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The Buffalo Bills have been one of the most prolific passing offenses in the NFL this season and while Stefon Diggs has been the primary and largest beneficiary, there are plenty to go around. Thus far, the Bills have attempted the third-most passes this season. This has resulted in the seventh-most yards passing and the third-most passing touchdowns this season. What that means is simple, there's plenty of fantasy value in this offense and fantasy managers should want a piece of it.
Gabriel Davis and Cole Beasley both missed Week 16 due to being put on the COVID-19 list. This led to an expanded role for Emmanuel Sanders and Isaiah McKenzie. As a refreshed, this year Sanders was signed in the off-season to replace the departed John Brown. In the first six weeks of the season, Sanders was doing just what the Bills' were expecting. He was averaging 6.5 targets, 4 receptions and 69 yards per game.
Since their bye week in Week 17, Sanders' per game averages have dropped to 4.1 targets, 2.3 receptions and 27 yards per game. His disappointing streak continued in Week 16, when he finished with just two catches for 20 yards despite Beasley and Davis both being inactive. Now he is questionable to play this week. So what is his outlook for Week 17, along with Cole Beasley and Gabriel Davis? Let's take a look.
Are Cole Beasley or Gabriel Davis Playing This Week?
With a revised COVID-19 policy, Gabriel Davis and Cole Beasley are now eligible to return in Week 17. They have both been officially activated from the COVID list ahead of the Week 17 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, and are expected to play.
So what does that mean for fantasy managers and how should they be handling the secondary weapons in Buffalo's passing game Fantasy managers know Stefon Diggs is an absolute must-start, but what about Emmanuel Sanders, Gabriel Davis and Cole Beasley?
It's certainly a week to be attacking the Bills' passing offense. They're set to face off against the Atlanta Falcons who are allowing the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing receivers this year at 24.2 half-PPR points per game. It's an excellent matchup, but who is best in line to take advantage?
Should I Start Emmanuel Sanders in Week 17?
The one player every fantasy manager can safely rule out is Emmanuel Sanders. Since Week 8, Sanders is WR85 with a 4.1 PPG average. He's not even startable in the deepest of leagues. In Week 16, with Beasley and Sanders sidelined, Sanders finished with just two catches and 20 yards despite Josh Allen throwing for 314 yards and three touchdowns.
With Sanders' downgrade in practice on Thursday, there's no way fantasy managers can trust him. In fact, he's a player that can be added to the waiver wire.
Should I Start Cole Beasley in Week 17?
Cole Beasley is the primary slot receiver for the Bills and he put together an excellent 2020 campaign. He finished with 82 catches for 967 yards and 4 touchdowns. Unfortunately for fantasy managers expecting a repeat performance, Beasley has largely disappointed. His yards per game average equates to 730 yards over 16 games and he has just one touchdown through 14 games.
In 2020, he had nine games with nine points or more in half-PPR scoring. In 2021, he has just five such games. The ceiling games have also not been there in 2021. He had two games last season with 20 or more points and zero this year. In Week 16 with Beasley sidelined and Sanders completely ineffective, it was Isaiah McKenzie who stepped up opposite Diggs. At just 5'8, McKenzie took over Beasley's role as the slot receiver and commanded 12 targets. He caught 11 of them for 125 yards. The 11 receptions tied Beasley's season-high. Not only that, but McKenzie also had more yards in a single game than Beasley did all season.
Heading into Week 17, Beasley should only be trusted in full-PPR leagues. On the season, he's WR47, ironically right behind teammate Emmanuel Sanders. On the season, Beasley is averaging 10.4 PPG. The problem with Beasley is he comes with a limited ceiling. The bigger concern could be that after how well McKenzie played in Week 16, it's possible McKenzie could take some snaps away from Beasley in his first game back from the COVID-19 list.
While I don't expect Beasley to lose his job to McKenzie by any means, any snaps he loses lowers his ceiling and his modest floor. Fantasy managers should only be starting Beasley in full-PPR leagues as a last resort. In half-PPR and standard scoring, fantasy managers can surely do better than Beasley.
Should I Start Gabriel Davis in Week 17?
Many fantasy managers were high on Gabriel Davis entering the 2021 season, expecting him to outplay Sanders and take over John Brown's role from 2020. Unfortunately, that didn't happen, but he's getting used more and more recently. With Sanders' status for Week 17 largely in question, Davis could be looking at being the primary outside receiver opposite Diggs.
As evidenced above, when his route participation has eclipsed 35%, Davis has been a top-30 receiver in four out of four weeks with one ceiling week where he finished as a top-5 receiver.
Since Week 8, Davis is the WR27, outscoring other receivers D.J. Moore, Amari Cooper, Van Jefferson, Christian Kirk, D.K. Metcalf, Mike Williams, Marquise Brown and Chase Claypool. Since that time, he has five double-digit games with three coming in the last three weeks. He has five touchdowns since Week 8, which is tied for the sixth-most in the NFL.
Heading into Week 17, Davis is the receiver fantasy managers should want in their lineup. When he's been allotted opportunity this season, he's taken advantage of it. Despite limited snaps this season, Davis has racked up 13 red zone targets this season. That's the same number as Tee Higgins and it's more red zone targets than DJ Moore, CeeDee Lamb, Terry McLaurin and Ja'Marr Chase. With how many points the Falcons have given up to opposing receivers this season, Davis has a great chance of finding the end zone, especially if the Falcons pay extra defensive attention to Diggs.
Beasley should be trusted as a WR4 only in full-PPR in Week 17. Davis, on the other hand, should be played as a WR3 with upside.
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