One of the standout performers of the previous week, Buffalo Bills WR Gabriel Davis will be a hot name as fantasy football managers submit waiver wire claims ahead of Week 16. Can Davis ride the momentum and become a fixture on the Bills’ offense and fantasy playoffs, or is his role set to diminish again once players around him return to the lineup?
Gabriel Davis shines in Week 15 with his increased role
Who was going to be Buffalo’s No. 3 wide receiver? That was the question of the offseason. Stefon Diggs and Cole Beasley had their roles, but the competition came down to second-year Gabriel Davis and 34-year-old Emmanuel Sanders. They gave Sanders the job, but last week Davis not only proved he deserves more consideration, but also that it might be time to reconsider who is the No. 3 moving forward.
With Sanders out due to a knee injury he picked up the game before, Davis hauled in 5 of 7 targets for 85 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Panthers on Sunday. It was the second game in a row where Davis found success with Sanders off the field. Over his last two games, Davis has caught 10 of 15 targets for 129 yards with 3 TDs and has scored in each of his last three games.
Big play waiting to happen
I’ve been saying this since last season when I fell in love with his tape coming out of UCF — all Davis needed was a chance. And he got it last year when then-No. 3 WR John Brown was injured. In the eight games in which Brown was out, Davis had 22 receptions on 43 targets for 393 yards and 4 touchdowns. That’s why Sunday shouldn’t come as a surprise, as we know what he can do in this exact role.
Davis’ last two games were the first times he has seen over 80% of the offensive snaps, topping out at 93% last week. Even though the Bills run four-plus WR groupings the second-most in the NFL, Davis was seldom used outside of a decoy, running over 30 routes just once (Week 1). Yet, when targeted, he is a playmaker. Of his 64 career receptions, Davis has 12 touchdowns. Not bad for a guy who has played in just 30 games. The question is, can Davis hold onto this role once Sanders returns to the lineup?
Is Davis worth the top waiver wire claim in Week 16?
It all comes down to team needs, but Davis is absolutely deserving of being a top claim if you can swing it. Ronald Jones would be the top if you desperately need a running back. At WR, it is between Antonio Brown (if available), Davis, and Amon-Ra. St Brown. At least that’s how I see it.
Sanders came into the week doubtful, so he was never really in play but could be back in time for Week 16. Obviously, we will need to monitor it.
Nevertheless, I believe Davis has done enough to have jumped Sanders in the depth chart. Sander has not scored since Week 5 and has less than 30 yards in his last four full games.
Davis brings a different level of juice this offense desperately needs and will require to beat the Patriots this weekend. He will be in the WR3/WR4 range this week for fantasy.