Jets WR Cotchery will miss second straight game with injured hamstring

The New York Jets Coach Rex Ryan said Friday that wide receivers Jerricho Cotchery and Brad Smith as well as cornerback Lito Sheppard will miss Sunday’s game against the Oakland Raiders because of injuries. And the game is the second straight Cotchery has missed since injuring his left hamstring.

“I was hoping Jerricho would be able to do it,” Ryan said. “We’re going to make that trip all the way out there and we feel it’s best if he stays back and rehabs. That’s what we’re going to do and hopefully get him back at 100 percent for next week.”

The first game Cotchery missed was the loss to the Buffalo Bills last Sunday. He was injured in practice two weeks ago, but was able to play in the loss at Miami on Oct. 12 and had one catch for 4 yards. However, he was not active for the next game in case of worsening the injury and he did not participate in team drills this week.

Ryan is expecting that Cotchery, the team’s leading receiver with 24 catches for 360 yards and a touchdown, will be ready to wear back his Jets jersey and play against Miami next week. But he is not sure if Smith, who was injured in the loss to the Dolphins and hasn’t played since, will be able to play next week, so as to Sheppard, who injured his right quadriceps in victory over the New England Patriots and returned last Sunday but injured himself again.