Whether you play season-long, weekly or daily fantasy sports, you need to know who are the players to draft – and to avoid – from each team. Here are some tips on how your Buffalo Bills rank in the fantasy football market:
C.J. Spiller, RB
2012 was a breakout year for Spiller, who gained 1,244 rushing yards (eighth-best in the NFL) and had 43 receptions for 459 yards (sixth-best receiving yardage total for a running back), getting him some consideration in daily fantasy sports leagues. Spiller rushed for six touchdowns and caught two more. His 6.0 yards per carry tied him with rushing champ Adrian Peterson for highest in the league. In Spiller’s first two seasons, Fred Jackson was the Bills’ leading rusher, but Jackson was hindered by a knee injury in 2012 and is now 32.
Stevie Johnson, WR
Johnson, a seventh-round pick in 2008, became the Bills’ leading receiver in 2010 and has had three straight 1,000-yard seasons. He caught 10 TDs in 2010 and has 23 TDs over the three seasons. With Ryan Fitzpatrick is gone, Johnson’s new QB will be underachieving Kevin Kolb or rookie E.J. Manuel. In the offseason, Johnson fractured a vertebra while doing a power-rope exercise for a video on the Buffalo Bills website. While Jackson has apparently recovered from that injury, he injured his hamstring early in training camp.
Fred Jackson, RB
After rushing for over 900 yards three straight seasons, Jackson’s knee injury limited him to 437 rushing yards in 2012, giving Spiller a chance to take over as lead back. Jackson could still be in line for goal-line carries, though. Of his nine rushing TDs over the last two seasons, five came from one or two yards out. Only one of Spiller’s TDs last season came from under 10 yards out.
Robert Woods, WR
The Bills used their 2013 second-round pick on Woods, who was an All-American at USC in 2011, when he had 111 catches for 1,292 yards and 15 TDs in his sophomore year. As a junior in 2012, Woods’ numbers fell to 74 catches for 849 yards and 11 TDs, but that year marked the emergence of sophomore USC receiver Marqise Lee, who went on to finish fourth in Heisman Trophy voting.
Kevin Kolb, QB
Kolb signed a two-year deal with Buffalo in early spring, but then the Bills drafted E.J. Manuel, so even if Kolb does begin the season as the starter, it could be only temporary. In his six-year career, Kolb has a TD-INT ratio of 28-25.
E.J. Manuel, QB
The Bills made Manuel the first quarterback chosen in the 2013 draft, selected him over Geno Smith and Ryan Nassib, who had been linked to Buffalo because new coach Doug Marrone coached Nassib at Syracuse. If Manuel wins the starting job, he could be the latest running QB, since he had four rushing TDs in both his junior and senior years.
Scott Chandler, TE
Chandler caught six TDs in each of the last two seasons, but is working his way back from a torn ACL suffered in week 16 of 2012.
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Jon Lewin is a fantasy football expert.