2 Buffalo Bills players who need to step up in Week 1

The NFL season is officially here, and with that is the first regular season game for the new Buffalo Bills. Some of them will have big roles in this team right off the bat in positions that the Bills are thin at, and others will be able to wait in the wings for a short time. This is also the first start for Damar Hamlinwho will step into the free safety role left by Micah Hyde. The Bills will have some tough matchups right off the bat as the Arizona Cardinals look to be the team to come out of the NFC this year. 

The Bills starters saw an extended look in the preseason, and rightfully so. Now, going into their first game of the season, they should be ready to go. What version of the Bills we see on Sunday will depend on a couple of key matchups. Let’s take a look at a couple of players who need to step up this week. 

Cornerback Rasul Douglas vs Marvin Harrison Jr

The prized rookie from the 2024 class, the Arizona Cardinals hope Marvin Harrison Jr will be one of the top receivers in the league. Rasul Douglas will have a tall task ahead of him on Sunday, as the big 6’3 receiver plans to have a big role in the offensive plans starting this week.

Now in 2024, Douglas is coming back fully healthy with a deeper cornerback room than the Bills finished last year with. Kaiir Elam is starting to look like he was worthy of a first-round pick, and will likely be the primary backup to Douglas. He’ll have a hard time against Marvin Harrison Jr, but if he plays anything like his 2023 campaign, we should see a great battle here between these two. 

Wide receiver Khalil Shakir

Shakir is stepping into a larger role in 2024 than we’ve previously seen from the third-year receiver. Josh Allen is counting on him and Dalton Kincaid to be the top two targets this year, and it starts against the Cardinals this week. This will be a good game for these young players such as Shakir to get acclimated into their roles, as the Cardinals’ secondary is lacking talent. 

As the only returning wide receiver from 2023 on this team, Shakir has the most familiarity with Josh Allen, which will go a long way this season. In his limited reps last year, Shakir proved to be a reliable target, and that should continue as the Bills approach the start of another regular season. Without a big-time threat in Buffalo anymore, the young wide receivers will be called upon early and often. The days of Khalil Shakir fighting for playing time are gone, and it’s time for him to step up in 2024.