Buffalo

Bills

The Bills went out and traded for Hines at last year’s trade deadline but gave him just 11 regular season touches in his nine games with the team. During his five years in the league, Hines has carved out a role as a satellite back and special teams ace, racking up 240 receptions over that span. While second-year back and pass-catching extraordinaire James Cook is considered the favorite to fill most third-down duties for the Bills this season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Hines handle some of the work. Still, it’s hard to imagine him having much fantasy upside as long as Cook is healthy.

It’s a vote of confidence for McDermott and Beane, who have made the Bills perennial contenders in the tough AFC over the past three seasons. Buffalo has notched 37 regular season wins since 2020, among the most in the NFL. With Josh Allen entering his age-27 season, Beane and McDermott would seem to have at least a few more years in their Super Bowl window.

According to Volin, a source “close to the Bills’ locker room” shared Diggs’ issues with the team after he was noticeably absent from the team’s first day of mandatory minicamp last week. Head coach Sean McDermott did his best to brush off the concerns surrounding Diggs’ absence after he reported the following day, but his relationship with the team appears to be slowly souring. Diggs turned in one of the best seasons of his career in 2023, going for 108-1429-11 while ranking fifth amongst wide receivers in targets (154). He saw 10 targets in the Bills’ Divisional Round loss to the Bengals, but was visibly upset with the teams’ offensive performance in the 27-10 loss, while he finished with four receptions for 35 yards. It sounds like Diggs is on track to report to training camp next month, but this situation could be one to monitor throughout the season.

Morse underwent elbow and ankle surgeries this offseason after putting them off in the middle of last season. The veteran center has been limited in offseason programs but appears set to return when training camp ramps up next month. Despite battling through multiple injuries, Morse still appeared in 13 regular season games for the Bills last season and has been a staple along the offensive line since joining the team in 2019. With roughly a month to go until training camp, he’s trending up at the right time for the Bills.

Per Buscaglia, Sherfield has “stood out the most this spring” in the competition to serve as the Bills’ No. 3 wideout. He is competing with second-year pro Khalil Shakir and Deonte Harty. The fantasy community has been hoping it will be Shakir, who forced his way onto the field for some rookie action last year. It’s not surprising veteran Sherfield is looking good in pad-less practices. The job will be won or lost in training camp. Whoever takes it home could have some WR5 bench value.

Shakir flashed at various points during his rookie campaign, finishing the regular season with 10 receptions for 161 yards and one touchdown. In the Bills’ two playoff games, he would catch five of seven targets for 91 yards while being used primarily in a part-time role. A strong offseason for Shakir could lead to him serving as the Bills’ primary slot receiver, a role he’s more than familiar with dating back to his days at Boise State. Shakir is worth keeping an eye on after Gabe Davis bombed in 2022 and the Bills added “just” Dalton Kincaid over the offseason.

Diggs was not on the practice field for the start of mandatory minicamp, though later reports indicated he was at the team’s facility. He then showed up for practice a day later. After practice, McDermott told reporters Diggs “did everything he was asked to do”. This included attending meetings and getting a physical on Monday. He then mentioned productive conversations between himself, Diggs, and GM Brandon Beane. Though there was and may still be tension between Diggs and his organization, it sounds like this story will be a non-issue going forward.

Diggs’ agent pushed back on reports that Diggs would not attend this week’s minicamp following a tumultuous end to the 2022 season in Buffalo. Bills head coach Sean McDermott has said he was “very concerned” with Diggs’ minicamp absence. That appears to be behind Diggs and the Bills as they look to get beyond the Chiefs and Bengals this year.

Diggs has left the Bills high and dry this offseason after berating Josh Allen during the team’s playoff loss to the Bengals last January and storming off the field after the game. Diggs’ absence at the team’s mandatory minicamp makes this a serious and possibly long-term issue for a Buffalo team without any wide receiver depth behind Diggs. It seemed the mercurial Diggs -- signed through the 2027 season -- is going to be an ongoing storyline as the Bills prepare for the 2023 season. We’ll continue to analyze Diggs’ many cryptic social media posts in the coming weeks.

Less than an hour after Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott said he was “very concerned” about Diggs’ absence from minicamp, Diggs’ agent told Schefter the star receiver would be there for “the entirety of minicamp,” and that Diggs had recently met with McDermott and Bills general manager Brandon Beane. OK then. It seems Diggs, who has been a no-show at all team offseason activities after storming off the field after Buffalo’s postseason loss to the Bengals last January, will finally get together with his teammates sooner rather than later. It remains a situation to monitor for fantasy managers.