The Bills released their first unofficial depth chart of the season last week which can give us some clues for this upcoming fantasy football season.
A big question for the Bills is who will win the slot receiver role. So far Marquise Goodwin looks great in camp and is listed as a backup wideout along with Greg Salas on the depth chart. They are the early favorites to win the WR3 role. That position, however, doesn’t have much value in most fantasy football leagues since Buffalo doesn’t pass as often as other teams.
Listed as the third string receivers are Dez Lewis and Greg Little. Sixth round draft pick Kolby Listenbee hasn’t been a full participant yet after having hernia surgery in the offseason. He and the rest of the pack are probably behind and it’s not going to be easy for them to earn a roster spot.
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Karlos Williams is listed as the second running back on the depth chart with Reggie Bush at number three. That could indicate that at the moment the Bills plan to use Williams more than Bush once Williams returns from his four-game suspension.
This indicates that Bush might be used primarily as a returner once Karlos Williams is back. Further evidence of this happened when they cut the most experienced returner on the team Javier Arenas. Williams has had a rough offseason and is still overweight so Bush could easily jump ahead of him especially since Reggie has looked good in camp.
For those looking to select the Bills defense this year, here are a few points to note.
Rookie Adolphus Washington was listed as a starting defensive end on the depth chart which was no surprise. This means the Bills should have one starter on defense from this year’s draft class after surgeries for Reggie Ragland and Shaq Lawson will prevent them from starting the year.
Ragland is out for the season which leaves an open competition for a starting spot which Zach Brown should win. He’s listed ahead of Brandon Spikes and David Hawthorne on the depth chart who both signed with the team recently.
Brown is good in coverage and has the best chance out of them of being a three-down player. Spikes has proven throughout his career that he is a two down player. He’s very effective in running situations, but he struggles on passing downs.
At nickel corner, there are two early favorites in play. The backup cornerbacks on the depth chart are currently Nickell Robey-Coleman and Kevon Seymour. You would think Robey-Coleman has an advantage as the incumbent nickel back but that’s not the case in this situation.
Seymour had his eyesight corrected in the offseason which enhanced his ability to track the ball in the air. He is playing well in training camp which should give the coaches the confidence to make him the nickel starter this year.
Next: How will wave of Bills injuries affect Fantasy Football?
As you can see the Bills defense has a lot of fluctuating parts and due to injuries, there are reasons for concern. They don’t appear to be a Top 5 fantasy football defense at this point or even Top 10 for that matter.
That’s the most relevant info I could discern from the Bills release of their unofficial depth chart. Were there any clues to the organizations thinking that you noticed when the depth chart was released? If so, leave your comments below.