Buffalo Bills DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir caught three passes for 42 yards and a touchdown in the team's 34-28 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. His score came on a screen pass from 11 yards out late in the third quarter to give the Bills the lead for good. The touchdown saved what was a low-volume, mediocre stat line. Shakir earned three targets, two fewer than rookie Keon Coleman and the same number as running back James Cook. Nine different receivers recorded a catch on Sunday as Josh Allen spread his 23 completions throughout the offense. The target distribution will prevent Shakir from being much more than a WR4 when the Bills travel to Miami for Thursday Night Football in Week 2.

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman secured four out of his five targets for 51 yards in his NFL debut against Arizona. Those marks led all Buffalo receivers. The rookie second-round pick also led the Bills' wideouts in snaps and routes. It's an encouraging first effort from Coleman, who should continue to improve as his rookie season progresses. Still, Josh Allen will spread the ball around without an alpha wide receiver on the roster. Nine different receivers recorded a catch on Sunday. Coleman shouldn't crack fantasy football starting lineups when the Bills face the Miami Dolphins on Thursday Night Football, but his stock is trending in the right direction.

Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid disappointed fantasy managers in Week 1, catching one pass for 11 yards on two targets. The breakout candidate was largely uninvolved in the offense, despite being on the field more than any other Buffalo skill position player. Second-string tight end Dawson Knox also saw two targets and caught one for 23 yards. Josh Allen didn't need to throw a lot to win (23 passes versus 33 running plays for the Bills). He completed passes to nine different receivers. Rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman led the team with four receptions. It's not time to panic about Kincaid yet. He'll be ranked as a TE1 when the Bills match up against the Miami Dolphins on Thursday Night Football.

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook rushed for 71 yards on 19 attempts while adding 32 yards on three catches in the team's Week 1 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Cook dominated the running back touches (22), compared to four for rookie Ray Davis and two for Ty Johnson. Unfortunately, as was the story often in 2023, Josh Allen accounted for the team's two rushing touchdowns from within the 10-yard line. That left Cook with good yardage but no scores. Expect another game of 15-20 touches when the Bills take on the Miami Dolphins on Thursday Night Football. A lack of goal-line opportunities will continue to cap his upside.

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Joshua Palmer didn't see much involvement in a Week 1 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. His biggest involvement was in a fourth quarter scrum that ended up with one player from each team being ejected. It was Palmer for the Chargers and Jack Jones for the Raiders. Before the ejections, Palmer had been targeted four times, making two catches for 15 yards. He was out-gained and out-targeted by Quentin Johnston and Ladd McConkey. Palmer will have bigger games than this one, but the Chargers are likely to spread the ball around quite a bit this season and probably won't have a true WR1.