The Buffalo Bills' best wide receiver right now is Khalil Shakir, and the team felt the impact of his absence in Week 5 when they dropped the game to the Houston Texans. Quarterback Josh Allen completed just nine of 30 passes for 131 yards and one touchdown. It was not a good performance.
The wide receiver room sans Shakir fails to gain much separation and is blanketed by even inferior secondaries like Houston's, and an already depleted receiver room hasn't been able to absorb the loss of its best playmaker. The other WRs, like Keon Coleman, Mack Hollins, and Curtis Samuel have been ineffective.
Unfortunately, Shakir is still dealing with the injury and is listed on the team's injury report heading into MNF. So will Shakir play tonight?
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Khalil Shakir Fantasy Football Injury Update
He's still dealing with the ankle sprain he picked up in Week 4, and has been trying to work his way back to the field ever since. Luckily, he was able to return to practice in a limited fashion on Saturday. It's not known if he truly wasn't able to practice previously or is being given extra rest to prepare for the game.
Khalil Shakir moving around in the stretch portion of #Bills practice. He's questionable (ankle) for MNF pic.twitter.com/K9ZaQ0Ggql
— Carl Jones (@Jones11_) October 12, 2024
It's good to see him return to practice, but fantasy managers will have to check the list of inactive players released 90 minutes before kickoff at the latest to see if the third-year pro will take the field.
Khalil Shakir Fantasy Football Injury Impact
His absence from practice likely indicates he's still struggling. He wasn't moving well before he returned to practice while he was working off to the side, but that could be because he was being conservative with the weight he put on the injured ankle.
Khalil Shakir working on his injured ankle today.
Clearly still some uncertainty.
But some pretty good looking reps here as well. #Bills pic.twitter.com/JYOIQtAFsu— Thad Brown (@thadbrown7) October 9, 2024
There's no question that he's a key component of the passing attack, and it hasn't looked good without him. He is needed back by his offense in a huge way. Playing through pain and injury is a fact of life for NFL players, and he could still see the field even if he doesn't feel 100%.
The Bills desperately need Khalil Shakir back for MNF to try and help right the ship on offense
And yes I agree the offense shouldn’t completely flounder when he isn’t in but that’s where we are at #BillsMafia | #GoBills pic.twitter.com/54V5YiQEpH
— Peter DiBiasi (@DibiasiPeter) October 10, 2024
It's difficult to gauge his potential production without more insight into his injury, but it's safe to assume he won't be playing at full strength. He's a risky WR3/FLEX option, though it is Monday, so there aren't many pivots for fantasy managers who still have a slot not filled by another player.
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