Bills Fantasy Football Preview: Josh Allen, James Cook, Keon Coleman, Khalil Shakir, Dalton Kincaid and More

It’s time for the next NFL team fantasy football preview.

We’ve looked at the Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers, New York Jets and Los Angeles Rams and will be discussing the Buffalo Bills today.

Check back soon for more team previews. Of course, things will change between now and the start of the season, and FantasySP will cover any major changes when those happen.

Get ready for draft season! Practice Mock Drafts, check out ADPs and get advice for trades with our trade analyzer.

Josh Allen Fantasy Outlook

Allen is the player who makes the Bills’ offense go. That will be especially true, at least at the start of the regular season, as several of his playmakers from last year are gone.

In 17 games last season, Allen completed 385 of his 579 passes for 4,306 yards, 29 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. He added 524 yards and 15 touchdowns on 111 rushing attempts.

Allen is currently being drafted as QB1 in fantasy leagues, going 29th overall. I love Allen as a fantasy player, even despite a big amount of turnovers, but without a ton of proven playmakers around him, I’d be weary of taking him first among the QBs.

He’s definitely part of the top four options at the position, but I’d prefer Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts and maybe Lamar Jackson over Allen because they have more history with the pass catchers on their team. Maybe Allen will make up for the lack of pass catchers on the team with a massive rushing season, but that’s a lot to ask.

Running Back Fantasy Outlooks

James Cook is the top running back the Bills have for the 2024 season. Ty Johnson is projected to be the No. 2 option right now, although fourth-round pick Ray Davis could also fill that role. Frank Gore Jr. is a bit of a darkhorse option to keep an eye on.

In 17 games last season, Cook rushed for 1,122 yards but just two touchdowns. He caught 44 of his 54 targets for an additional 445 yards and four scores.

Allen stole a lot of Cook’s rushing touchdowns last season, and while I think Cook will score on the ground a few more times this season, Allen being the QB definitely hurts Cook’s fantasy value.

Johnson appeared in 10 games a season ago for Buffalo. He had 194 total yards and a touchdown on 37 touches.

Davis had back-to-back big rushing seasons to cap his college career, but also has some tread on the tires after playing in five collegiate seasons. He did a nice job as a pass catcher, so he could earn a role that way too.

Of course, Gore has the family name, but he was also special in college. He’s more of a rusher than a pass catcher, but given the bloodlines, it wouldn’t shock me if he earned a role for a team at some point in his career. I doubt it’d be this year, but you just never know.

Cook is the player to own in the Buffalo backfield right now. He’s the 14th RB selected, going around pick 38.

If he’s able to rush for a few more touchdowns, Cook should be able to outproduce his ADP, although I wouldn’t feel great about his chances of outsourcing several of the RBs ahead of him if everyone were to stay healthy.

Davis is the 54th back taken, going around pick 161. Gore is the 82nd back, going around pick 297, while Johnson isn’t part of the RB list for FantasySP. 

All three backs are options in deeper leagues, with Davis and Gore appropriately getting love in dynasties too. I eventually think Davis serves as the team’s No. 2 back, but wouldn’t want to waste a pick on him in a redraft league, instead grabbing him off the waiver wire when it’s appropriate.

Wide Receiver Fantasy Outlooks

Buffalo’s most likely trio of starting receivers this season is second-round pick Keon Coleman, Curtis Samuel and Khalil Shakir. Mack Hollins, Chase Claypool and Marquez Valdes-Scantling are a few more options.

Coleman had a couple strong seasons to cap his college career and probably has the best chance to be the team’s No. 1 wideout this season. It’s never easy to count on a rookie to fill that role, or be a great fantasy asset, but he’s everybody’s guess to be the top guy.

Samuel spent the past three seasons with Washington. In 16 games last season, he caught 62 of his 91 targets for 613 yards and four scores. He also had 39 yards and a score on seven rushing attempts.

Shakir played in 17 games for the Bills last season. He caught 39 of his 45 targets for 611 yards and two scores. He did most of his damage later in the season after tallying just 40 receiving yards through the first six weeks of play.

Hollins, Claypool and Valdes-Scantling have all been in the NFL for a couple seasons, but have never been consistent fantasy options. It seems they are on the outside looking in right now, but they are worth keeping an eye on during training camp to see if anyone stands out.

Coleman is the top-drafted Buffalo receiver in fantasy drafts, going 44th among WRs and around pick 100. Samuel is WR48 and sitting around pick 122. Shakir is WR51 and around pick 128.

I too like Coleman the best among the Buffalo wideouts, but agree that he’s not that far ahead of Samuel or Shakir. Coleman has the most potential, so that’s why he should go first. You could flip a coin between Samuel and Shakir, but I’d give Shakir the slight edge because he’s been around Allen longer.

Claypool, Valdes-Scantling and Hollins are most often not being drafted in standard leagues. This trio should be waiver wire options in standard leagues. They are all options in deeper leagues, and should probably be taken in the order listed.

Tight End Fantasy Outlooks

Buffalo has two of the better tight ends in the league, and both could play big roles this season because of the lack of pass-catching receivers on the team. Dalton Kincaid figures to be TE1 for the team, while Dawson Knox is a great second option.

In 16 games as a rookie, Kincaid had 73 receptions on 91 targets. The catches went for 673 yards and two touchdowns.

Knox only played in 12 games. He made 22 grabs on 36 targets, going for 186 yards and two touchdowns.

Everyone expects Kincaid to enjoy more success in his second NFL season, and as long as Knox stays healthy, I see him putting up better numbers than a season ago. I think Kincaid has the chance to finish as the team’s second leading receiver, while Knox is likely a top-five option.

Kincaid is being drafted fifth among all tight ends, going around pick 53. He’s going after Trey McBride, who I think Kincaid could outperform this season. There’s also a couple tight ends (George Kittle and Kyle Pitts to name a couple) being drafted later who I could see outperforming Kincaid.

I’d still take Kincaid around his current ADP because of his potential, and I’d really only target him if you hit home runs with your first few picks. He has the chance to help a team win a fantasy title, but also could be an average fantasy TE this season.

I’m a little surprised to see Knox as TE37, and not going until pick 254 right now. I think he could be a top-20 option, even with Kincaid turning in a big season. 

That means Knox is likely going to be a waiver wire option to begin the season, and he’s one to track throughout the season in case he carves out a consistent and decent offensive role. I like the idea of drafting Knox in deeper leagues, and there’s a chance he outperforms your first tight end (if you wait several rounds before your first TE).