Gabe Davis, James Cook, and Ja’Marr Chase

Sunday Night Football this week included a pair of franchise quarterbacks and fantasy football royalty on both sidelines capable of single-handedly deciding matchups.

So, what fantasy takeaways are we looking at from the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals?

Fantasy Takeaways From Sunday Night Football

James Cook, RB, Buffalo Bills

Due to the nature of this offense, Cook was never going to be a high-volume fantasy option, but we were hopeful that any value lost in touch count would be recovered from scoring opportunities as a primary piece in this explosive unit.

That simply hasn’t been the case this season. Buffalo’s willingness to abandon the run game is nothing new (under 15 carries in six straight games), but with just two scores this season, Cook’s role doesn’t carry much in the way of upside.

MORE: Fantasy News Tracker

We always preach volume over efficiency when it comes to our fantasy wish list, and Cook is a prime example of why. Is he capable of chunk plays and efficient days? Of course, but without consistent work, he NEEDS to be efficient just to be viable. A volume back, on the other hand, can provide a stable floor just by sheer number of opportunities, even if the per-touch production is limited.

With this Bills offense not nearly as potent as we expected coming into the season, Cook’s floor/ceiling combination isn’t as appealing as we assumed it would be. The schedule isn’t overly friendly moving forward, making Cook’s production up to this point about what you can expect moving forward — consistently average games without much of a ceiling.

Gabe Davis, WR, Buffalo Bills

After an ultra-impressive Week 8 showing against the Buccaneers (nine catches on 12 targets for 87 yards and his fifth touchdown of the season), expectations were high for Davis. In that victory, Davis proved capable of earning targets in the short passing game, something that has been missing from his skill set up to this point in his career.

If his route tree was truly sprouting a new branch, we wanted to be ahead of the game. I was as guilty as anyone; I won’t hide from that. We know he has game-breaking potential, so the idea of his floor being elevated by a newly developed skill was intoxicating.

Intoxicating and misleading.

Davis saw one target in the first half against the Bengals — a perimeter look that was interception.

He saw a target on the first drive of the second half — a 16-yard end-zone look.

Low volume. Deep shots. More of the same ole, same ole from Davis. That skill set can be profitable for fantasy managers; it just comes with a very wide range of outcomes and thus makes him unreliable.

Do I remain hopeful that Davis will eventually develop into the asset the fantasy community wants him to be? Yes. Hopeful. But it’s not happening right now, and I’m becoming less confident that it’ll happen in 2023.

Ja’Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

Chase got up gingerly after landing on his tailbone, and the passing game funneled through Tee Higgins immediately following that play. A sign of things to come or simply the result of the injury?

MORE: Early Week 10 Waiver Wire Pickups

Higgins was banged up earlier this season, and that impacted his ability to produce. But coming out of the bye, he caught five of six targets against the 49ers for 69 yards.

That may not sound like a noteworthy performance, but considering that it not only featured his first catch of over 20 yards this season (33 yards) but also saw him be efficient with his looks (83.3% catch rate, up from 38.9% prior), it was a massive step forward.

Higgins posted consecutive 70-catch, 1,000-yard seasons entering 2023, and while a slow start may prevent him from making it three straight, I would anticipate a similar per-game pace the rest of the way now that he (and Joe Burrow) is healthy.

Does this take food off Chase’s plate? I don’t think so. He did, after all, catch 10 balls in that win over the 49ers and has cleared 80 grabs in each of his first two seasons.

Assuming health, this offense can support a pair of top-20 receivers that both deserve to be started every week across all formats.

Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!