DAVIE, Fla. _ Dolphins wide receiver DeVante Parker, who has been battling hamstring injuries since training camp, said he wanted to play Sunday against Seattle but coach Adam Gase decided to make him inactive.
Parker, who was termed a gametime decision, was running "gassers," or a series of sprints, before the game and said his hamstring felt good.
"I was thinking I could go," Parker said, "but coach said he wanted to hold me back, he didn't want to go out there and rush in and make something worse."
Parker, who had a field-stretching 26 receptions for 494 yards (19.0 yards per reception) and three touchdowns last year as a rookie, is scheduled to practice Wednesday.
He said he's hopeful he can play Sunday at New England. But he added he doesn't want to aggravate his condition.
"I see the big picture," he said. "You don't want to go out there and cause something so you'll be out six to eight weeks. We're just taking our time with it. We don't want to go out there and make it worse.
"It feels good right now so we'll see how it goes this week."
If Parker can't play expect the No. 3 wide receiver spot alongside Jarvis Landry and Kenny Stills to be filled once again by rookie Leonte Carroo, the third-round pick from Rutgers. Rookie Jakeem Grant, the sixth-round pick from Texas Tech, is mostly a slot receiver.
It's not known whether newly-signed wide receiver Justin Hunter, who was with the Tennessee Titans last season, knows enough of the offense to be a meaningful replacement for Parker.
But Parker thinks that might be irrelevant.
"I was pretty close to playing (against Seattle)," Parker said. "It felt good when I was out there running (Sunday). It feels better now."
