Team Profile
Buffalo Bills
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18% 4thOff DVOA
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41.8% 3rdPassing DVOA
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7.1% 7thRushing DVOA
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-6.3% 9thDef DVOA
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4.2% 14thDef Passing DVOA
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-20.1% 6thDef Rushing DVOA
2024 Team Stats
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Points For29.0 3rd
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Points Against19.3 9th
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Yards Per Game343.0 14th
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Yards Allowed Per Game336.0 18th
When Josh Allen wasn't poaching touchdowns from James Cook in 2023, it was 33-year-old Latavius Murray. The veteran logged 17 carries inside the 10 and 11 inside the five-yard line. That role is now projected to be filled by rookie Ray Davis, a fourth-round pick out of Kentucky. The 24-year-old scored 14 touchdowns in his senior season and has the size to finish runs in the red zone. He'll open the season behind James Cook and Ty Johnson on the depth chart. The backups will split a limited amount of touches in Week 1, depending on the situation. Without a healthy amount of opportunities, Davis will need to find paydirt to turn a respectable fantasy football debut. He's a bench stash until proven otherwise.
Buffalo Bills running back James Cook is again opening the season as the lead back in Buffalo. Despite concerns over touches near the endzone, Cook should be started in all fantasy football leagues. A low touchdown total (six) was the only blemish from Cook's RB12 finish from a season ago. He totaled 1,567 yards and caught 44 passes, despite only playing more than 70% of the team's snaps once. Cook could be even more involved in the passing game in 2024, with two of Buffalo's top target earners (Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis) on other rosters. The Cardinals ranked dead last in rushing yards allowed to running backs in 2023 (2,027) and surrendered eight receiving touchdowns to the position, the most in the NFL. Even if Cook is vultured by Josh Allen or rookie Ray Davis in the red zone, it should still be a productive day for fantasy football.
There's little concern for the top quarterback in fantasy football in Week 1. Josh Allen, who finished as the QB1 in three of the last four seasons, will face off against the Arizona Cardinals at home. While the Cardinals' offense has improved from a year ago, the defense remains a work in progress. The roster is devoid of quality pass rushers. Allen should have all day to throw the football, letting his new receiving corps shake the secondary. He ranked second in clean pocket accuracy rating in 2023. Rookie Keon Coleman, Curtis Samuel, and Khalil Shakir are tasked with replacing Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis. Tight end Dalton Kincaid will also be heavily involved. There's no reason to shy away from Allen in Week 1.
Buffalo Bills second-year tight end Dalton Kincaid is one to watch in 2024 as a player that analysts are expecting to emerge as a star playmaker for the team with receivers Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis no longer in town. "If I were trying to pinpoint somebody that I thought was the most talented player in that group, and the guy that did have a chance to become the most important player in that pecking order, he's probably the one that I would go with," The Athletic's Robert Mays said. Kincaid's depth of target increased from six yards to nine yards when offensive coordinator Joe Brady took over in the second half last year. The 24-year-old could be quarterback Josh Allen's most trusted weapon in the passing game now, giving him upside to be a high-end TE1 in fantasy in just his second year in the league in 2024.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Mitchell Trubisky (knee) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice. The backup to Josh Allen suffered a knee injury during a preseason game against the Steelers in mid-August. Sean McDermott notes that he's unsure if Trubisky will be healthy enough to play in Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals. Allen and Trubisky are the only two quarterbacks listed on the active roster. If the latter is unable to suit up, the Bills will likely promote veteran Mike White from the practice squad.