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Kelvin Benjamin to start against New Orleans Saints, per Ian Rapoport

Buffalo’s newest acquisition will replace Zay Jones in the starting lineup

With a whole eleven days under his belt as a member of the Buffalo Bills, wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin is expected to start today against the New Orleans Saints. Ian Rapoport tweeted that Benjamin will replace the injured Zay Jones in the starting lineup today.

The “good sign” that Rapoport references in the tweet was well-publicized, as Benjamin was given the opportunity to go home like all other Bills’ players over the weekend off following the loss to the New York Jets last Thursday; however, rather than take head coach Sean McDermott up on the offer, Benjamin chose to stay in Buffalo and work in preparation for today’s game. It appears that preparation has paid enough dividends to allow the Bills to feel comfortable enough to start Benjamin.

Without Jones in the lineup, Andre Holmes and Deonte Thompson should serve as the third and fourth receivers, though not necessarily in that order. Jones’s injury makes it a bit more likely that the Bills will leave Brandon Tate active, although he was the odd-man out last week even with Benjamin serving as an inactive player against the Jets.

With Benjamin making his debut and starting tight end Charles Clay returning from knee surgery, things are looking up for the Bills’ offense.