arent far off. They share the second-fewest losses and may have as good a chance as anyone in slowing down the Warriors. Houston is second in the NBA in opponents scoring, which should help against the leagues fourth-best offense. Of course, you dont get to be 18-2 without playing some defense and the Warriors rank sixth in opponents scoring. These two teams met in one of the biggest matchups of the early season. Both were undefeated when Golden State toppled the Rockets, 98-87, in Houston on Nov. 8. Steph Curry went off for 34 that night, but the Rockets didnt have All- Defensive Second-Team member Patrick Beverley. The Rockets also didnt have Dwight Howard, a former Defensive Player of the Year, but he isnt expected back from a knee injury on Wednesday. The Warriors havent lost since a home setback to the San Antonio Spurs on Nov. 11. Since, Golden State has taken five in a row at Oracle Arena, but it just returned from a perfect road trip. The Warriors went 2-0 over the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves. Golden State knocked off the Bulls by 10 at the United Center, then dispatched the Timberwolves by 16 on Monday night. Curry and Klay Thompson each scored 21 points to help the Warriors extend their winning streak. They stretched their road winning streak to eight games, which is also the best in team history. Tonight was not our best ever, the second half was good, Warriors coach Steve Kerr ssaid.ddddddddddddIts good to pile up as many road wins as possible because its going to get tougher as we go. Shaun Livingston and Marreese Speights both netted 12 points and Draymond Green added 10 points with 10 rebounds in the win. Warriors center Andrew Bogut left the game after just two minutes in with right knee irritation. Neither Bogut, nor Kerr seemed terribly concerned about the injury after the game, so Bogut could be in the lineup against the Rockets. Houston has endured a horrid season with injuries and it seems like Howard and starting forward Terrence Jones will both be out for a while. All-Star guard James Harden has back spasms and is questionable. The Rockets have had four days off to get healthy. Their last game was a 100-95 home win over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday, their fourth consecutive victory. Beverley returned from a hamstring injury to give the Rockets a big lift, scoring 19 points. Beverley, who had missed Houstons last five games, knocked down 5-of-8 attempts from 3-point range and added six rebounds off the bench. We dont win that game unless Pat plays, Rockets head coach Kevin McHale stated. Trevor Ariza also had 19 points in a game the Rockets led from start-to-finish en route to their seventh win in eight outings. Harden offset a 5-of-21 shooting night by posting 12 rebounds and seven assists. He finished with 15 points, while Donatas Motiejunas had 16 along with 11 rebounds. Harden is second in the NBA with 25.2 ppg. These two teams, who have had some testy moments in recent seasons, have split the last six meetings, but Golden State prevailed in the last two. The Rockets are 3-1 in their last four in Oakland. ' ' '