Bills vs. Cardinals Fantasy Football Outlook

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Aug 20, 2016; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy (25) jumps to avoid a tackle by New York Giants safety Darian Thompson (27) during the first half at New Era Field. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports /

The Running Backs

LeSean McCoy has not had a very good start to the year. The Bills inability to move the ball and push it down the field through the air, has allowed other teams to bring more players up in the box and McCoy has routinely been caught dancing around looking for open space. With 58 yards Week 1 and 59 Week 2, he has yet to top 60 yards this season. His 3.8 yards per carry is well below his career average of 4.6 yards.

The Bills ineffective passing game is hurting their running game and Shady is the main victim of that. There is a good chance the Bills are without Sammy Watkins on Sunday. The Cardinals have an outstanding secondary that are fine to match up against the Bills remaining receivers in one on one man coverage. That will free up the rest of the defense to come down into the box to put pressure on LeSean McCoy in the running game. It’s could be a long day for the running back and fantasy owners of McCoy if the Cardinals are effective in doing this.

You probably have to start McCoy if you have him, but if you have another option with a good matchup you should strongly consider sitting McCoy this week.

Must Read: Top 5 Bills Players in Franchise History

David Johnson is one of the best up and coming running backs in the NFL. He put up over 1,000 all-purpose yards in his rookie season despite splitting reps. He is a multi-talented back who can block, run with power and speed, and he’s a great pass-catcher out of the backfield. He presents a big problem for the Bills.

Johnson has big play potential and the Cardinals will capitalize on Bills aggressiveness with screens to the back which are effective against the blitz. He’s like a younger version of Matt Forte who had 100 yards rushing and three touchdowns against the Bills. I think Johnson will eclipse Forte’s all-purpose yard total of 109 but he won’t get three touchdowns.

He’s got the eight most points for running backs by yahoo standard scoring and with a good performance against the Bills he may crack the top five this week.

You can find my predictions for the defenses on the next slide.

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