The Mid Season Bills Fantasy Report

Halfway through the season it is time to revisit the Buffalo Bills fantasy outlook.  To start the season I had mentioned that starting Fred Jackson would be a great fantasy option and through the first three games it really helped any and all fantasy owners who did.  Through the first three games Jackson was actually one of the highest rated running backs and was providing solid fantasy numbers even though he was not able to reach the end zone.  Buffalo was left with a dilemma after week three with Marshawn Lynch coming off suspension.  By week 5 Buffalo decided to start Marshawn and eventually moved Fred Jackson into special teams duties as their primary return option.  This was mainly due to injuries, but how does a team relegate their most productive player to special teams duties?  Unfortunately this was the end to the productive Fred Jackson.

Although Marshawn did take over starting RB duties, he has yet to really breakout and show Buffalo fans that the change from Jackson to him has it’s merits.  Even though Jackson did not get a touchdown as a starter he was still able to gain yards.  Lynch has produced one rushing touchdown and has only a 3.1 yards per carry average.  In any league he is a MUST sit.  While it would be easy to blame the offensive line, Fred Jackson has the same blockers and with much more limited play calling is still at a 4 yards per carry average.  At this point, investing in a Buffalo running back may be a waste of time and energy.

At the quarterback position Trent Edwards has not been able to produce anything significant.  The offensive line has broken down in pass protection, but the main problem has been Edwards inability to make quick decisions and accurate throws.  Edwards has been inactive for the past two weeks due to injury but will start again after the bye week.  A fantasy owner will have better luck getting production from Marshawn at this point than Edwards.  Although it may be a flaw in the system he is attempting to run (Fitzpatrick saw little success as well), Edwards must prove he can produce before anyone owner decides to start him regardless of match-up.  Let’s not forget about the amazing 152 yards he threw for against that dreaded Browns pass defense.

On the receiving end the Bills are trying to get Lee Evans involved more, but it appears that neither Evans or Terrell Owens can be trusted for any sort of consistent production.  I was under the belief Owens would be able to put up 900 – 1,100 yards, but this appears to be a crack-pipe dream now.  Owens is not playing with confidence and is no longer running crisp routes.  He is seems to drop more passes than he catches and does not have that game changing play making in him anymore, for this season.  Lee Evans appears to be still chugging along and appears to still be running some good routes.  But as teams are no longer fearful of the Owens/Evans combo, Evans is not seeing the wide open looks he was supposed to see when the Bills first acquired Owens.  Edwards has been hesitant to throw the long ball and has also been very inaccurate when doing so.  For the time being, it is still up in the air as to which receiver will produce, if any, on any given Sunday.

Rian Lindell seems to be one of the only Bills that anyone can count on these days.  Although their are better fantasy options out there, he appears to be the only Bill that can make an impact on your fantasy score sheets on his own.  His only detraction is the fact that Buffalo still can’t move the ball to get Lindell into a position to actually kick a field goal.  If you can find a kicker on a team that can even remotely move the ball it may be a better option as he may kick a few field goals but it is unlikely he will kick very many extra points.

The one saving grace for fantasy owners who have invested in anything Buffalo has been the Buffalo Bills defence.  Although they have not been very good at stopping the run, or stopping teams from scoring on them, they have forced turnovers and been able to sack the quarterback.  In all honesty it needs to change it’s name to Jairus Byrd and the Bills defense as he has been the primary reason the defense has ranked so well.  As the second half of the season approaches be very careful as Buffalo does have some match-ups which are very unfavorable.  But, for the most part their second half is littered with great match-ups should their defense continue to play the way they have been in the first half of the season.

From a fantasy perspective the outlook is bleak.  From a fan’s perspective it is about the same.  Buffalo may string together another 7-9 season which is not good news to anybody, worse yet, they took two good fantasy receivers and made them an afterthought.  They also took a top rated running back through the first four weeks and have him returning kicks now.  The one saving grace is the defense, hopefully they can save what is left of a terrible season and an even worse fantasy year.

Tags: Buffalo Bills, Fred Jackson, Jairus Byrd, Lee Evans, Marshawn Lynch, Rian Lindell, Terrell Owens, Trent Edwards