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What Does Bills Offensive Coordinator Change Mean For Fantasy Football?

By Dennis Moody

Sep 11, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan (C) looks on from the sidelines during the second half against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. The Ravens won 13-7. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 11, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan (C) looks on from the sidelines during the second half against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. The Ravens won 13-7. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Bills Promote Anthony Lynn
Jul 31, 2015; Pittsford, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills running backs coach Anthony Lynn instructs Karlos Williams (40) during training camp at St. John Fisher College. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports /

The Buffalo Bills changed offensive coordinators last Friday. What does this mean for your Bills players in Fantasy Football?

If you drafted a Buffalo Bills player in Fantasy Football after two weeks you can’t be happy. Sure Tyrod Taylor put up good numbers against the Jets but a majority of his points came on two long plays. While he had success on some of those plays last year, you can’t rely on them week in and week out.

The Bills are desperate to end the NFL’s longest playoff drought and that’s why after just two games they made the move to fire offensive coordinator Greg Roman and to replace him with running backs coach and assistant head coach Anthony Lynn.

So what does this change mean for your fantasy football team? On the surface, it seems like not much but the more you consider the reasons for the firing, the more there is the possibility of a silver lining for fantasy football owners of Bills players.

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The reasons why I say there won’t be much change is because Lynn will not be changing Greg Roman’s schemes or verbiage. That’s a positive for fantasy owners because it means the offensive players will not have to learn a new playbook in the middle of the season which would be a burden.

There are reports that the Bills owners, Terry and Kim Pegula were upset with Greg Roman dating back to last season. They felt that Roman did not make enough of an effort to get his best playmakers involved. Instead, it seems like Roman was focused on “tricking” the defense with interesting formations and play designs. Sometimes less is more and that’s what the Bills are hoping for by taking some of the gadgets out of the offense and just letting their players ball out.

Rex Ryan echoed the Pegula’s sentiments (assuming the report about the Pegula’s is true). Rex is on record as saying he thinks Lynn can help get the ball into their playmakers hands. He’s clearly referring to Sammy Watkins here who has been unspectacular this season with just six catches for 63 yards. Owners of Watkins should be happy with Rex’s comments.

If you are a LeSean McCoy owner, I wouldn’t worry about a decrease in production for him at the expense of Sammy Watkins. If anything, I can see him getting a larger share of the carries in the backfield. Lynn was a running backs coach before he was promoted to offensive coordinator and he also believes in a “ground and pound” style just like Roman did. McCoy will still get plenty of touches so fear not.

Charles Clay has also been largely disappointing considering the contract he was handed when he came to Buffalo. Roman was unable to utilize the athletic tight end. It will be interesting to see if Lynn can squeeze out some more production out of his top tight end. For now, he remains a bench player in fantasy leagues.

There is no guarantee that Lynn will be effective in increasing the touches that the Bills playmakers receive. However, there is one major reason why I believe he will be successful. Lynn is walking into the opportunity of a lifetime if he wants to be a head coach one day. The instruction he is reportedly receiving from his boss, Rex Ryan, and Rex’s boss, the Pegula’s, is that he needs to do a better job of getting the ball into the hands of Buffalo’s most talented players.

If Lynn is an intelligent man, and I believe him to be, that’s the area he is going to focus on to fix the offense because that is ultimately how he will be judged from those up above him in the organization. Anything else he improves is just a bonus but getting the ball to Buffalo’s best players is the task he has been assigned and it’s been clearly defined by management. That should be music to fantasy owners ears.

Next: Bills Fire Greg Roman: Rumors Swirl

The Bills on offense under Anthony Lynn will look a lot like they did under Greg Roman. The major difference is you should see a less complicated offense, with fewer gadget plays and you should see the playmakers targeted more on plays designed to get the ball in their hands. This is a positive for Tyrod Taylor, LeSean McCoy, Sammy Watkins and even Charles Clay if you are still holding out hope on the tight end.

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