Fantasy Football managers are working hard building their big boards with about a week until training camp. One team that could present them value throughout the season is the Buffalo Bills.
As long as Josh Allen is the starting quarterback, the Bills will be a team people pay attention to in Fantasy Football. Given the changes to their offensive skill position players this season, there will be opportunities for players to break out.
Allen will be working with several new pass catchers this season. Stefon Diggs was traded to the Houston Texans and Gave Davis signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency.
One of the players the general manager Brandon Beane brought in to replace them this offseason is veteran Curtis Samuel. Entering Year 8 of his career, Samuel will still be only 28 years old when the season starts.
Just entering his prime, Samuel has a golden opportunity to put together the best season of his career. Over at PFF, Nathan Jahnke has highlighted the Ohio State product as a sleeper for Fantasy Football managers in 2024.
With a current average draft position of the fifth pick in the 11th round, Samuel provides managers with some excellent value. Someone has to catch passes from Allen, and he will be in the mix as the No. 1 receiver.
“One of the three wide receivers is definitely going to be a steal, and given the quality of the Bills offense in the past, possibly two. I’d give Samuel the edge over Shakir based on his production without Allen compared to Shakir’s production with Allen, and Coleman is simply harder to draft as most rookies are. This makes Samuel my top sleeper from the group,” Jahnke wrote.
Throughout his career, Samuel has been a solid player. He can line up all over the formation but has performed better when on the perimeter compared to the slot.
With the Bills, the opportunity to play outside will present itself. His competition for snaps is currently Khalil Shakir and rookie Keon Coleman. As Jahnke noted, Samuel has been more productive than Khalil and should quickly emerge as a go-to target.
“Samuel has a chance to be the top wide receiver option in Buffalo. His primary competition comes from Khalil Shakir and second-round rookie Keon Coleman. All three have a similar ADP. While Samuel is known as a slot receiver, he’s graded better when lined up outside (74.8 vs. 66.6), with more yards per route run (1.47 versus 1.26) and a higher target rate (20.1% vs. 17.2%). The Bills also tended to move their wide receivers around last season, so Samuel should line up all over the Bills’ formation,” Jahnke wrote.
To this point, 2020 was the best season of Samuel’s career. He had 1,051 total yards and touchdowns for the Carolina Panthers, playing a hybrid role as a receiver and runner.
With the Bills, he should be focused solely on playing wide receiver. With Allen being a massive upgrade under center compared to who Curtis has played with previously, the ingredients are in place for a Fantasy Football sleeper breakout.
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