2021 Team Preview: Buffalo Bills
Thanks for checking out our latest article in our 2021 Team Preview series. We will be breaking down the outlook for teams in 2021, key acquisitions during the off-season and through the 2021 NFL Draft, key losses, and looking at each team from a dynasty perspective. We’ll give you some players to consider buying, selling, stashing, and potential sleeper candidates. Stay tuned for more team breakdowns as we approach the 2021 NFL season. Here is our 2021 Team Preview: Buffalo Bills.
2021 Outlook
The Buffalo Bills far exceeded expectations in the 2020 season by going 13-3, winning the AFC East for the first time since 1995, and ultimately losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game. Josh Allen took his game to the next level, finishing the season as an MVP candidate. Their wide receiver group received serious accolades with slot wizard Cole Beasley being voted Second Team All-Pro, and newly acquired Stefon Diggs finishing as a First Team All-Pro. The Bills faced multiple injuries across their offensive line, and are hoping to field their entire starting unit in 2021. 1-Tech defensive tackle Star Lotulelei will be returning from his 2020 Covid opt-out. With reinforcements coming through the draft for the defensive line, the Bills are confident their defensive unit can return to its 2019 form. With that defense along with Allen and this offense, look for the Bills to make a playoff run once again.
Key Acquisitions/Losses
From the outside looking in, it doesn’t look like Buffalo did much via free agency this offseason and their motto could be “running it back”. However, they re-signed several key veteran free agents, who would have been top targets in the league during free agency to team-friendly long-term contracts. They brought back right tackle Daryl Williams to solidify the right side of the offensive line and outside linebacker Matt Milano. They also double-dipped in the Draft by selecting defensive end Gregory Rousseau in the first round and defensive end Carlos Basham in the second round. Adding these two with Lotulelei returning to his space-eater defensive tackle position should help them compete against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs explosive offense, which proved their nemesis in the AFC Conference Championship game.
Their biggest loss has to be the release of wide receiver John Brown in a move to clear $7.93 million in cap space. However, they compensated for this loss by signing veteran, and arguably more talented, wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders. They are also hoping for the continued progression of second-year wide receivers Gabriel Davis and Isaiah Hodgins.
Dynasty Quick Hits
Buy Low: Dawson Knox
Knox has been feast or famine throughout his first two years in the NFL. He is an uber-talented player but was a raw prospect as a converted quarterback when drafted in 2019. Coming into his third NFL season, Knox is facing his first year as the clear-cut number one tight end on this roster and is primed for a breakout. He has an uphill battle in the battle for targets in this talented offense, but there are targets to be had if he can find the field. His stats for his first two seasons are not going to catch much attention, with only 24-288-3, but he was targeted 44 times so there is potential to increase those numbers with increased usage.
In most leagues, you can have Knox in a very late-round or even as an undrafted free agent and will come very cheap. Knox has been a fairly popular potential breakout candidate and this year he’s not getting as much hype as he did in recent years, making it a nice time to buy him low. If you’re looking to save some cap money in your dynasty league, Knox might be a good option to look at. However, if the much-talked-about Zach Ertz trade happens, you might want to make other plans.
Sell High: Emmanuel Sanders
I am not sure who you would want to sell on this Buffalo Bills roster. If this offense mirrors its 2020 production and Josh Allen continues his progression as an All-Pro quarterback, the rest of the offense will also get better. Sanders will be fighting for targets in a very crowded wide receiver group for the Bills, but being in this offense and having some name value, Sanders might have some value on the market to the right owner. He is going to get his targets as John Brown, in a similar role, saw 52 targets in 2020 in just nine games played.
Sanders has been known to make big plays averaging roughly 13 yards per reception throughout his 10-year career, so he’s probably going to have a strong start to the season. However, if some of the younger wide receivers and tight ends on this roster start to show signs of progress, his usage might decrease during the season. When he has a highly productive game, I’d see if you can’t sell him high to someone that’s looking to win now and thinks Sanders will be useful all year.
Sleeper: Gabriel Davis
With Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane’s tenure at the Buffalo Bills, they tend to put a lot of effort into getting their draft picks into the mix as much as possible. Last season, while not setting the world on fire, Davis has a solid season filling in for oft-injured John Brown, chalking up 35 catches for 599 yards and seven touchdowns. According to Pro Football Focus, he excels as a downfield target and led all rookies last season with five touchdowns of 20+ yards downfield (without registering a single drop). The question is how many targets can he expect in a very crowded wide receiver room. Stefon Diggs and Cole Beasley will get their targets within the offense, but newly signed Emmanuel Sanders may have a reduced workload to allow second-year target Davis opportunities to develop as a deep threat.
Stash: Zack Moss
For most of his rookie season, Zack Moss was the second-string back behind Devin Singletary playing only 37% of possible snaps. However, he was arguably more effective with that decreased workload scoring four rushing touchdowns and one receiving, three total more touchdowns than Singletary ended with. If Moss can recover from an injury he sustained in the playoffs, and the coaching staff liked what they saw near the end of last season, the Bills could be rewarded with more of a receiving threat out of the backfield with Moss. As a late-round flyer, Moss would be a great option to stash on your roster and see how he develops as the 2021 season progresses.
Zack Moss led all running backs in 2020 in touch percentage with 55%. #Bills #FantasyFootball #Thursdayvibes #NFL #NFLTwitter @MyFantasyLeague
— FantasyData (@FantasyDataNFL) February 25, 2021
– Percentage of snaps played where player touched the football. pic.twitter.com/YhH9p1ltPR
Written by: Brendan O’Bryan @OBryanBren
