DAVIE, Fla. -- Even with a sore throwing shoulder and eight turnovers in two games, Ray Lucas is the quarterback the Miami Dolphins want in the lineup Sunday night against his former team, the New York Jets.

	Lucas

He'll likely be there, although he's listed as questionable on the injury report, and coach Dave Wannstedt hedged Wednesday on whether Lucas will be healthy enough to start.

"I don't know,'' Wannstedt said after Lucas took a limited number of snaps in practice and didn't wear pads. "He's not 100 percent. We'll have to wait and see and take it a day at a time.''

Should Lucas' bruised right shoulder prevent him from playing, the Dolphins will turn to third-string quarterback Sage Rosenfels.

"That's not your plan in July,'' Wannstedt said. "If he's got to play, he's got to play.''

Rosenfels, 24, made his NFL debut in Sunday's loss at Green Bay, when he took five snaps and threw three passes, all incomplete.

After practice, Lucas entered the locker room with a bag of ice on his shoulder. He declined to discuss the injury or his chances of playing.

"It's not going to be my decision,'' he said. "It's going to be the coach's decision. I'll play with just about anything unless I can't walk.''

Even if Lucas starts, there are concerns about how he'll play. In two games he has completed less than half of his passes, with six sacks, two fumbles lost and six interceptions, including two returned for touchdowns. Miami (5-3) lost both games but still clings to a half-game lead in the AFC East.

Lucas has been filling in for Jay Fiedler, who is expected to miss at least two more games with a broken right thumb.

Fiedler threw for 185 yards and a touchdown as Miami beat New York 30-3 on Sept. 22, ending a streak of eight consecutive losses to the Jets. The Dolphins were 5-1 when he went to the sideline.

"We had a great run, and I'm letting them down somehow -- that's how I feel,'' Lucas said.

Lucas spent four seasons with the Jets and went 6-3 as their starter in 1999. But he said the opponent wasn't the reason he considers Sunday's game crucial.

"The Jets? It could be anybody right now,'' he said. "If we don't win, we're in trouble.''

Lucas' injury sparked another round of speculation that the Dolphins might try to lure Troy Aikman out of retirement. Such a move would reunite Aikman with offensive coordinator Norv Turner, but Dolphins personnel boss Rick Spielman said the team has no interest in the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback.

"I never even talked with Dave (Wannstedt) about it,'' Spielman said.

So it's Lucas or Rosenfels, and it's to the Dolphins' benefit to keep the Jets guessing. Wannstedt said Lucas took about half the snaps in practice; Lucas said he took about three. Rosenfels, rather than Lucas, participated in a conference call with the New York media.

"I'm ready to go if the team needs me,'' Rosenfels said. "It's very exciting. The last couple of weeks I've been a little more focused and a little more quiet, trying to learn things.''

The decision may hinge on how much Lucas can practice Thursday.

"Ray needs to practice to be ready,'' Wannstedt said. "It's tough enough for Dan Marino not to practice all week and play on Sunday. Ray needs all the practice reps he can get.''