Every year, millions around the world are competing for the title of fantasy football champion. Some play for money, some play for bragging rights, whatever it may be. But the key to winning your league is those sleeper picks. Today we will break down whether each player on the Buffalo Bills can be your league winning pick.
QB- Josh Allen
One of the most electrifying quarterbacks in the league, also happens to be the best fantasy football QB in the league- no Chiefs fans, I did not say Allen is a better QB than Mahomes. When it comes to fantasy football, there is no one better than Allen. With his rocket arm, he is good for 4000 yards and 30 touchdowns at the minimum. That’s not even including his rushing ability, where he has averaged 617 yards and just under 8 touchdowns a year. Those averages alone are good for 390 points a season. Granted, that does not include the mass amount of interceptions and fumbles he unfortunately gives up every season, but add in some extra yards and touchdowns to his passing and it balances out. Allen will be a high pick in majority of fantasy football drafts, but he might be the safest pick there is.
RB- James Cook
After the departure of Devin Singletary, the RB1 spot goes to James Cook. Now, Singletary’s departure does not mean Cook automatically becomes a workhorse of a running back, but he should see a significant increase in volume, even with the additions of Damien Harris and Latavius Murray. Cook had his flashes as a rookie, but as the Bills RB1 you more than likely won’t be a RB1 in fantasy. Although, last season he averaged 5.7 yards a carry on 89 carries. If that doubles, he would be a 1000 yard rusher. That would be quite the jump. I would expect the yards to carry to drop but the volume to increase slightly more than double. James Cook will be a perfectly fine low end RB2-flex in most standard 12 man PPR leagues.
WR- Stefon Diggs
Regarded by many (hopefully all) as a Top 5 receiver in the league, Stefon Diggs is one of the safest bets you can make in fantasy football. In every season with the Bills, Diggs has eclipsed 1200 yards, 100 receptions and 8 touchdowns. That is good for a total of 268 points, on average in PPR leagues. In 2022, he was WR4 in fantasy, and if he hadn’t only played 16 games, he more than likely would have been WR3. It’s as safe as it can get with Stefon Diggs. With a healthy Josh Allen throwing him the ball, and year 2 under offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, Diggs is due for another monster season. Feel free to draft him to be your WR1 any day of the week, and twice on Sundays.
WR- Gabriel Davis
Many know Davis for his big play ability, more specifically his monster game vs Kansas City in the 2021 Divisional Round (we don’t need to talk about the ending). After that game, many pegged Davis as a prime breakout candidate for the 2022 season, and he did not deliver. Plenty of drops and missed time throughout various weeks of the season left him with a stat line of 836 yards on 48 receptions and 7 touchdowns to go with it. I expect Gabriel Davis to get a slight uptick in targets (over 100), and fix a lot of his drop issues. Which would put him in line for a great season, and a great payday, but that’s besides the point. The question you’re asking is, what does he project as? The potential could be low end WR1 in a 12-man PPR, but it’s a lot more likely Davis is a solid WR2 on any fantasy team.
TE- Dawson Knox and Dalton Kincaid
A puzzling draft choice at the time, but the perception seems to be that Kincaid will be a “Swole Beasely”, aka the slot receiver who is also a tight end (think Travis Kelce). As a rookie tight end, it’s not very likely he will do much of anything that warrants him being your starting tight end in fantasy, but could be a solid fill in option for your bye week or injury bug.
As for Dawson Knox, his value was much higher prior to the 2023 draft, where the Buffalo Bills ended up selecting Dalton Kincaid. His role in the offense is what it has been for the last 4 seasons. I wouldn’t expect that to change much, in fact I imagine it gets worse. Knox more than likely projects as the same thing as Kincaid; a backup tight end.
K- Tyler Bass
When it comes to reliable fantasy football kickers, Tyler Bass is your guy. Nearly automatic on field goals, is an extra-point machine (mainly thanks to the Bills offense scoring lots of touchdowns), and in his 3 year career, has never placed lower than 6th. A consistent kicker who can be consistent for your fantasy team.
DEF/ST
Under Sean McDermott, the Buffalo Bills have had one of the best defenses in the league in all areas. Usually they haven’t been one of the best sack production teams, but it’s not just sacks that get you those points. They keep yards low, get lots of turnovers, and with a healthy Von Miller and the addition of Leonard Floyd, not to mention Greg Rousseau going into year 3, the Bills D-Line will be eating good this season. Since 2020, they have had a Top 10 defense in fantasy football. It has never been number 1, but it will always be a top pick off the board in any league because it’s one of the safest there is. If your league plays with DEF enabled, it’s not a bad bet to pick them up.
So, what should you do?
If I were you, I would feel comfortable taking any of the players mentioned above except for the tight ends. This year, it’s just a little too risky. If they had drafted something other than a tight end in the first round, I would say go ahead and take Dawson Knox and start him. But with Kincaid stealing targets, it’s just not worth it.
Happy drafting!