The Buffalo Bills made some big changes this off-season as they traded away wide receiver Stefon Diggs, let WR Gabe Davis walk in free agency, and signed interim offensive coordinator Joe Brady to be their official OC headed into the 2024 season. They did add WR Curtis Samuel in free agency along with WR Keon Coleman in the second round of the NFL Draft. These changes should help our fantasy football sleeper poster boy of the day, Khalil Shakir, put his mark on the Bills offense this season.
Buffalo Bills receiver depth
Wide receivers
Tight ends
Who will lead the Bills in targets in 2024?
The fact that we don’t have an easy answer for this question is good when looking at undervalued fantasy receivers from this group. Last season the target breakdown looked like this — Diggs (160), Kincaid (91), Davis (81), James Cook (54), Shakir (45), and Knox (35).
The most-likely target leader this year is tight end Dalton Kincaid. If you look at the Bills biggest rival and impediment in the playoffs, you’ll come face-to-face with the Kansas City Chiefs and their multiple Super Bowl wins with a tight end as their No. 1 target. Kincaid isn’t a sleeper by any means, but everything is set up extremely well for him this year. After that we get our man Shakir, a rookie and a journeyman.
Khalil Shakir, sleeper
Shakir, like all “sleepers,” isn’t really a sleeper, as everyone knows he played well in limited work last year and the Top 2 receivers on the team are gone. But, he is also going off the board as WR54 in early ADP. You still have to grab him in the 8th-9th round, so he’s not a flier, but it’s worth it.
We have Shakir tied to one of the best quarterbacks in the league in Josh Allen and in a spot he could easily lead the wide receivers in targets. He knows the offense and already has a good rapport with Allen. And last season he was extremely efficient, catching 39-of-45 targets for 611 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 10 receptions for 75 yards and two touchdowns in two playoff games. He finished the season with a PFF receiving grade of 75.2, second to just Diggs on the team.
Final thoughts
Shakir is no lock, but he has shown enough to get the nod as WR1 on the team headed into training camp. He also showed Josh Allen that he was trustworthy, especially toward the end of the season and in the playoffs. We can’t expect huge target numbers, as the team would like to spread the ball around, but Shakir has earned his shot and in a great offense and has been efficient in doing so.
