The Buffalo Bills of 2023 do not resemble the Bills of seasons past. At 9-6, they sit in second place in the AFC East, a spot that few anticipated seeing them in. However, playoff hopes are still alive, but the Bills need to win their final two games to seal the deal.
To do that, Buffalo needs solid performances across the board, especially from the WR corps — Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis, and Khalil Shakir — which have been all over the place lately, both for regular football and fantasy football alike. Can you trust any of the Bills WRs in fantasy for championship week?
Should You Start Stefon Diggs in Fantasy This Week?
Having Diggs has been less than enjoyable over the last six or so weeks. He has only mustered a fantasy finish in the top 15 one out of the previous six games and has severely hurt your fantasy team in the other weeks.
If you made it this far in the season with Diggs on your squad, congratulations. Now fighting for their playoff life, can you trust the WR21 in PFN’s Consensus Rankings this week?
Even with several down weeks, you cannot turn away from Diggs in Week 17 unless you have two other top-20 WRs on your fantasy team. Most managers are going to have to dance with the guy that “brought them” there.
Even with poor fantasy finishes, Diggs is still averaging almost 10 targets a game and 50% of the WR targets. He has the floor that managers are always looking for, and you know he is a force when his back is up against the wall. QB Josh Allen continues to look for him in the red zone — he has 15 red-zone targets this season.
Should You Start Gabe Davis in Fantasy This Week?
Whereas Diggs has a decent floor, Gabe Davis’ floor is not even visible from the house’s front door. Davis is the definition of a boom-or-bust WR, and no one wants that kind of rush on championship weekend.
He is coming off of a decent game against the Chargers last week — he finished as WR11 on 130 yards and a TD. However, keep in mind the Chargers allow the third most fantasy points to opposing WRs.
MORE: PFN’s FREE NFL Playoff Predictor
For every game where he does have a top-15 fantasy finish — six total this season — Davis has four games this year with zero fantasy points and four games with two or fewer targets. Sure, he is known for the ability to snag a long pass on broken coverage, but this is not the kind of risk I want to take at this point in the fantasy season.
Davis is WR37 in PFN’s Consensus Rankings this week, and his talent would best be used in a DFS lineup in Week 17.
Should You Start Khalil Shakir in Fantasy This Week?
Second-year WR Khalil Shakir was hoping to break out in 2023, but unfortunately, he has been unable to make himself fantasy-relevant this season. Shakir finished as a top 24 fantasy WR in just two games, in Week 8 and Week 11. Those two weeks were his highest number of the season: 92 yards receiving in Week 8 and 115 yards receiving in Week 11.
However, if you removed those two weeks, you would be looking at the WR84. Shakir is WR74 in PFN’s Consensus Rankings this week and should not be started in fantasy football this week. He has eight games where he has one target or less, and that is not a player fantasy managers can trust to help them bring home a championship.
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, PFN’s Consensus Rankings say that Diggs is the player to start if you are deciding between the three Buffalo WRs. His projected 12.6 fantasy points include a projection of 4.4 receptions and 56.1 receiving yards. Davis is projected to have 9.1 fantasy points on 43.8 receiving yards and 2.5 receptions. Finally, Khalil Shakir is projected for 5.5 fantasy points, 1.7 receptions, and 27.5 receiving yards.
My ranking for the Bills WRs aligns with the consensus – it is a middle-of-the-road matchup for WRs against the New England Patriots, and if you are deciding between one of them, Diggs is your best fantasy option. He is the most dependable Bills WR, with the highest floor, even if it doesn’t feel like it as of late.
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!
