The Buffalo Bills come into Sunday's game at Philadelphia with hopes of increasing their chances to make the playoffs for the first time since 1999. For fantasy football owners, the playoffs begin now in the majority of leagues. Despite being on the road, the Bills have a favorable matchup against a struggling Philadelphia Eagles defense.
The highest expectations this week belong to LeSean McCoy, who returns to Philadelphia for the first time since being traded to the Bills back in March. In looking past all of the drama between McCoy and former head coach, Chip Kelly, this should be a good matchup for the Buffalo running game. The Eagles are currently No. 27 in the NFL against the run, giving up over 124 yards on the ground per game. McCoy has been extremely productive since returning from injury back in October, with 90-plus yards from scrimmage in his past seven games.
Owners can expect that McCoy will receive plenty of touches on Sunday in Philadelphia. The volume of his carries alone should have him close to 100 yards rushing, and he could also see the red zone touches needed to make McCoy a very attractive fantasy play.
Other players of note for the Buffalo Bills heading into Sunday include the following:
- Tyrod Taylor can be considered a low end QB1 against an Eagles defense that gives up 258 pass yards per game. On paper, this should be a high-scoring game for the Bills, with Taylor producing through the air and on the ground. If you own him, you are starting him.
- The rapport between Taylor and Sammy Watkins has taken off over the past two weeks. Taylor is trusting his young receiver, and Watkins is making the big plays needed to earn that trust. With 267 yards receiving and three touchdowns over his last two weeks, Watkins is locked in with confidence as a WR2 in Philadelphia.
- As great as it was to see the production increase from Charles Clay last week, I am still proceeding with caution. Clay is a TD-dependent tight end, and can be considered a borderline starter against Philadelphia.
Best of luck as your teams enter the fantasy playoffs, and I look forward to your questions and comments below.