The Buffalo Bills will face off against the New York Giants on Saturday, August 20th at 4pm in Buffalo where the Bills will be playing in their newly renamed stadium New Era Field.
The last time the two teams met in the preseason it was in 2014 in the Hall of Fame Game in Ohio. The Giants won that game 17-13. The game was played just a day after Giants legend Michael Strahan and Bills legend Andre Reed were inducted into the Hall of Fame in Canton.
The Bills and Giants also met last year in the regular season when the Bills lost 24-10 on October 5th. Both teams defenses did a great job at taking away the other team’s top threat.
The Giants held the Bills, who would go on to have the top rushing attack in the league, to a paltry 55 yards on 24 carries although in fairness they were without top back LeSean McCoy for the game. The Bills defense held the Giants best player, Odell Beckham Jr., to just five catches for 38 yards which was his second-lowest yardage total of the year.
In today’s game, Eli Manning will start for the Giants which is different from last week when the Colts held their franchise quarterback Andrew Luck out of the game. Colts owner Jim Irsay sent out a tweet blaming Rex Ryan for blitzing in the preseason as the major factor in that decision. Rex did not appreciate that comment firing back:
"“I don’t know, take a look at the tape, see how many times we blitzed,” Ryan said. “I can tell you one thing, (Colts coach) Chuck Pagano is a good friend of mine, legitimately good friend of mine. I have way more respect for him than I do others.”"
The starters play more in the second preseason game and so we will get a deeper look into who is winning roster battles and starting spots. Let’s explore the six things we’ll be watching for this week to help extract some fantasy football information from the game.
Next: How Much Time Will Starters Get?
How Much Time Will The Starters Get?
The big question in every preseason game is always how much time will the starters get. Last week against the Colts, Tyrod Taylor and LeSean McCoy only played on the first drive. The Bills top two receivers who were active, Robert Woods and Marquise Goodwin, only saw 13 snaps.
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Those numbers will increase this week but how much? Our best guess is you should see the starters in the first quarter and possibly a series or two in the second quarter. After that, most of them will likely sit for the remainder of the game.
How Much Playing Time For Karlos Williams?
Karlos Williams has had a tough offseason. He showed up to the Bills camp overweight and was put on the Non-Football Injury List. After that, it was announced that he would be suspended for the first four games of this season for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy. Williams was finally removed from the Non-Football Injury List earlier this week.
Buffalo has to walk a fine line of getting him his touches while they can since he will be out the first four games, while also being cautious and bringing him along at a speed he can handle since this is his first week back fully with the team. We’ll be watching for how many touches he gets, and if it looks like his weight gain is affecting his running ability.
Next: Who Will Step Up At RB and WR?
What Other RB’s Will Step Up?
Speaking of running backs, the Bills will need another player to step up while Karlos Williams serves his suspension. The favorite to land that role in most people’s opinions is Reggie Bush. This doesn’t quite make sense, though. Bush runs in a more similar style to Shady McCoy and isn’t a true change of pace type back that Greg Roman likes to roll with.
When looking through the stable of Bills backs, rookie Jonathan Williams seems to be the most suited to fill that role if he can secure a spot on the roster. Last week he rushed for 44 yards on eight carries and showed promise as a back that can bring a power running style when he is substituted in for McCoy. The other player to watch for is Mike Gillislee who is quick around the edge and who broke many big plays for the team last season.
Who Wants The WR3 Role The Most?
We should get a much clearer picture this week on how the battle for the WR3 spot is trending. The Bills released Leonard Hankerson last week after a putrid performance thinning the herd. They also didn’t give Robert Woods and Marquise Goodwin a ton of time last week. This week they will see increased playing time which should help define whether they will be WR2 and WR3 heading into the season.
The other players to watch are Jarrett Boykin who had a touchdown last week, Walter Powell who led the team with 88 receiving yards against the Colts and Dez Lewis who looks poised to return after injuring his shoulder in a collision with Aaron Williams in practice. Greg Salas would also be noteworthy to watch, but it appears he may be held out with a lingering hamstring issue.
Next: How Will The Defense Look?
How Will Defense Look?
The Bills defense is a very dangerous defense to consider in a fantasy football league. They could be down five of their projected starters Week 1 with many players missing considerable time. Reggie Ragland and IK Enemkpali are out for the year, Shaq Lawson will probably miss half the season, Marcell Dareus is suspended four games and Aaron Williams is currently in the concussion protocol.
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We’ll be looking for how the backups respond to their increased playing time and responsibilities. Corbin Bryant looked fine last year when Kyle Williams was out and Adolphus Washington played well in his first preseason game. The Bills line should be able to hold up when Dareus is out but they will still miss him sorely.
At middle linebacker, there will be a three-way competition with Zach Brown, Brandon Spikes, and David Hawthorne competing. Zach Brown is the best out of these three in pass coverage and is the clear favorite to secure the starting role.
The other area to look at is outside linebacker where Lorenzo Alexander might be the favorite to start for the Bills Week 1 if Manny Lawson is suspended. Undrafted rookie Eric Striker and recently signed Kroy Biermann will be the other two players fighting it out for that role. Keep on eye on them to see if someone stands out.
Next: More Bills vs Giants Preseason Preview
These are the major things we will be watching for from a fantasy football perspective when the Bills face off against the Giants in their second preseason game today. Is there anything else you are watching for? Let us know in the comments section below.