The one returning Buffalo Bill at the position, Khalil Shakir could become the top wide receiver option for Josh Allen in 2024. While he may be the betting favorite, the target distribution in Buffalo is one of the biggest question marks for fantasy football. Shakir, Curtis Samuel, and rookie Keon Coleman were all selected late in fantasy football drafts. Shakir will operate primarily out of the slot, giving him a safe PPR floor against a shaky Arizona defense. It's hard to project Shakir or any other wideouts booming in the team's season opener. Allen will spread the ball around while they establish a hierarchy. Because of the uncertainty, Shakir can be left on benches as a WR4 in most league formats and sizes. But if there's one Buffalo wide receiver to start in Week 1, it's Shakir.

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New Orleans Saints receiver Rashid Shaheed has been dealing with a foot injury over the past couple of weeks, but the third-year speedster avoided the injury report heading into Week 1's matchup against the Carolina Panthers. Shaheed could see a more consistent target share than he has in years past with Michael Thomas no longer on the roster, but he remains a boom-or-bust option until he proves otherwise. Against a Carolina defense that is favorable to the run game, Shaheed is best left on benches as a stash.

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Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase was spotted at practice on Friday ahead of the team's Week 1 matchup against the New England Patriots. Despite his lengthy training camp hold-in, Chase appears on track to play Sunday. However, Tee Higgins showed up on the injury report on Thursday with a hamstring injury. After being a limited participant on Thursday, Higgins wasn't out on the field at the start of Friday's practice. Going from a limited participant to a non-participant this late in the week likely means he won't play on Sunday. Jermaine Burton and Andrei Iosivas would benefit if Higgins misses Sunday's contest.

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The Buffalo Bills completely revamped their wide receiver room over the offseason, with one of the notable additions being Curtis Samuel. The do-it-all wideout has been good for at least 50 receptions in every season since 2019 (excluding a season-ending injury early in 2021) and a handful of carries out of the backfield. A turf toe injury has kept Samuel from fully participating in training camp and building a rapport with new quarterback Josh Allen. He's practicing in full leading up to the matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. Still, there's too much uncertainty in target distribution in upstate New York. Dalton Kincaid, Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, and Samuel are all competing to be the top dog in Buffalo. Samuel is worth a bench spot in fantasy football while we wait to see who Allen favors to target, but shouldn't be started in the meantime.

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New Orleans Saints veteran running back Alvin Kamara is set to handle his typical workload on Sunday as he suits up to face the Carolina Panthers. With New Orleans favored, it is possible that we see them stick to the ground game against the divisional rival. Carolina's rush defense surrendered the 10th most yards in the league a season ago, and may have even more holes heading into 2024. With Kendre Miller (hamstring) on the injured reserve and Jamaal Williams coming off of a down year, Kamara should be set to dominate touches. He is a low-end RB1 in Week 1 in a plus matchup.

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New Orleans Saints receiver Chris Olave should once again be set to lead the receiving room in 2024 after the departure of the oft-injured Michael Thomas. Olave was commonly selected in Round 2 of fantasy drafts this draft season, making it likely that he will be thrust into starting lineups in Week 1. Expectations should be tempered, as Carolina offers a strong matchup on the ground but a weaker matchup for receivers. Olave is in WR2 territory entering his season debut, and is the favorite to lead the team in targets.

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New Orleans Saints' quarterback Derek Carr finished as the QB16 overall last season after some impressive games down the stretch. To kick off 2024, he will face a Carolina defense that has many holes. The matchup still isn't beautiful, as both of these teams like to win through their defense and we could be faced with a lower-scoring game. Carr grades as a low-end QB2 in Week 1, as he has a safe floor but does not offer much of a ceiling. There are likely better options available in leagues where you can start multiple quarterbacks.

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How will the target share be spread out in Buffalo? That's the question many fantasy managers are asking as we approach the Bills' season opener. Tight end Dalton Kincaid is projected to lead the team, with receivers Keon Coleman, Khalil Shakir, and Curtis Samuel not far behind. Coleman, a second-round pick, is unlike the other two receivers. He's a big body who can develop into a deep threat. He struggles with separation, an issue that could impact him early, even against a weak Arizona secondary. The key is whether Josh Allen and the rookie have developed enough chemistry and timing to get the football where Coleman can make a play. It wouldn't be a big surprise to see Coleman break off a long reception in his NFL debut, but it's a risky gamble. It's safer for fantasy managers to watch how the target and snap shares shake out before inserting Coleman into starting lineups.

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With 241 targets vacated between the now-departed Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, tight end Dalton Kincaid takes the title of Buffalo's top receiver. When Kincaid was given the starting job midway through last season, he secured at least five receptions in every matchup from Weeks 7 through 14. He finished second on the team in targets (91). Rookie Keon Coleman, Khalil Shakir, and Curtis Samuel are his primary target competitors in year two. The sportsbooks are banking on the talented second-year professional improving and adding more offensive responsibility to his plate in 2024. He's the betting favorite to lead the Bills in receptions and yards on Sunday. The breakout candidate was drafted as a TE1 in fantasy football and should be started as such against the Cardinals.

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When Josh Allen wasn't poaching touchdowns from James Cook in 2023, it was 33-year-old Latavius Murray. The veteran logged 17 carries inside the 10 and 11 inside the five-yard line. That role is now projected to be filled by rookie Ray Davis, a fourth-round pick out of Kentucky. The 24-year-old scored 14 touchdowns in his senior season and has the size to finish runs in the red zone. He'll open the season behind James Cook and Ty Johnson on the depth chart. The backups will split a limited amount of touches in Week 1, depending on the situation. Without a healthy amount of opportunities, Davis will need to find paydirt to turn a respectable fantasy football debut. He's a bench stash until proven otherwise.

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There's little concern for the top quarterback in fantasy football in Week 1. Josh Allen, who finished as the QB1 in three of the last four seasons, will face off against the Arizona Cardinals at home. While the Cardinals' offense has improved from a year ago, the defense remains a work in progress. The roster is devoid of quality pass rushers. Allen should have all day to throw the football, letting his new receiving corps shake the secondary. He ranked second in clean pocket accuracy rating in 2023. Rookie Keon Coleman, Curtis Samuel, and Khalil Shakir are tasked with replacing Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis. Tight end Dalton Kincaid will also be heavily involved. There's no reason to shy away from Allen in Week 1.

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Buffalo Bills running back James Cook is again opening the season as the lead back in Buffalo. Despite concerns over touches near the endzone, Cook should be started in all fantasy football leagues. A low touchdown total (six) was the only blemish from Cook's RB12 finish from a season ago. He totaled 1,567 yards and caught 44 passes, despite only playing more than 70% of the team's snaps once. Cook could be even more involved in the passing game in 2024, with two of Buffalo's top target earners (Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis) on other rosters. The Cardinals ranked dead last in rushing yards allowed to running backs in 2023 (2,027) and surrendered eight receiving touchdowns to the position, the most in the NFL. Even if Cook is vultured by Josh Allen or rookie Ray Davis in the red zone, it should still be a productive day for fantasy football.

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Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews turned in a very quiet game during the 20-27 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday. The veteran only received two targets and he caught both of them for 14 yards. The hot hand at tight end in this game went to Isaiah Likely who received 12 targets compared to Andrews' two. A silver lining for fantasy managers is that Andrews still played more snaps and ran more routes than Likely in this game, so his opportunities will likely remain high as the season progresses. According to PFF, he played 59 snaps and ran 38 routes compared to Likely's 53 snaps and 35 routes. Andrews might not be the target sponge he once was, but that remains to be seen while the Ravens take on the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 2 looking for a bounce-back win.

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Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers received about as many touches as expected but couldn't turn it into many fantasy points in the 20-27 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Flowers had a lot of manufactured touches in the form of short passes, runs, and catches behind the line of scrimmage. That turned into 10 targets, six receptions, and 37 yards while taking two carries for 14 yards. For the most part, he was bottled up by Trent McDuffie while Lamar Jackson was running more often than not to escape pressure. Flowers will likely find more space to operate as the season progresses, but it remains to be seen if there will be more play calls to send him further down the field.

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Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry was featured quite a bit on the opening drive of his first game with his new team. Unfortunately, the Ravens strayed away from the run while they played from behind and ultimately took the loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday. King Henry finished the game with 46 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown while only receiving two targets that were ultimately knocked away by the defense. The score in the first quarter saved his fantasy performance in most formats, but if this trend continues, it will become worrisome for fantasy managers who spent one of their top picks on Henry. Their next couple of games are against solid defenses, so Henry has his work cut out for him at the beginning of his Ravens tenure.

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Baltimore Ravens linebacker Kyle Van Noy (face) left Thursday night's game with an apparent head injury at the time. After receiving some test results, the veteran linebacker was confirmed to have suffered a fractured orbital bone. According to Steve Wyche of NFL Network, Van Noy will undergo further testing to determine how much time he'll have to miss. Normally, it takes at least a few weeks to recover from an orbital fracture, but the extent of the fracture is still unknown at this time. Malik Harrison and Tavius Robinson are the next two on the depth chart, so there will likely be some sort of committee approach to replace Van Noy. Especially since Van Noy was such a big part of the pass-rush last year with 9.0 sacks and 30 combined tackles (20 solo).

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Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson put together some big numbers through the air and on the ground but came up just short of a comeback on Thursday night. The reigning MVP threw 26-for-41 with 273 yards and a touchdown while gathering 122 yards on 16 carries and one fumble. His accuracy left a bit to be desired while he was hurried almost all game, but his running numbers boosted his fantasy performance to be even better than his counterpart Patrick Mahomes. One thing to watch moving forward will be the growth of the offensive line as they replaced three starters this year, which could mean less time for Jackson to throw. As long as his ability to run is still there, Jackson will be a comfortable play for fantasy managers each week.

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Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts (hamstring) was a limited participant at practice on Wednesday and then practiced in full on Thursday. As reported by D. Orlando Ledbetter, Pitts says that he'll be 100% ready to go on Sunday in their contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 23-year-old is entering a very important season in his career now that he has a quarterback with more throwing ability than any other one he played with so far. Expectations are higher for Pitts and the Falcons offense as a whole, so the fact that he says he should be 100% healthy is encouraging. With this news, fantasy managers should be more comfortable playing him against the Steelers as he tries to get back to big receiving numbers like his rookie season.

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San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (calf/Achilles) was officially placed on the team's injury report on Thursday, but it seems like he's on track to still play in Week 1. According to Ian Rapoport, the superstar back "should be fine" to suit up against the New York Jets on Monday night. It also helps that he gets one more day to get some rest and work out the calf and Achilles issues. This is huge news for all of the fantasy managers that spent a top-three pick on the RB1 from last season, especially with the 49ers backup, Elijah Mitchell (hamstring), out for the season. With McCaffrey likely in the lineup, fantasy managers will be able to start him with confidence as long as there aren't any setbacks before Monday.

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Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely posted a huge performance in the 20-27 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday and almost became the game's savior. The 24-year-old saw 12 targets in the season opener and caught nine of them for 111 yards and a touchdown. His biggest play of the night came during the first snap of the fourth quarter when Likely caught a pass from a scrambling Lamar Jackson, ran down the sideline with some shifty moves, and walked into the end zone for a 49-yard score. Then, with time running out, Likely hauled in a difficult catch in the back of the end zone for what everyone thought was a touchdown. After a video review, it showed that his toe was on the end line and it was unfortunately waved off. As far as the first game goes, Likely seemed to be the TE1 on the team while Mark Andrews only saw two targets.

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