4-EYED IDP TEAM PREVIEW: BUFFALO BILLS (2021)

Photo of Nate Marcum Nate Marcum Follow on X Send an email July 27, 2021
4 minutes read

In this second part of our Bills 4-EYED TEAM PREVIEW, we’re going to be covering the Bills’ IDPs that you should consider rostering for the 2021 fantasy football season.

Chaos! Crashing thru tables! Endless energy abound! Am I talking about the WWE? No, I am referring to #BillsMafia, which is a perfect representation of this Buffalo Bills Defense. From a dynamic rotation on the defensive line to one of the best secondaries in football, the Bills are ready to challenge for another AFC title and beyond.

While the Bills possess a real-life defense capable of helping them win an NFL title, who are the players capable of helping you win your fantasy title?

Find out now in the 2021 Buffalo Bills IDP Team Preview

Defensive Line

The defensive line is most likely going to be the one area of the Buffalo Bills that should benefit their real team a lot more than they help fantasy teams. The Bills took Gregory Rousseau and Carlos Basham with their first two picks of the 2021 NFL Draft. This just proves that improving rotational depth is paramount to the Bills’ philosophy in 2021. Last years’ top pick, AJ Epenesa, didn’t really impress but has the potential to be an impact player in 2021, it simply will rely on total snap counts.

Snap counts and rotation will be the most difficult to project this season in regards to fantasy output. Last year, Jerry Hughes led the Bills’ defensive line in snaps (629), which ranks 51th among DL last year. It is this rotation that makes me hesitant to invest anything into this DL, except in dynasty leagues.

Linbacker

*Positional designations & ADP data brought to you by Sleeper.

Tremaine Edmunds (Current ADP: LB20)

Entering the 2021 season, it is apparent that Edmunds might have more to prove than anyone on this Bills’ defense. Last year, he was almost voted “Most Overrated” by the Bills fanbase. He easily carried this monikker with fantasy fans alike. His LB28 finish to 2020 was far from inspiring. This isn’t exactly unwarranted tho. Let’s talk about a tale of two halves.

In the first half of the season, Edmunds’ was battling an early-season shoulder injury, that appeared to be a cause of the low output. He only had 2 double-digit tackle games entering Week 9. Over that same time, he had 0 sacks, 0 QB hits, 2 TFL, and only 1 pass defended. A far cry from the LB who had tallied back-to-back 100+ tackle seasons and was taken with the 16th pick just 2 years earlier.

The second half is what Buffalo fans, and IDP managers alike, had been hoping for. Edmunds was more aggressive in stopping the run and look more polished in pass coverage. From Week 9 on, he had 67 tackles, 4.5 TFL, and 2 sacks. Going as the LB20, there is good reason to be optimistic. He is still only 23 (remarkably younger than 8 of the players drafted in 2021 draft-per Joe Buscaglia of the Athletic) His current ADP is just built for a stable 100+ tackle floor, and if he can get back to pass coverage skills possessed in 2018 & 2019, LB 1 upside again.

Matt Milano (Current ADP: LB47)

Coming off of a productive 2019 and staring down a contract year in 2020, the last thing Matt Milano wanted to endure was an injury-shortened season. Fighting through a pectoral and hamstring injury, Milano only appeared in 10 games. In those 10 games tho, he had 45 tackles (35 solo), 4.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks, 9 QB hits, 3 PD’s and an INT. A very stat-stuffing season on limited snaps. With the Bills most likely running just two LB’s for the majority of the season, there is good reason to believe that Milano and Edmunds can both have productive seasons. If we simply look back at his 2019 season, which I think is replicable, he finished as the LB33. That year he exceeded 100 tackles, with 9 TFL and 9 PD’s. At LB47, there is profit to be had.

Defensive Back

*Positional designations & ADP data brought to you by Sleeper.

Jordan Poyer (Current ADP: DB7)

Last years’ DB2, Poyer looks ahead to 2021 as his 4th straight 100+ tackle season. Last years’ 91 solo tackles were the most of his career, and tops among DB’s. (5th most in NFL). While it’s hard to project Poyer for 91 solos, but his durability and consistency keep his floor nice and stable. If you want to look a step further, it was 2016 the last time that Poyer didn’t finish as a DB1, and that was only because he played in 6 games while with Cleveland.


Taron Johnson (Current ADP: DB83),

Saw a team-high 86 targets per PFF. Those targets and his usage in run defense led to a career-high 94 tackles and helped lead the way to a DB16. Lining up in the slot, while Tre’Davious White shuts down his side of the field, Johnson was peppered. His improvement over the finals half of the season gives me hope that he can match the league-high 432 coverage snaps from the slot. The departure of Josh Norman is definitely a positive for his playing time floor. Add in the fact that he is playing for a contract, and we might see another productive season from Johnson. And if you need any more reason to believe in Johnson’s upside….remember this play!

That’s all for our Bills IDP coverage for today. Stay tuned later for our double coverage of another AFC East team, the New York Jets.

Photo of Nate Marcum Nate Marcum Follow on X Send an email July 27, 2021
4 minutes read
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