Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid missed last week’s game due to an injury. What happened to Kincaid, and will he play tonight when the Bills host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Night Football? Let’s examine the latest on Kincaid’s status.
What Is Dalton Kincaid’s Injury?
During the Bills’ Week 10 win over the Indianapolis Colts, Kincaid suffered a knee injury shortly before halftime. He entered the blue medical tent along Buffalo’s sideline with roughly two minutes remaining in the first half.
Later, Kincaid put on a knee brace and tested his knee by jogging along Buffalo’s sideline, but he subsequently left for the club’s locker room with a trainer.
After halftime, Kincaid re-entered the game on Buffalo’s first third-quarter drive. Josh Allen and Kincaid couldn’t connect on a 3rd-and-9 attempt on that series, forcing the Bills to punt. That would end up being Kincaid’s last snap, as he was downgraded to doubtful not long after.
Dalton Kincaid on his knee injury sustained during win over the Colts: “Thought I could go then just didn’t feel good enough to run and be able to go out there and protect myself.” Says he doesn’t know the extent of the injury #Bills #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/mMRQtn5G4t
— alex brasky (@alexbrasky) November 10, 2024
“Thought I could go then just didn’t feel good enough to run and be able to go out there and protect myself,” he explained after the game.
Kincaid hasn’t played since, missing Buffalo’s Week 11 game against the Kansas City Chiefs followed by the Bills’ Week 12 bye. This season, he’s caught 34 passes for 356 yards and two touchdowns in 10 games.
Is Kincaid Playing in Week 13?
No, Kincaid won’t play in tonight’s Sunday Night Football showdown against the 49ers.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott ruled out the tight end on Friday. The fact that Kincaid was ruled out two days before the game is a bad sign, as it means he’s not close to playing.
Kincaid has yet to log even a limited practice since the injury occurred. Buffalo had a bye in Week 12, so the hope was that he’d be back this week. It’s somewhat worrisome that he’s still sidelined and continues to be a DNP in practice.
Keep an eye on the Bills’ injury report next week to see if Kincaid is progressing and has a shot to play in Week 14 when Buffalo faces the Los Angeles Rams.
How Will Kincaid’s Absence Impact the Bills?
With Kincaid sidelined in Week 11, fellow Bills TE Dawson Knox posted his best game of the season, hauling in four catches for 40 yards while finishing as fantasy’s TE18.
Knox is one of the better backup tight ends in the NFL, and he has plenty of chemistry with Allen since this is their sixth season playing together.
During Buffalo’s Week 11 win over the Chiefs, Knox played 83.1% of the Bills’ offensive snaps, a near 30-percentage-point increase from his prior rate.
From a fantasy standpoint, Knox is a decent streaming TE this week due to his snap share and the fact that he gives you exposure to Buffalo’s elite offense. However, it’s worth noting that Knox has four straight games without a red-zone target and hasn’t cleared 50 receiving yards in a game since Week 15, 2022. Meanwhile, the 49ers are allowing the sixth-fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends (4.64).