Buffalo Bills DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

It was a pretty quiet day for Buffalo Bills running back James Cook when the team defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-17 in Monday's wild-card round, but he still put in 79 yards on 18 rushing attempts and chipped in four receptions for four yards. The Steelers mostly bottled Cook up despite missing all-world defender T.J. Watt (knee) on Monday, as the explosive 24-year-old tailback was only able to round up a long gain of 12 yards on the evening. After Cook's five-game frenzy between Weeks 10 through 15 saw him stockpile at least 100 scrimmage yards in each meeting, the wheels have started to fall off just a bit. Failing to find the end zone since the hot streak ended, Cook has also been unable to transcend the 80-yard marker on the ground during this four-game cold spell. Cook did tally a season-high 83 receiving yards in Week 14 against the Kansas City Chiefs, who he will square off with in next Sunday's Divisional battle.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen was too much for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Monday's 31-17 wild-card win, completing 21-of-30 passes for 203 yards and three touchdowns with 74 yards on eight carries plus a rushing score. Buffalo's opening possession produced a systematic scoring drive that was capped off by a nine-yard TD pass to Dawson Knox. Allen then may have caught Pittsburgh's defense off guard after a sudden change of possession, slinging a 29-yard pass to Dalton Kincaid for his second score. None of the Steelers could catch Allen on an exhilarating 52-yard run to the house in the second quarter, completing the dual-threat signal-caller's first-half hat trick. Though his receiver did most of the work, Allen connected with Khalil Shakir in the fourth period for his fourth TD to put the Bills ahead 31-17 late. For the third time in four years, Allen will have a playoff duel with Patrick Mahomes at home next Sunday in the Divisional Round.

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper caught four of his five targets for 59 yards in a 45-14 loss to the Houston Texans in the first round of the playoffs on Saturday. Cooper was held in check just a few weeks after he shredded this very same Houston secondary for 265 receiving yards on Christmas Eve. The veteran receiver came into the game dealing with a heel injury that held him out of the previous two games and he did appear to be favoring it at times on the field on Saturday. Cooper remains under contract with the Browns for the 2024 season and will be returning as the team's No. 1 receiver after posting a career-high 1,250 receiving yards this past season.

Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox (illness) did not participate in Thursday's practice due to an illness, but he was removed from the injury report on Friday and will be active for Monday's Super Wild Card Weekend game versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. Knox played second fiddle to impressive rookie Dalton Kincaid throughout the regular season, and that's unlikely to change during the postseason. 2023 was easily the 27-year-old former Pro Bowler's weakest statistical campaign, averaging 1.8 receptions for 15.5 yards (8.5 yards per catch) with two total touchdowns over 12 games. Even with starting wideout Gabe Davis (knee) sidelined on Monday coupled with a cheap $2,900 DraftKings salary, it's not enough to make Knox relevant outside of single-game DFS showdowns as a TD-dependent dart throw. Unless you're searching for a contrarian option, Knox should be avoided.

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir made a bit of a name for himself in his second season. Shakir found a home in the slot for the Bills, leading the team with 398 slot snaps alongside perimeter threats Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis (knee) and forming quite the connection with quarterback Josh Allen. Vacuuming up 39 of his 45 passes for 611 yards and two touchdowns, the 23-year-old former fifth-rounder paced the NFL's qualifying wideouts with both a pristine 86.6% catch rate as well as a hyper-efficient 13.1 yards per target. That should go a long way in earning Allen's trust as a bankable secondary option behind alpha target Diggs, and Shakir is in line to function as Buffalo's No. 2 wideout with Davis out for Super Wild Card Weekend on Monday versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. Frigid temperatures could hamper Buffalo's passing game, but Shakir's $3,400 DraftKings salary may be too valuable to pass up on as a DFS budget play.