Patriots head coach Bill Belichick already said this week that he won’t be using Week 18 to gather information on players for the 2024 season.

“We’re going to get ready to play the guys that deserve to play against the Jets,” Belichick said Wednesday. “I think they all want to play.”

But with so many injuries across the roster, there will almost certainly be some players taking on significant roles who weren’t part of the team’s plans in Week 1.

Here are four players who deserve a longer look in Week 18 against the Jets in what could also be Belichick’s last game as Patriots head coach.

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RB Kevin Harris

The 2022 sixth-round pick spent most of this season buried on the practice squad behind Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott. He’s also proven to be a capable third-stringer since Stevenson went down with a high-ankle sprain in Week 13.

The South Carolina product has carried the ball 13 times for 61 yards with a touchdown in three games while adding two catches for 54 yards. He didn’t get any snaps in his season debut in Week 14. Since then, his snap count has risen from seven snaps in Week 15 to 10 in Week 16 and 11 in Week 17.

Elliott will likely continue to carry the load, but Harris has proven he deserves a chance to compete for a role in 2024 in limited time this season.

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WR Kayshon Boutte

The Patriots’ starting wide receivers to begin the season – Kendrick Bourne, JuJu Smith-Schuster and DeVante Parker – all either didn’t play in or didn’t finish the Patriots’ Week 17 loss to the Bills. Bourne and Smith-Schuster are on injured reserve, and Parker is dealing with a rib injury.

Boutte was inactive due to an illness on Sunday while DeMario Douglas, Tyquan Thornton and Jalen Reagor filled in.

Boutte is not on the injury report this week, so there’s a chance he could register his first reception since November.

The rookie pass-catcher has just two catches for 19 yards on seven targets this season as he’s dealt with stretches of inactivity. After the 2023 NFL Draft, Boutte – not Douglas – was viewed as the more enticing prospect.

Douglas has broken Belichick-era records for catches and yards by a rookie wide receiver, while Boutte has struggled to acclimate.

The former five-star recruit has one more chance to shine, especially if Parker can’t go against the Jets.

OL Jake Andrews

The Patriots drafted three offensive linemen this year in Andrews, Sidy Sow and Atonio Mafi. Sow has emerged as the team’s starting right guard and is third in offensive snaps for the Patriots. Mafi began the year as a starter and has replaced Cole Strange at left guard since the 2022 first-round pick suffered a season-ending injury. Andrews played his first 13 offensive snaps of the season on Sunday, rotating with Mafi at left guard.

It doesn’t help that Andrews’ natural position is center, and he’s played behind workhorse David Andrews, who has yet to miss a snap this season.

Still, with all of the issues the Patriots have had on their offensive line this season, it would have been nice to see the fourth-round pick out of Troy get more work in his first season.

Belichick had a tepid reaction to Andrews’ offensive debut, simply replying, “Yeah,” when asked if it looked like the rookie “hung in there OK.”

Andrews is very undersized at a listed 6-foot-3, 308 pounds. Given Mafi’s struggles this season, it’s worth giving him more snaps against the Jets.

S Marte Mapu

The rookie defender out of Sacramento State has seen his snaps wax and wane throughout the season. The most he’s played came in Week 4 against the Cowboys with 35 snaps. From weeks 10-14, he played just eight total defensive snaps.

Now over the last three weeks, he’s averaged 16 defensive snaps per game. It’s helped his playtime that safety Jabrill Peppers is dealing with a hamstring injury.

Mapu is listed as a linebacker but is mostly referred to as a safety around Gillette Stadium. Whether it’s as a strong safety or linebacker, his best play has come in the box this season, not deep at free safety.

Starting safety Kyle Dugger is a free agent after the season. If the Patriots don’t bring him back, then Mapu would likely take on a much larger role. It’s a good time to assess whether or not he could take that on.