1. Why Cole Beasley should be on your fantasy team
Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley had a career game against the Jets with 11 receptions for 112 receiving yards. It was Beasley's second 100-yard game this season. The wide receiver is proving to be a target Josh Allen can trust. ESPN’s Field Yates likes his point production in fantasy football this year.
"He's on pace right now for 90 catches and 1,075 receiving yards," Yates said. "That's how productive Cole Beasley has been through the first seven games of the season. He had 9.8 fantasy points in Week 1. Since then he has at least 10 in every game this season."
ESPN's Matthew Berry thinks he's valuable in fantasy because of his increasing target count.
"He has 100 yards or a touchdown in four of the last five," Berry said. "Here's his target count over the last four games—he went four, six, seven, 12. He's continued to get more and more involved in that offense, and some of that may be John Brown has been in and out of the offense, but they love him in the slot and he clearly has a connection with Josh Allen. He's more of a floor play than a ceiling play and that has value in fantasy football."
2. Tyler Kroft's saving grace
Bills tight end Tyler Kroft was one of two active tight ends for Week 7's game against the Jets because tight end Dawson Knox tested positive for COVID-19 and was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. Per NFL tracing protocols, tight ends Lee Smith, Tommy Sweeney (currently on PUP list) and Nate Becker (practice squad) were also placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list and missed Sunday's game because they had been in close contact with Knox.
Tyler wasn't in close contact with Knox because he was at the hospital with his wife, Lexi, who was delivering their child. Lexi said it was a long 24-hour delivery, but it was worth it because their daughter Grace is already coming in clutch. Tyler and Lexi appeared on Adam Schefter's weekly podcast to tell the story.
"She was the saving grace for us because had she come any earlier he probably would have been able to go to stuff on Friday," Lexi said about Kroft being away from the facility at the right time. "The team was awesome. I think they did let him get 40 or 45 minutes of sleep."
Tyler was able to get a quick nap in Friday morning before going to the complex because his daughter was delivered at around 5:00 a.m.
"When it went 24 hours, I texted coach at five or around six in the morning saying, 'She came in at five. I'm going to catch up on a little sleep, and I'll see you for practice,'" Tyler said. "He was totally on board for that, he understood. So I got 45 minutes, and during that time we had morning meetings, just our informal stuff. That's where the other guys got put on the COVID-19 list as far as the reserves."
Tyler said the first thing he did was check in with his teammates to make sure their health was okay.
"It was kind of a whirlwind, a crazy couple of days," Tyler said. "Grace was definitely looking out."
3. Josh Allen lands on this list of young quarterbacks to build around
Former NFL quarterback and current NFL Network analyst David Carr ranked his top five quarterbacks under 25 who he would build a team around. Bills quarterback Josh Allen earned the No. 3 spot on the list. Carr thinks Allen has physical traits that many don't and likes what he can do against zone coverage.
3. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills, Age: 24
Career stats: 35 games | 20-14 record as starter | 59.1 pct | 7,181 pass yds | 6.9 ypa | 46 pass TD | 25 INT | 84.9 QB rating | 1,345 rush yds | 20 rush TD | 10 fumbles lost
Allen is a physical, effective runner with the biggest arm in the league. That's right. With all due respect to Mahomes, Allen can throw it harder and farther than anyone. Now, the throw may not always be accurate, but the defense knows Allen can rifle the ball anywhere at any time. The Bills' QB1 makes it so tough for defenses playing zone coverage because he can rip the ball to his receiver in almost any situation, even when it appears all the gaps are covered. Allen has improved in each of his three NFL seasons -- the offseason addition of Stefon Diggs has certainly helped. His steady climb is proof that he's not just relying on his physical ability but taking the time to understand and execute Brian Daboll's offense.
