Fantasy Football Player Notes

James Cook led the NFL in rushing yards in 2025 (1,621). He finished as the RB6 in PPG and RB6 in total points scored. At 26 years old, the Bills RB is in his Uber Prime. He is improving every single season. And he has yet to be fully unlocked as a receiver despite being heavily touted as a pass-catcher coming out of Georgia. If Cook gets unleashed on all three downs under a new HC, he could flirt with an RB1 overall status as the engine to the Bills' offense. The 200-pound back has a 44-catch and 445 receiving yards season on his resume, which only Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, Christian McCaffery, and De'Von Achane hit last season with 1,000 rushing yards to boot.

Josh Allen is once again the consensus QB1 in fantasy. He finished QB1 in fantasy scoring last season for the fourth time in the last six years. After down years from Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts, the gap between Allen and other fantasy QBs seems to have widened. And yet, there are at least a few small gray clouds dotting Allen's profile. In 2025, he hit a six-year low in passing yards per game (215.8), TD passes (25), and fantasy points per game (22.0). A lack of pass-catching weaponry has been a problem. Khalil Shakir led the Bills with 719 receiving yards in 2026, and Buffalo hasn't had even a 900-yard receiver since Stefon Diggs left after the 2023 season. The Bills traded for D.J. Moore in March in an attempt to give Allen additional help. But what really anchors Allen's fantasy value is his rushing. He ran for 579 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2025 - his third consecutive season with double-digit TD runs. Over the last five years, Allen has averaged 640 rushing yards and 10.8 TD runs.

DJ Moore lands in Buffalo in arguably the best situation of his career after years of producing despite inconsistent quarterback play and shifting offensive environments. The veteran receiver reunites with Joe Brady, under whom he previously handled massive volume in Carolina, and now gets the benefit of catching passes from Josh Allen. Moore should immediately operate as one of Buffalo's primary receiving weapons, even if the Bills continue spreading targets around offensively. Given his long track record of WR2 production and the offensive upgrade surrounding him, Moore profiles as a strong value in 2026.

Dalton Kincaid's third season was plagued by more injuries, as he was reportedly playing through another torn PCL (second year in a row). But the Bills TE remained super-efficient despite lackluster usage/playing time (46% route participation and just three games with a greater than 50% snap share). He caught 80% of his passes for 682 yards and a career-high 7 TDs as the TE8 in fantasy PPG (9.6). His 2.7 YPRR led all TEs and ranked third among all receivers. His 27% target rate per route run also ranked first among TEs. If Kincaid can get healthy in 2026, he could leap into elite fantasy TE territory at a fraction of the cost.

Khalil Shakir once again provided stability without much ceiling, finishing as a WR3/4 despite operating as one of Josh Allen's most trusted targets. His short-area role created a reliable weekly floor, but limited downfield and red-zone usage continued to cap his fantasy upside. The addition of DJ Moore adds even more competition for targets, making it difficult to project meaningful volume growth in 2026. Shakir still profiles as Buffalo's safest receiver from a consistency standpoint, but fantasy managers should view him more as a floor-based depth option than a breakout candidate.

Through the first five weeks of the season, the Bills have the second-most difficult schedule. Under a new DC and defensive scheme, it might take some time for this unit to gel in 2026.

Tyler Bass missed the entire 2025 season with hip and groin injuries that required surgery, but it appears the Bills are planning on Bass being their kicker in 2026. Bass had surgery in November and is reportedly on track with his recovery. Bass was ninth in fantasy scoring among kickers in 2024, making 24-of-29 field goals and 59-of-64 extra points. It's appealing that Bass is tied to the prolific Josh Allen-led Buffalo offense. It's less appealing that Bass might be kicking in cold, windy and/or snowy conditions in Buffalo late in the season.