Fantasy Football Rankings: Bills Players You Should Draft, Avoid This Season

Editor?s note: To help you prepare for your fantasy football draft, NESN.com will profile each NFL team and analyze which players are worth picking and which players aren?t worth your time. Today, we look at the Bills.

The Buffalo Bills have a lot of potential if they can get all of their pieces to click. Particularly on offense, those pieces certainly can help you contend in your fantasy football leagues.

In advance of the upcoming fantasy season, we took a closer look at the Bills players you should draft, avoid and peg as sleepers.

DRAFT-WORTHY
Sammy Watkins, Wide Receiver: Health is a common theme with the Bills, and their best offensive weapon is chief among those we’re worried about. Watkins suffered another major injury this summer, enduring a broken foot that required surgery. He isn’t sure when he’s going to practice again, a terrifying prospect for fantasy owners. He’s a stud if healthy and has so much potential, but you just can’t trust or rely on him. He’s going in the third round as the 11th wide receiver, and we personally wouldn’t touch him without significant good news for another several rounds. He has way too much talent and potential for us to list him under “don’t draft,” but we will say this: Let someone else get burned, even if not taking him this year comes back to burn you down the line.

Lesean McCoy, Running Back: If we could just tape a giant sign to McCoy’s draft profile, it would read “PROCEED WITH CAUTION.” He won’t face disciplinary action for off-field incidents, but those aren’t a good omen. He’s definitely a better option in PPR leagues. Oh, and his health is a major issue, too. Based on those factors, we’re uncomfortable with projections of him going in the third round as the 13th RB off the board. That said, he obviously can still perform when healthy: In the 12 games he actually played, he averaged 11.7 points per contest, which would have tied Doug Martin for third-most among RBs. It’s all or nothing with McCoy.

Tyrod Taylor, Quarterback: Injuries derailed a portion of his season, but Taylor was trending toward being a top-five quarterback. He finished 16th in scoring but in 14 games played, he averaged 18.4 points in standard leagues — seventh among QBs. If he replicates his ’15 performance, he’s worth a spot on your roster, potentially as a starter. He’s going in the 12th round as the 17th QB taken, which is absolutely tremendous value if we see a repeat performance this fall.

AVOID
Karlos Williams, Running Back: He’s suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season, and he’s still the backup when he returns. Talk to us in October and beyond if McCoy misses any time.

Charles Clay, Tight End: Injuries have hurt him, but he’s just not a vital piece of the offense, finishing just 18th among tight ends last season.

Reggie Bush, Running Back: As of this writing, reports have Bush on the verge of joining the Bills. His only real value comes in PPR formats, and he can’t stay healthy. Maybe he gets a chance in the first month of the season while Williams is suspended — especially if McCoy gets hurt — but worry about that once if happens and snag him on the waiver wire.

SLEEPER
Kolby Listenbee, Wide Receiver: The Bills are looking for another reliable, speedy receiver to line up next to Watkins, and their sixth-round pick could be the guy. He could see increased targets if Watkins misses time, but could struggle as a rookie facing elite defenders. He’s not currently being drafted, so keep him in mind on the waiver wire later on.

Click for all fantasy players to draft and avoid this season >>

Have a question or comment for Pat? Send it to him on Twitter at @PatBradley_.

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