After the Buffalo Bills had a number of players be key contributors in fantasy football in 2019, this coming season may not be so easy to find those players.
Last year, the Buffalo Bills had some key players on their offense that helped fantasy teams to success. According to ESPN’s scoring for PPR league, Josh Allen became a solid QB1, finishing sixth overall in total points among quarterbacks due in part to his ability to scramble and adding nine rushing touchdowns.
Allen wasn’t the only fantasy relevant player as John Brown finished 24th among wide receivers in points per game (14.7) as a low-end WR2 and Cole Beasley had 12.3 points per game, just outside of WR3 range at 37th.
Even rookie running Devin Singletary made an impact, especially in the second half, finishing as the 28th running back with 12.3 points per game.
However, entering 2020 the Bills offense looks like it will be a fantasy mess and it is hard to trust any player outside of Josh Allen.
One of the biggest reasons is the additions the Buffalo Bills added without much in terms of vacated touches or carries. The biggest contributors the Bills lost this offseason was Frank Gore and Zay Jones who accounted for 166 carries and 34 targets last year.
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These are not big numbers especially considering the organization was able to add Stefon Diggs, Gabriel Davis and Zack Moss. This means that players like Brown and Beasley are likely to see their target share drop this coming year. It remains to be seen if the reduction in targets for Brown and Beasley is enough to get Diggs up to, or even pass, the targets he received with the Minnesota Vikings.
As for the running backs, Devin Singletary is one of those players fantasy owners are banking to have a breakout year with the way he finished the year. However, the Bills added Zack Moss in the third round this past NFL Draft and at that round the organization probably has bigger plans than being just a secondary option to Singletary in the run game.
The other issue that the Bills running backs are going to have is that Josh Allen’s running ability vultures rushing touchdowns, especially in those short goal line situations. Typically a running back will see these touchdowns taken by a bigger running back but the Bills like to utilize Josh Allen’s athletic ability in these short yardage situations and it has proven to be effective.
The rushing touchdowns is a boost for Josh Allen and his fantasy value but it does likely lower the ceiling for Singletary and Moss.
The Buffalo Bills offense in 2020 is going to be a case where they are better in real life than in fantasy. There is no question that opposing defenses are going to struggle due to the playmakers the Bills have and if they focus on one player, or aspect too much, this is going to open up other areas.
The problem for fantasy football is that it likely is not going to be apparent heading into that week. It would not be surprising to see the coaching staff to go with the hot hand at running back and it could change on a weekly basis depending on game flow.
In the passing game, Stefon Diggs will be treated as the number one wide receiver but the connection Josh Allen had with John Brown and Cole Beasley could mean either of these receivers end up being the top pass catcher that week.
If Buffalo Bills fans want to add a player from their favorite team on their fantasy team then Josh Allen needs to be at the top of the list. After that, it appears the 2020 season is setting up to be a frustrating season for the other playmakers that can see it rotating on a weekly basis.