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My Flowers To Ben Johnson
I must give credit where credit is due, and Ben Johnson, not on it, coached the Chicago Bears to a victory Sunday night. However, he embarrassed the Buffalo Bills‘ depth and play-calling after an offensive masterclass performance. Caleb Williams and the starters, most notably the revamped offensive line, looked unstoppable on the opening drive. Williams was 5/6 with 97 yards and a touchdown pass vs. the Bills starters, and it didn’t stop there. Tyson Bagent relieved Caleb Williams of QB duties later in the 1st quarter and proceeded to have a solid night, 13/22 passing for 196 yards and a TD himself, solidifying himself as the QB2 this season and the foreseeable future in Chicago.
What Happened To The Bills Depth?
Heading into this season, I praised the Bills’ depth, most notably the defensive line depth. That was nonexistent on Saturday. The Bears’ offensive line looked like a cohesive unit while the Bills…looked like UFL players. It raised some red flags for sure, but it is just the preseason, so no need to panic yet, Bills fans. What should be a red flag is that the Buffalo Bills will be without veteran players DE Michael Hoecht and DT Larry Ogunjobi for the first six weeks due to suspensions. This can be problematic in the event Buffalo is hit with the injury bug, forcing us to play our unproven rookies.
One Man Army
Frank Gore Jr., who spent the 2024 season on the Bills’ practice squad, impressed Sunday as he accounted for 81 total yards of the team’s 197 total. He is viewed as the obvious odd man out with guys like Ray Davis and Ty Johnson ahead of him for the RB2 role, but if he can follow up this performance with another next week against the Buccaneers and a Todd Bowles-coached defense, it might be enough for the Bills to keep him on the active roster this season.
Fantasy News (Bears)
I discussed in the game preview the optics of the Bears’ run game under Ben Johnson may be up for grabs, and fantasy owners are looking at Roschon Johnson and Kyle Monangai deep in their drafts, but neither played this past Sunday. Instead, the Bears gave significant reps to Ian Wheeler and Brittani Brown, who both showcased some skills, averaging over 4 yards a carry each and 3 total touchdowns, 2 of which from Wheeler. This backfield, like the Commanders, is something owners need to keep a close eye on, especially on the August 27th cut day, when every NFL team needs to cut down to a 53-man roster.
Fantasy News (Bills)
In deep drafts, Joshua Palmer remains a decent option as Elijah Moore seems not to be playing as much with the starters, which is only killing his value as we head into the final weeks of drafting. Nonetheless, Palmer remains nothing more than a bench WR in most leagues. Moving on to the franchise RB James Cook, who, unlike Moore, is rising on draft boards following his recent 4-year, $48M contract. He is a great back to get if you missed out on the top-end talent, or for those who like addressing other positions early.
Next Week
The Buffalo Bills look to wrap up their preseason woes with a win as they face off against the Liam Coen-less Buccaneers in another primetime game. This time around, it will be Saturday at 7:30 pm EST.
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