After Gabe Davis gave fantasy football managers a headache last week, is the Buffalo Bills WR set to be playing today against the Miami Dolphins? Let’s take a look at the latest we know about Davis’ status for Week 3 and whether fantasy managers should trust him in their lineups.
Is Gabe Davis playing today?
Things got off to a good start for Davis’ fantasy managers in Week 3 when the WR was listed as limited at practice Wednesday. The fact that practice was just a walkthrough provided some pause, but the fact the Bills felt Davis would have been able to be limited if it was a full practice was a promising sign just four days after he hurt his ankle in practice. He then backed up that positivity with limited practices on both Thursday and Friday.
Davis was listed as questionable by the Bills Friday, but the general feeling was one of positivity. On Sunday morning, ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirmed that Davis is expected to be active when the Bills face the Dolphins in Miami this week. The question for fantasy managers is whether that now makes Davis a player to start this week.
Should fantasy managers trust Gabe Davis in Week 3?
Davis is a tough fantasy asset to figure out entering Week 3. Firstly, anytime a player comes into a game injured, there is a risk, especially with an ankle injury for a receiver. Secondly, there is the slightly boom-or-bust nature of Davis based on what we saw in Week 1.
Against the Rams, Davis played on 98% of the snaps but saw just a 16% target rate as Buffalo spread the ball around. Stefon Diggs led the team with nine targets, and there were six players who saw between two and six targets. In terms of the WR options, Davis was second but only marginally ahead of Isaiah McKenzie and Jamison Crowder, who saw a combined seven targets.
The other aspect is that Jake Kumerow looked more than useful when playing in place of Davis last week. He finished with 50 receiving yards on two receptions from three targets. The numbers don’t blow you away, but Kumerow more than proved he is deserving of more playing time rotating in for Diggs and Davis. Therefore, with Davis coming into the week carrying an injury, we may not see him play the same percentage of snaps we saw in Week 1.
Davis is always a tough player to judge because of the boom-or-bust nature that comes with a player who might only see five or six targets per game. However, this week he is especially risky, given the uncertainty over how much he might play. Whether you can bench him depends on your other options. If you have some options that could see 5+ targets this week, they might be a wise call over Davis, especially in PPR formats this week.
Could Jake Kumerow, Isaiah McKenzie, or Jamison Crowder be starting options this week?
Unfortunately, the only receiver you can start with confidence for the Bills this week is Diggs. With 23 targets through the first two weeks, we know Diggs will get his looks.
Meanwhile, the other receiving options have very much split opportunities. No other WR has seen more than six targets through the first two games, with Zack Moss and Dawson Knox tied for second in targets with seven.
Kumerow has the biggest threat in terms of a splash play, but we have no idea how much he will play. In deep PPR leagues, McKenzie and Crowder are frustrating because they are cannibalizing each other’s targets. They’ve split 12 targets through the first two weeks, with four receptions each and a total of 100 yards.
That all averages out to nine fantasy points per week in PPR leagues that are then split between them. If you start either, you are essentially hoping they score, but they’ve seen one red-zone target between them through the first two games.
