When the Buffalo Bills opened the season by defeating the New York Jets by a Geddy Lee-approved margin of 21-12, both LeSean McCoy and Tyrod Taylor had big days. McCoy tallied 18.4 fantasy points that afternoon, and Taylor had a season-high 19.76. Can both players do it again? We certainly think so. Here are your Bills to watch in fantasy football this week.
QB Tyrod Taylor
Taylor’s career against the Jets has been solid, if unspectacular. His performance against the Jets has varied over his two-plus years as Buffalo’s starter, but in fantasy football terms, he has been strong against the Jets. He has only started at MetLife stadium once in his career, throwing for 158 yards and a touchdown in a 22-17 victory on a Thursday night in 2015. Taylor’s Week one performance against the Jets is the second-highest fantasy score against the Jets this season. I anticipate him having another strong day.
RB LeSean McCoy
The Bills’ running game is back, and McCoy is thriving. Coming off a 151-yard, 2-touchdown performance against the Oakland Raiders, McCoy will look to duplicate his 110-yard outing against the Jets in the opening week. While McCoy is only averaging 3.8 yards per carry on the season, he has rushed for 242 yards on 50 carries over his last two games, good for 4.8 yards per rush. He’s also scored 3 touchdowns in that time. McCoy is a must-start, so it’s not like you’d sit him anyway, but expect a good game from Buffalo’s top back this week.
WR Zay Jones
One of Buffalo’s receivers is going to have a strong week. Last week, I thought it would be Deonte Thompson, but a dislocated finger limited him to one catch for 5 yards on the day. Andre Holmes led the receiving corps with 51 yards and a touchdown, but it was rookie Zay Jones whose performance was the most encouraging. His 3 catches and 32 yards receiving were both career highs, and the fact that he and Tyrod Taylor seemed to be on the same page bodes well for the rest of the season. Jones has not put up the numbers expected of a player who Buffalo traded up to select in this year’s draft, but I think that this is the start of a big finish for the talented rookie.
TE Nick O’Leary
The Bills fill-in tight end is still available in almost all leagues (98%), and he could have a big night on Thursday. The Jets allow the fifth-most points to tight ends this season and Charles Clay was targeted nine times in the team’s first match-up as the linebackers covering the tight ends were seen as a mismatch. Logan Thomas could even get in on the action, though we’d hesitate to pick him up in any fantasy format.
Bills D/ST
Start them. Start them every week if you have them. If you don’t have them, there’s at least a 50% chance that they’re available on your league’s waiver wire, according to Yahoo! Although, to be fair, if you’re in a league with other Bills’ fans (a luxury I don’t have down in the mid-Hudson Valley), there’s no way the Bills’ defense is available. Buffalo’s stop unit is playing incredibly well right now, and that trend should continue this week.
Miscellaneous
Stephen Hauschka is a kicker who should be owned in all formats, yet he’s still available in 38% of Yahoo! leagues. If your league is one of them, pick him up... You could roll the dice on Andre Holmes again, but much of his production has been touchdown-dependent. I wouldn’t do it, but you never know... We would bench Kelvin Benjamin tonight, as his ceiling is probably 8 or 9 points scoring a touchdown on a designed play call...