Introduction: The Buffalo Bills are a team that is looking to finally put everything together and become a competitive team in the AFC East. The Patriots have had a stranglehold on the division for a while, but they aren’t as good as they used to be. The Bills have a great chance to become that second team this year with a couple added weapons on offense. They also have added couple young players on defense that should be making the step up this season, its an exciting time for Bills fan’s. The only issue with them and their record, and even for fantasy as well is their depth. Football is more of a team game than almost any other sport. One of the Bills starters get hurt I’m not sure of how much depth is behind them.
E.J. Manuel, Quarterback
Manuel started off the season great and surprised a lot of people that didn’t see him as one of the elite college quarterbacks. Last year in his rookie season Manuel only had two games that i would consider bad. Even though it was a small sample size (10 games) I would say he had twice as many good games. This season more will be expected of him though as the team brought in a couple guys like Sammy Watkins, Mike Williams, and Cyrus Kouandjio to help him out. He also needs to stay healthy after a season where he missed six games. He stays on the field this year he can be a decent fantasy quarterback as the Bills don’t play too many great defenses this year.
C.J. Spiller, Running Back
The world has been waiting for Spiller to become the greatest fantasy running back for about 20 years now. And after his 2012 season the hype train had pulled back into Buffalo after Spiller ran for over 1,200 yards and had close to 500 receiving yards. Spiller has the skill to do these numbers more consistently but last year he didn’t come close, most will chalk it up to injuries and inexperience at quarterback. This year if the offense stays healthy and Spiller makes plays when he gets the ball you’ll see him back to 2012 form. He can be an excellent third running back/ flex player in fantasy.
Sammy Watkins, Wide Receiver
Oh NFL fans have been waiting for this moment since Watkins was a freshman at Clemson. I would compare his three years in college to guys like Adrian Peterson. NFL teams would have drafted them at 19 years old because they were that dominant as freshman. And every year after that awesome freshman campaign we all shook our heads and felt sorry for any true college corner that had to check and in some cases tackle Watkins. Even in the NFL corners will have a hard time keeping up with him. His size and speed will help him adjust quickly to the NFL game. Watkins will probably go over a 1,000 yards receiving this year and be one of the top rookies in fantasy numbers.
Robert Woods, Wide Receiver
Woods will look to take the step into being a starting receiver for the Bills. Last year he started 14 games and compiled almost 600 receiving yards and three touchdowns. The team seems to have a lot of confidence in Woods after they traded away Steve Johnson after drafting Watkins. Woods will have all the opportunity to become the number two option behind Watkins. He was one of the top receivers in the country a couple years ago at USC and if he can get back to that form he’ll be a decent receiver in the NFL. I wouldn’t use a fantasy pick on Woods but keep an eye on him in preseason and the first couple games. If he plays well be ready to snatch him up before your buddy does.
Scott Chandler, Tight End
Chandler had a breakout year last season as he lead the team in receptions and receiving yards. The NFL has been a tight end driven league for the past couple years. Chandler will look to continue his success from last season. If Manual can stay healthy for all 16 games Chandler will have the best opportunity to cement himself not only as the Bills starting tight end but one of the top targets in the league. He isn’t Jimmy Graham or Vernon Davis but if all the big name tight ends are gone, Chandler could be a good backup option.
Biggest Fantasy Surprise: Robert Woods, Wide Receiver
Biggest Fantasy Disappointment: C.J. Spiller, Running Back
How the Schedule Impacts Buffalo's Fantasy Options
The Bills are not in the hardest division in football so that will help them out a lot. The Patriots are still a good team but they're not unbeatable. The Bills were close to beating New England in the first week of the season but weren’t able to get the job done in week 17. At this point the Bills, Dolphins, and Jets are pretty much on the same level. If the Bills can take the next step and win the season series against the Dolphins and Jets, I see them splitting the series with the Patriots. The division games are extremely important as they play each of these teams twice, the only team that can really throw a wrench in their fantasy numbers is the Patriots.
The rest of the Bills schedule isn’t very hard, as they play teams like the Texans, Vikings, Raiders, and Browns. So they have some winnable games in their future, but there’s also a tough part of the season. The Broncos, Lions, Chiefs, and Packers are not easy games by any stretch of the imagination. But if the Bills can win the games against the teams that aren’t elite NFL teams then they have a good chance of making the playoffs. Fantasy wise they will have a couple guys like Watkins, Manuel, and maybe Spiller and Woods putting up decent numbers with this schedule.