Tyrod Taylor sneaks into the low-end QB1
discussion if Sammy Watkins stays healthy all season.
QB Tyrod
Taylor (2015 QB Rank - No.18, 22.3 FPts/G)
Former Ravens backup Tyrod Taylor surprisingly won the Bills starting
quarterback job over former first round pick EJ Manuel and veteran
Matt Cassel last pre-season. He then proved that head coach Rex
Ryan and offensive coordinator Greg Roman made the right choice.
In 14 games, Taylor threw for 3,035 yards with 20 touchdowns and
only 6 interceptions while also adding 568 yards and 4 touchdowns
on the ground. Reports from Buffalo’s OTAs and minicamp have
been positive about Taylor’s improvement, but the franchise
still does not want to commit to him long term. They will let him
play out the last year of his contract before deciding whether they
want to offer him franchise quarterback type money.
Roman ran a conservative run-heavy offense, and with Rex Ryan famous
for his “ground and pound” philosophy don’t expect that to change
much in 2016. Taylor is a bit undersized at 6’1” and 215 pounds,
but has decent downfield accuracy and did not turn the ball over
making him valuable in the conservative Bills’ offense. He was also
a big part of the rushing attack which increases his value against
his peers. He finished second only to Cam Newton in rushing yards
amongst quarterbacks. Taylor needs to show an improved command of
the offense but the former sixth-round pick is only 26 years old
and has the upside to improve in his second season as a starter.
With his ability to gain yards on the ground and a legitimate difference
maker on the outside (Sammy Watkins) Taylor is a perfect high ceiling
fantasy QB2.
The Bills made a big splash last off-season trading for Philadelphia’s
starting running back and immediately offered him a big contract
extension. McCoy showed some flashes of his 2013 form, but just
like his last season with the Eagles he was a mild disappointment
in Buffalo. At times he looked inferior to his rookie backup Karlos
Williams. When it was all said and done, McCoy missed four games
and finished the season with only 895 rushing yards and 32 receptions
for an additional 292 yards with 5 total touchdowns. Despite a down
season, McCoy still managed to finish as a solid RB2.
This off-season McCoy was involved in a bar room brawl that sent
two off-duty police officers to the hospital, but after a thorough
investigation he will not face charges, and is unlikely to see
any league discipline. McCoy just turned 28, and while he’s on
the right side of 30, he looks like he may have peaked in 2013
under Chip Kelly. He sat out the final two weeks of the 2015 season
with a torn MCL, but that shouldn’t present any issues for 2016.
The Bills’ offense will surely present a heavy workload for McCoy,
even with Karlos Williams coming on as a rookie and the team drafting
another talented back in Jonathan
Williams out of Arkansas. The Bills finished second in rushing
attempts last season and could very well lead this league this
year. McCoy hasn’t been much of a touchdown threat (5 total last
year) and that shouldn’t won’t change anytime soon. Karlos Williams
excelled last year in the redzone and QB Tyrod Taylor (19) had
almost as many runs inside the 20 as McCoy (20) did. If he stays
healthy and the Bills offense improves in its second season with
Greg Roman, it’s not out of the question that McCoy could squeeze
into RB1 status if he finds the endzone a few more times, but
more than likely his ceiling is capped as a RB2.
With LeSean McCoy being paid like a superstar, the fifth round
pick out of Florida State, Karlos Williams, wasn’t on many fantasy
radars heading into last season. However, in only 11 games, many
of which were as the change of pace runner to McCoy, Williams
gained 517 yards and scored seven times on the ground. He also
added two more touchdowns on only 11 catches showing big-play
ability. He came into minicamp overweight blaming his fiancés
pregnancy and his sympathy eating, so hopefully he’ll show more
discipline before training camp or he could find himself in a
battle with Jonathan Williams and Mike
Gillislee for playing time. Williams is a battering ram with
quick feet who finds a way to keep moving forward and became only
the seventh player in NFL history to score a touchdown in his
first five games. He should see time in redzone packages at McCoy’s
expense making him a decent later round flier at the position.
On the downside, Williams showed a penchant for getting nicked
up. He suffered a concussion, a shoulder injury and a knee injury
as a rookie, as his 6’1” frame and upright running style make
him a target for big hits from defenders.
Update 7/15/16:Williams has
been suspended by the league 4 games for violating the leagues
substance abuse policy.
Watkins showed vast improvement as a sophomore receiver finishing
the year with 60 catches for 1,047 yards and 9 touchdowns after
coming on strong down the stretch. He had off-season surgery for
a stress fracture to his foot, and news about his availability
for training camp and even for Week 1 has been erratic to say
the least. He posted a video of himself in early July running
in a straight line and predicted he’ll be available for the start
of training camp. The Bills will likely err on the side of caution
however and limit his practice time in camp. Watkins looks dominant
at times, showing well against the league’s top cornerbacks like
Darrelle Revis, and averaged 5.4 catches for 100 yards and a touchdown
over his last nine games. With some improvement from quarterback
Tyrod Taylor, Watkins could be poised for a monster season, but
the foot injury will need to be monitored and potential owners
will need to deal and be comfortable with the associated injury
risk.
WR Robert
Woods (2015 WR Rank - No.62, 5.2 FPts/G)
Apologies to Leonard
Hankerson, but the team failed to add anyone of significance
at the wide receiver position so the somewhat disappointing Robert
Woods should hold onto his starting spot by default. Reports state
the former second round pick played through a torn groin injury
last season and is now healthy and looked explosive during OTAs,
but off-season fluff pieces do not always materialize into success.
Woods runs sharp routes and has steady hands but his ceiling is
only that of a solid possession wideout at the professional level,
and he’s never caught more than 65 balls in his three seasons.
The last two years he’s managed only 11.7 and 10.8 yards per reception
and has only scored 11 times in three seasons, so without heavy
volume his fantasy upside is fairly low. In a run-based offense
and behind Sammy Watkins in the pecking order, it’s hard to imagine
a heavy volume coming to fruition.
TE Charles
Clay (2015 TE Rank - No.19, 5.4 FPts/G)
Charles Clay was another big money off-season acquisition by the
Bills that did not quite live up to expectations last season.
The team paid him as an elite tight end, but Clay missed the team’s
last three games with a back injury and finished the season with
only 51 receptions for 528 yards and 3 touchdowns. The coaching
staff has lamented the fact that he wasn’t targeted enough, and
would like that to change in 2016. That could lead to Clay being
a value play in fantasy football this season. Clay came into the
league as fullback/tight end hybrid, and showed run after the
catch ability while putting up some productive seasons with the
Miami Dolphins. He should be a valuable piece in the Bills conservative
offense as he has the size to play underneath and can make plays
in the open field. He agreed to restructure his contract this
off-season, but still carries a hefty price tag, and with very
few options behind Sammy Watkins, the staff’s promise to get him
more involved is likely genuine as he’s the team’s second most
dangerous option in the passing game. The conservative nature
of the Bills passing game doesn’t help his fantasy prospects leaving
Clay’s ceiling at a backend TE1 level. You could do worse as a
depth option at the position though.