What a weekend for the Buffalo Bills. After dropping a tough game against the Cincinnati Bengals prior to the bye week, the Bills found themselves down 27-20 with 3 minutes left in the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A few big plays turned that score upside-down, giving the Bills a 30-27 victory. Multiple players posted big stat lines, which led to big days in the fantasy realm.
QB Tyrod Taylor
Continuing his good-Tyrod, bad-Tyrod play in 2017, “good Tyrod” was very good when it mattered most last week. He threw for 268 yards, a season high, and also added 53 yards on the ground, which was also a season high. Throw in a passing touchdown and another day without a turnover, and Taylor scored 20 points for the week. That total was good for tenth among all quarterbacks for Week 7.
RB LeSean McCoy
Shady finally broke out, scoring 24.7 points for the week. That put him at second among running backs, and eleventh among all offensive players. Coming into the game, McCoy had no touchdowns on the season, and he hadn’t run for more than 63 yards in a game since breaking the century mark in Week one. Well, McCoy scored twice on the ground, racking up 91 yards in the process. He also caught 5 passes for 31 yards, and even with a lost fumble, he made his biggest fantasy contribution of the season.
WR Zay Jones
I was hoping that this would be the rookie’s big breakout; however, it wasn’t so. Jones continued his lack of production, hauling in 2 passes for 17 yards. On a positive note, Jones was targeted a season-high 9 times, which could be a sign that some trust is beginning to develop between Jones and Taylor. The low catch percentage, however, is alarming, as the two just can’t seem to hook up with any consistency.
WR Deonte Thompson
Shout-out to Buffalo Rumblings commenter “bataviabill” for making this prediction in the comments last week. He correctly noted that Thompson’s speed and Taylor’s propensity to throw deep would mix well, and mix well, it did. Thompson hauled in all four of his targets, becoming the first Buffalo wide receiver to record a 100-yard day this season. While he did not score a touchdown, it was clear that his skill set was something this offense was missing, and combined with Tampa Bay’s weak secondary, the matchup was perfect. He could be someone who Tyrod Taylor relies on to stretch the field. Thompson scored 12.7 points on the day.
K Stephen Hauschka
Buffalo’s kicker had another strong day, nailing three field goals and three extra points to combine for 14 points. That total was good for a tie for fifth among kickers in Week 7. Even with a missed field goal, his second of the season, Hauschka has proven himself to be a tremendous upgrade from his predecessor, Dan Carpenter. Available in 66% of Yahoo! leagues, he’d make a solid add for anyone in the market for a kicker.