Bills at Jets
Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, September 8th at 1:00 pm EST
Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
Betting Odds: NYJ -3, 41 Total via Oddshark
Network: CBS
Sleeper Spotlight: Jamison Crowder
Buffalo Bills
Quarterback
- Josh Allen
The surprise of the year last year at quarterback wasn’t that Josh Allen became the starting QB for the Bills, but that he became their best running back as well. He finished the year with 631 yards and 8 touchdowns on the ground while only starting in 11 games. That is a near 1,000-yard pace over the full season. Those numbers would vault him towards the top ten, or even top five, of quarterbacks if he could only put up decent passing numbers. This, however, is not likely as he had more interceptions than touchdowns last season. As of now, he is a matchups streamer and bye week fill-in who could move his way up with passing improvement.
Running Backs
- Frank Gore
- Devin Singletary
- TJ Yeldon
The ageless wonder of Frank Gore is still around, but all eyes are on Devin Singletary who is the one that will hopefully control the majority of early-down work. We know how football works, however, and inevitably Gore will do what he has been doing since dinosaurs roamed the earth, and that is poaching short-yardage and goal-line carries. As the year rolls on, we expect Singletary to be that dude, but for now, it is a murky situation and he is no more than a flex play. TJ Yeldon should get some passing downs, but will not garner enough attention to have any value barring injuries or old age.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
- John Brown
- Zay Jones
- Cole Beasley
- Tyler Kroft
Chicks dig the long ball, and Josh Allen loves throwing it. Last season, Allen connected on plenty of deep balls to Zay Jones and Robert Foster. Now with a new toy in John Brown, Allen will have an improved weapon to fling it deep three or four times a game too. This should result in some boom or bust weeks but should put Brown on the flex map in 12 team leagues. New addition Cole Beasley, on a hefty contract I might add, and it will be interesting to see how he gets involved. Right now he and Zay Jones are just bench stashes or waiver wire fodder until things get sorted out. Tyler Kroft is not even on the map of someone you should consider as he will only get the occasional dump off in a run-first offense.
New York Jets
Quarterback
- Sam Darnold
This season, Sam Darnold is hoping that he can take a step forward and help the Jets’ offense climb the ranks. He has some help this season, as the team added WR Jamison Crowder and RB Le’Veon Bell. The addition of Bell, an experienced runner, route runner, and pass protector, should help Darnold develop into a more comfortable and diverse passer. It is not out of the realm of possibility that Darnold could end up cracking the high-end QB2 plateau and he is instantly a starter in 12 team leagues that start two quarterbacks.
Running Backs
- Le’Veon Bell
- Ty Montgomery
Le’Veon Bell came out on Wednesday and said he is ready to handle 50 carries in week one, saying he has been waiting a long time for this moment. While that most certainly will not happen, the offense will be centered around Bell and his elusiveness and expertise as a receiver out of the backfield. Expect Bell to produce mid RB1 numbers in this offense, with potential to return to his former glory as a top 3 running back. I am hesitant to give him high-end RB1 status just yet due to the severe downgrade in offense from the one he last found himself in during the 2017 season in Pittsburg. Fire him up every week. Ty Montgomery will likely receive 5-8 touches a week and will not put up numbers to be relevant. Bell has struggled with injuries in the past so Bell owners wouldn’t be faulted for holding him as a high-end handcuff if Bell were to miss time.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
- Robby Anderson
- Jamison Crowder
- Quincy Enunwa
- Chris Herndon (SUSP)
The pass-catching trio of Robby Anderson, Jamison Crowder, and Quincy Enunwa gives Darnold a deep threat, underneath man, and mid-range target in that order, and will allow him to spread the ball around. Anderson will put up weekly WR2 numbers if he develops more chemistry and Crowder could produce flex numbers consistently with the underneath routes out of the slot. Enunwa is simply a guy that can’t get out of his way with injuries, but when he has been on the field he has produced. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Enunwa jump Crowder at some point this season to being Darnold’s second favorite target at WR. Chris Herndon is slated to miss the first four weeks, but this is a reminder that he showed great chemistry with Darnold last year and should be added in all leagues before his week 5 return. He has low-end TE1 upside and you want to be ahead of the waiver claims that week with stashing him. Don’t stash this week, but come week 3 or early week 4, I would be looking to add.
–Matt Dean (@MattDeanQBL)