1. Why these Bills can help your team during fantasy playoffs
A week into the fantasy football playoffs and you are either still in it to win the whole thing or trying to not come in last place. NFL.com fantasy analyst Michael F. Florio offers some advice for your fantasy team this week and he mentions some Bills that should be starting in your lineups.
The straw that stirs the drink for the Bills offense is Josh Allen, who has been a consistent fantasy asset all season long. People may see the matchup in Denver and get nervous as the Broncos rank in the middle of the pack against QBs. But Allen has scored over 18 fantasy points in four of his last five games -- including over 27 in three of those. He has just one game with fewer than 15 fantasy points all year, showing what a safe floor, he brings each week. While Denver has ranked 15th in fantasy PPG allowed to QBs, it is still allowing 18.5 per game, and given how well Allen has played, he is still a top-five fantasy QB this week.
The Broncos are also stingy when it comes to allowing fantasy points to WRs, as they've allowed the 10th-fewest at 34.94 per game. Still, there is no way you can sit Stefon Diggs. He brings such a high ceiling, scoring over 19 fantasy points in four of his last five, including nearly 30 in a tough matchup against the Steelers last week.
Lastly, the Bills defense is very much in play this week. Since Week 2, the Broncos have allowed an opposing defense to finish as a top-12 fantasy defense eight times. Lock has also thrown 1.3 interceptions per game, the most in the NFL this season. Start the Bills defense this week.
2. Ed Oliver on facing his "brother" in Denver
In today's game against the Broncos, Ed Oliver will be going up against his former high school teammate Tyree Cleveland. Both Oliver and Cleveland played football for Westfield High School in Texas. Cleveland who plays wide receiver for the Broncos was a seventh-round pick in this year's draft. Even with busy schedules throughout the season, the two still talk daily and check up on each other. Oliver touched on his relationship with Cleveland and what he means to him.
"It's just a brotherhood that our high school formed just built in a fire," Oliver said. We went through a lot of things together, just playing ball together. So, just coming up together and being around each other everyday kind of makes us like brothers."
When the two are on the field this afternoon, there won't be any trash talk between them. For Oliver, it's all love and he has so much admiration and respect for his longtime friend.
"That's all love like I said that's really one of my close, close friends. Blood couldn't make us no closer, that's my brother. I might talk something to him, but it will come from the heart, it won't be malicious."
3. Three Bills execs land on CBS Sports' top 30 GM candidates list
CBS Sports insider Johnathan Jones broke down his complete list of 30 general manager candidates for 2021. There were three members of the Bills front office listed by Jones and they are Lake Dawson, Dan Morgan, and Joe Schoen. Schoen and Dawson have been a part of the Bills organization since 2017 while Morgan joined the team in 2018. All three men have been influential in building this team from the ground up. Here is what Jones had to say about the three guys:
Lake Dawson, Bills assistant director of college scouting
A former Notre Dame and Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver, Dawson served as VP of football operations with the Titans from 2011-2015 before joining Buffalo. He was a hot name throughout the 2010s, interviewing for no fewer than six GM jobs but never locking one down. The success in Buffalo should reignite interest in Dawson.
Dan Morgan, Bills director of player personnel
A tackling machine at linebacker for the Panthers, Morgan had been in Seattle's personnel department for nearly a decade before Brandon Beane brought him on in Buffalo. Morgan's time as a GM is coming after helping build a consistent winner in Western New York.
Joe Schoen, Bills assistant GM
He scouted for the Panthers and Dolphins before becoming director of player personnel in Miami. Beane poached him in 2017 and has been at his right hand to deliver a playoff contender to Buffalo. Schoen played a role this offseason in trading for Stefon Diggs and inking both Tre'Davious White and Dion Dawkins to extensions that didn't cripple the team's cap.
Check out photos of the Bills as the team travels to Empower Field at Mile High in Denver for Saturday's game against the Denver Broncos. Suited Up is presented by Imagine Staffing.
Brandon Bryant and Jerry Hughes. Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Josh Allen (17) Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Tyler Matakevich (44) and Tyler Bass (2) Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Levi Wallace (39) and Dean Marlowe (31) Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Sean McDermott Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Matt Barkley (5) Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Mario Addison (97) Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Vernon Butler (94) Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Josh Allen (17) Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Josh Allen (17) Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Stefon Diggs (14) Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Jon Harrison Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Tre'Davious White (27) Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Mario Addison (97) Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Mike Love (56) and Ike Boettger (65) Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Ike Boettger (65) Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Brian Winters (66) Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Isaiah McKenzie (19) Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Jordan Poyer (21) and Josh Allen (17) Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Taiwan Jones (25) Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Devin Singletary (26) Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Ed Oliver (91) and Dawson Knox (88) Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Dawson Knox (88) Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Harrison Phillips (99) Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Andre Roberts (18) Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Andre Roberts (18) Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Tyler Bass (2) Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Jerry Hughes (55) Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Quinton Jefferson (90) and Tyler Matakevich (44) Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Tyler Bass (2) Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Jordan Poyer (21) Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Tyler Matakevich (44) Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Antonio Williams Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Andre Smith Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Gabriel Davis (13) Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Deon Lacey (40) Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Josh Thomas Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Leslie Frazier. Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Dean Marlowe (31) Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Josh Thomas Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Levi Wallace (39) Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Justin Zimmer Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Brandon Bryant. Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Brandon Beane Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Corey Bojorquez (9) Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Reid Ferguson (69) Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Marquel Harrell Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Micah Hyde (23) Buffalo Bills depart for Denver, December 18, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
