Buffalo Bills Daily Fantasy Team Preview

Vegas Projected Win Total – 8.5

Buffalo made some moves over the offseason in personnel, as well as playmakers. They traded Kiko Alonso for LeSean McCoy, which really shook the NFL world in the offseason. Rex Ryan did not have to travel far, landing a job with the Bills, and Greg Roman is on board as an offensive coordinator. Buffalo was one of the four 9-7 teams to miss out on the playoffs, and easily could of won double digit games, but suffered some costly collapses. For such an unstable offense, the Bills made noise, but failed to get over the hump. Even with adding McCoy, they still remain stuck in a quarterback rotation, which will halt the progression of Sammy Watkins. It is hard to see the Bills' wideouts making much noise in daily fantasy this year. Roman's offenses in the past have been slow, and he likes to feed the backs. While McCoy is the featured player on this offense, he definitely takes a small hit coming to Buffalo.

Impact Fantasy Players

LeSean McCoy – Finding the end zone was an issue for McCoy last season, just totaling five touchdowns both on the ground and in the air. That number is likely to go up given his seasonal averages. My one concern is moving to a slower pace of play offense. Roman's offenses have ranked in the bottom of the league in pace of play over his time with the 49ers. Sharing a backfield with Darren Sproles can't be all to blame for a lack of receptions and targets last season, but it is one. McCoy slowed down in the passing game, with just 28 receptions, on 37 targets. His yards per carry also dropped a full yard going from 5.1 to 4.2 in 2015. McCoy is 27 years old and probably has a few seasons left in him, but we could begin to see an aging McCoy.

We can expect McCoy to be a safe option on some weeks, but the lack of upside will lead me to other backs. His passing game production is unlikely to comeback in the new system, as well as with the talent under center. That is a big issue for me, and the price tag may stay high due to his name around the industry. He is still servicable, but there are options overtaking him this year.

Sammy Watkins – The second-year wide receiver out of Clemson is going to be stuck in neutral until the Bills figure out there QB situation. We want touchdowns, and the Bills' passing game will not provide many for us this year. At most he was a GPP play last season, and like the passing game, he never found a steady rhythm. He finished 21st in targets with 128, and you can count on similar numbers in that department. They will not likely be quality targets, but they are what they are. Watkins will be used the same way as last season in DFS, a strict GPP play. We will likely be wishing for a breakout play to make him earn his value that week, and the quarterback situation really puts a damper on that happening. Watkins and McCoy are both the Bills top options, but not my favorites among the league.

Impact Fantasy Rookies

None – The Bills drafted heavily on the offensive line and the defensive side of the ball, already showing the style they want to adapt. However they did draft Karlos Williams out of Florida State, who was a productive back for the Seminoles. It would take injuries ahead of him for him to see the field. There is a second-year player out of USC, Robert Woods, who is chalked up as the Bills WR2. If they had a steady passing attack he would be a nice GPP most weeks, but as of now he is out of play unless things change. The Bills wideouts don't lack talent by any means, they are just hindered by the quarterback situation.

Storylines

Doug Marone hit the road with $4 million, and in came Rex Ryan. The former Jets' coach will focus on the defensive side, and try and build winning ways like he did in his early Jets' years. That was through defense and running the ball. Greg Roman has come in, and hard to see the Bills putting up huge fantasy numbers under him. A slow paced game focusing on defense and the run game will not produce much for our daily fantasy needs.

Stock Watch

Down - LeSean McCoy

All has been stated above, and I am not saying McCoy is going to fall of the map this season, but there are simply better offenses. If McCoy could not be a top back under Chip Kelly last season, it is hard to see him making a resurgence in this system. A lot of McCoy's usage will depend on the price tag this season, and with prices out early, I rather go elsewhere.

Down – Sammy Watkins

Not a knock against Sammy Watkins' ability, but a knock against the quarterback play. It is going to limit him no matter who is under center. I would be somewhat surprised if Watkins climbed over 1,000 yards and had 7-8 scores this season. 900 and five scores seems to be in his wheelhouse this year. With that being said, the week-to-week upside will not be there for Watkins.

Projections

QB

RB

WR/TE

DEF

Daily Fantasy Outlook

The Bills are a mess in the passing game, and it is easy to avoid. The heavy rushing attempts will lead to a few weeks of McCoy being a stable play, but he will likely be overshadowed by higher talent, and lower priced-high ceiling players. You can go ahead and call the Bills the ultimate GPP plays, because I am sure one week they will actually surprise people, but over the course of the season it will be a lot of inconsistency. I will likely use their top five defense more than I use any player from their team.