Wes Welker has been fending off the opposition and injuries all season, like here against the Jets last Sunday. (AP)

FOXBORO — The hits are starting to pile up. So are the games, and the stats.

So too, are the bumps and bruises.

Some of those nagging injuries can even force a star player to miss a practice or two as the season winds its way towards Thanskgiving.

That’s why when Wes Welker missed a practice before the game with the Jets with a rib injury and showed up this week on the injury report with a knee ailment, no one panicked. Welker was also the one who had his helmet spun around on his neck by Troy Polamalu on Oct. 30, leaving him with a strained neck and his availability against the Giants in question.

“I feel all right,” said Welker, who still leads the Pats in receptions (72), yards (1,006) and 99-yard TD catches (1). “I think everybody goes through different things through the season and you just have to manage them and get ready the best you can.”

Welker, of course, played in the game against the Giants and has played in all nine games this season.

Welker was listed as limited in practice on Thursday and Friday with the knee issue but said he’s not worried about it, nor does he feel missing practice time during the week to play it safe will negatively impact him once Monday night rolls around.

“I don’t think so,” Welker said. “I feel I’ve been here for a while and understand what the coaches want and what Tom wants and understand when it comes to [gameday] we have to take care of our business and be there and play well.”

Welker was pressed about his knee issue and predictably, did not want to enlighten the media as to how it feels.

“That’s something that we really don’t talk about around here so, I’m just here getting ready and getting ready for the game this weekend,” he said.

He did admit to one thing – having an extra day this week is a nice luxury at this time of year.

“It helps a lot, especially preparation-wise,” Welker said. “Definitely, give your body an extra day but preparation-wise, it’s about getting ready for Kansas City and making sure we’re doing everything possible to get ready for them and the great defense they have.”