Buffalo Bills DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

The Buffalo Bills traded up to draft tight end Dalton Kincaid with the 25th overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, and they have to be pleased with the early returns. Though there were some bumps along the way, there was a lot to like out of Kincaid's rookie year, considering that early-career tight ends tend to struggle. Kincaid effectively settled in as Buffalo's power-slot weapon, which was part of what the team had envisioned for the Utah product. Kincaid collected 73 of his 91 passes for 673 yards and two touchdowns during the regular season, and he enters Monday's postseason debut against the Pittsburgh Steelers with 80-yard showings in each of his prior two outings. With No. 2 wide receiver Gabe Davis (knee) out for this matchup, Kincaid could pick up some extra attention from quarterback Josh Allen. While Kincaid's $4,600 DraftKings cost isn't the most expensive, DFS players may be digging deeper into the bargain bin for salary relief.

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook handled a featured role fairly well this year, ending as fantasy's overall RB12 in PPR scoring and notching his first career Pro Bowl nod. Though Cook finished behind only Christian McCaffrey and Breece Hall in scrimmage yards (1,567), he's sputtering a bit with just 154 rushing yards in his past three outings ahead of the postseason. It remains to be seen if the 24-year-old former second-rounder has maintained his grip on scoring-area work for Monday's wild-card matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers, considering he has zero touchdowns in his last three games despite 11 red-zone touches, but the concerning weather could force both sides to employ a run-heavy approach. At an affordable $6,600 price tag on DraftKings, Cook is firmly in play as an RB1 option with the Bills positioned as double-digit favorites at home against a middling Steelers defense without its heart and soul, T.J. Watt (knee).

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen turned heads yet again in 2023, closing as fantasy's overall QB1 for the third time in the last four years, with the exception being a QB2 finish in 2022. Allen leads the way with an $8,000 salary on DraftKings for Monday's wild-card tilt versus the Pittsburgh Steelers, but weather could still play a part despite the game being pushed back from Sunday. The absence of the game-wrecking T.J. Watt (knee) is a massive boon for the outlook of the entire Bills offense; the All-Pro linebacker led the NFL in sacks (19.0). Expect Buffalo to lean on Allen as a runner, which is something they did with regularity down the stretch of the regular season. Over his final six games of the campaign, Allen picked up 9.7 carries for 43.8 yards per contest with eight total touchdowns. If you're paying up for Allen on Monday, understand that the frigid conditions may render it difficult for him to get in sync as a thrower.

Buffalo Bills running back Ty Johnson (concussion) was limited again in practice on Thursday for the second straight day this week. Johnson is recovering after suffering a concussion in the Week 18 win over the Miami Dolphins, but he has yet to clear the league's concussion protocol and still may not be able to play this Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the playoffs. Even if the 26-year-old RB is cleared to play on wild-card weekend, he won't be much of a fantasy consideration for DFS lineups while splitting touches with Latavius Murray behind lead back James Cook. Johnson saw only 30 carries all season for 132 yards and one touchdown on the ground.

Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox (illness) came down with an illness on Thursday and did not practice with the rest of the team. Knox still has a few more days to get ready for Sunday's wild-card playoff game against the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, but he could end up with a questionable tag on Friday's final injury report. Since returning from a wrist injury in Week 14, Knox caught seven of his eight targets for 88 yards and one touchdown in five games. He only played over 50 percent of the offensive snaps in one of those five games and will most likely continue to cede playing time to rookie Dalton Kincaid in the playoffs if he's feeling better by Sunday's game. Kincaid is the much better DFS lineup option, especially if receiver Gabe Davis (knee) is unable to play against Pittsburgh.