Report: Doctors more hopeful Daniel Fells won’t need foot amputation

Doctors are increasingly optimistic that they will not have to amputate New York Giants tight end Daniel Fells’s foot.

Doctors are increasingly optimistic that they will not have to amputate New York Giants tight end Daniel Fells’s foot, Dan Graziano of ESPN reports.

Fells has been responding well to the antibiotics the doctors have given him to fight the MRSA infection in his foot, which has given them more hope that they can save it. Earlier this week, doctors feared amputation would be necessary.

Still hospitalized in an ICU, Fells has undergone five surgeries and is scheduled for more, ESPN reports. Some of the procedures have included scraping the infection, which is resistant to most antibiotics, out of his bones. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reported Fells underwent a sixth procedure on Wednesday, and that optimism was building on his health.

The Giants placed Fells on season-ending injured reserve after their Week 4 game against the Buffalo Bills when they learned he had contracted MRSA. Fells had been battling injuries to his toe and ankle, and a week after receiving a cortisone shot for the ailments, he developed the dangerous staph infection.

Fells, 32, has played in the NFL for seven years for the St. Louis Rams, Denver Broncos, New England Patriots and the Giants. Even if his foot is saved, his NFL career is likely over.

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- Erin Flynn