2013 buffalo bills Fantasy Preview
Buffalo imported a lot of new faces at both quarterback and wide receiver this off-season. However for the holdover talent, the Bills appear to enter 2013 much as they entered 2012: Eyes on a huge season for C.J. Spiller with the rest of the offensive cast in a supporting role. Spiller is expected to become the true No. 1 RB this season, with Jackson's role being reduced. However watch out for a Jackson fantasy resurgence. Doug Marrone loved splitting carries between at least two running backs at Syracuse, especially last season en route to the Orange winning a share of the Big East title. Don't turn the page on Jackson just yet. He may be a nice late round pick who can be a decent flex player for you - as long as he stays healthy. At wide receiver, Steve Johnson is what he is: someone who at his best, will total approximately 1,000 yards receving and 5-7 touchdowns. But those days may be over.
28
C.J.
Spiller
RB - Bills
Welcome to the E.J. Manuel era. Certainly he appears to be on track to start this season ahead of Kevin Kolb and Tarvaris Jackson, but at best he's a low-end No. 2 fantasy QB with upside. No one wants to miss out on the next Russell Wilson or Colin Kaepernick, so Manuel will see his name called late in fantasy drafts. If he plays well in the pre-season, why not take a flier? The team lost Donald Jones to the Patriots and let David Nelson go as well, replaced by draftees Robert Woods and Marquise Goodwin. Great move by Buffalo to try to become more dynamic. I like Woods in particular. His stock dropped not due to his level of play but by the emergence of Marqise Lee opposite him at USC. Lee is a special talent, so Woods' numbers suffered, but he's still a stud. Woods may be a great late round selection who could blossom with immediate chemistry with Manuel. He's polished and knows how to dominate. Keep an eye on him.
I love the possibilities for the Bills Defense. They largely kept the unit together in the off-season, and new defensive coordinator Mike Pettine was able to make the Jets a decent fantasy unit last season even without Darrelle Revis for most of it. They have a couple of explosive players on special teams and in the secondary, and with games against the Jets (twice), Cleveland and Jacksonville, they could be a 'D you trot out there for nearly half your fantasy season - remember, matchups in fantasy are the most important thing when picking a defense for the week. Steve Johnson was drafted by plenty of owners to be their top No. 3 WR or main flex option a year ago, and now he won't even be that. It's not like Manuel is going to come in and throw for 300 yards a game. Johnson's had the bulk of the passing work to himself the last few years and hasn't been any more than serviceable in fantasy. At least Ryan Fitzpatrick could be good for 300 yards on occasion to go along with those three interceptions. Johnson could see his numbers slide as Buffalo tries to find new playmakers outside. I wouldn't be surprised if by mid-season he was waived in a lot of leagues.
| POS | FIRST | SECOND | THIRD | OTHER |
| QB | Kevin Kolb | E.J. Manuel | Jeff Tuel | - |
| RB | C.J. Spiller | Fred Jackson | Tashard Choice | Zach Brown |
| WR | Stevie Johnson | Robert Woods | T.J. Graham | Marquise Goodwin |
| TE | Scott Chandler | Lee Smith | Mike Caussin | Chris Gragg |
| K | Rian Lindell | Dustin Hopkins | - | - |
( ) Projected Round
| # | Name | Pos. Rank |
| 1 | C.J. Spiller | 9 |
| 2 | Stevie Johnson | 28 |
| 3 | Fred Jackson | 37 |
| 4 | Robert Woods | 65 |
| 5 | Kevin Kolb | 29 |
Photo Gallery
Top 30 Fantasy PlayersC.J. Spiller announced himself to the fantasy world in 2012. How high will he rank on our list of the top 30 fantasy players for 2013? View
