The New England Patriots are the heavy favorites to win against the Washington Redskins. Now that Dont'a Hightower is expected to be ready to play for the Pats, the Redskins' hope for an upset slimmed even further.

Michael Giardi confirmed that the inside linebacker has been deemed fit to play after missing New England's Week 4 victory over the Buffalo Bills.

Hightower was deemed unavailable against Buffalo after suffering an injury on his shoulder. He was definitely missed by his teammates as the team didn't dominate against the Bills.

He has been a solid contributor for the Patriots this season. In his three starts for the team so far, he's managed 12 tackles and half a sack. While it's unlikely that his presence will hardly affect their favorite status against the 0-4 Redskins, it's still good for the defense that they have a reliable body on Hightower ready to play if needed.

However, it seems like the Patriots will be coming to play the Redskins a bit shorthanded. Erik Scalavino revealed that the team will be playing without a few players in DC:

As the Patriots’ bus convoy left Gillette Stadium for T.F. Green Airport Saturday afternoon, the team announced that RB Rex Burkhead (foot), safety Patrick Chung (heel), and safety/special teams contributor Nate Ebner (groin) were downgraded from their original questionable listings on Friday’s final injury report of the week.

Despite missing those players, the fact that they're still considered favorites says a lot about the quality the Patriots have on the team. They should still have more than enough to get the win over the Redskins even with their absentees.