Buffalo Bills

Ty Johnson

RB

Johnson just returned to practice Thursday after missing a month, but head coach Joe Brady said Friday that the veteran running back "doesn't need a lot of the physical work to go do his job." If Johnson ends up inactive, it could push more snaps and targets toward starter James Cook, in addition to benefitting backup Ray Davis. The Bills have typically deployed Johnson as a passing-down specialist.

Jude Bowry

OT

Bowry was dealing with a left foot injury late in training camp, but he now appears to be back to full health ahead of the regular season. The 23-year-old is expected to serve as a top depth option at offensive tackle behind starters Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown this season.

T.J. Sanders

DT

Sanders recorded a limited practice Wednesday, but it seems he may have suffered some sort of setback during the week. He'll likely need to return to practice Friday to give himself a chance to be active in Week 1 at Houston.

Michael Hoecht

DE

Hoecht had been working his way back from a torn Achilles suffered in Week 9 of last season but is now healthy again. The 28-year-old is expected to serve as a depth pass rusher behind Greg Rousseau and Bradley Chubb during Sunday's matchup against the Texans.

Jordan Hancock

CB

questionable

Keon Coleman

WR

Coleman was in a walking boot last month but returned to practice last week and is ready for Week 1 against the Texans. Listed as a starter on the unofficial depth chart, Coleman will be part of the rotation at wide receiver for Buffalo. He doesn't carry much redraft fantasy value and is a better best-ball selection in an offense that again has a lot of mouths to feed.

Khalil Shakir

WR

Shakir dealt with an unspecified injury last month, but he's good to go for Sunday's opener against the Texans. With DJ Moore now in Buffalo and Dalton Kincaid healthy headed into 2026, Shakir will have added competition for targets this season. He's a low-ceiling WR4/5 in fantasy.

Jedrick Wills Jr.

OT

questionable

Tyrell Shavers

WR

out

Dorian Strong

CB

nfi-r

Zane Durant

DT

ir

Joshua Palmer

WR

During his first season in Buffalo in 2025, Palmer produced a 22-303-0 receiving line on 37 targets over his 12 appearances before missing both of the team's playoff contests due to an ankle injury. Though he was declared fully healthy ahead of training camp, Palmer looks like he may have been surpassed in the pecking order at receiver by Coleman, a 2024 second-round pick who showed promise as a rookie but fell out of favor with the Bills toward the end of the past season. While the Bills retained most of their offensive coaching staff from 2025 with Joe Brady getting promoted from coordinator to head coach after Sean McDermott was dismissed, Coleman appears to be entering the upcoming season with a clean slate and could be prioritized ahead of Palmer, whose need as a vertical threat had already been lessened following the acquisition of Moore.

Terrel Bernard

LB

GM Brandon Beane stated a day earlier that the starting inside linebacker was "nicked up a little bit" and even went so far as to say "we'll see" about his Week 1 status, but it sounds like Bernard should be ready to play in the opener at Houston, even if he gets an injury designation. Bernard has come way down from his career regular-season high of 143 total tackles in 2023, mostly due to injuries, and he'll be playing in a new-look 3-4 defense this season as an inside linebacker instead of manning the middle.

Josh Allen

QB

Allen suited up for a preseason Week 1 matchup with the Panthers on Aug. 15 and led two scoring drives, completing six of eight passes for 111 yards and one touchdown. His final connection with Keon Coleman resulted in a nine-yard touchdown, after which Allen's exhibition action came to a close. The cameo displayed that Allen already was in midseason form, and he'll be aiming to get back to 4,000 yards through the air in 2026 for the first time since doing so in four consecutive campaigns from 2020-23. He'll be aided in that quest by the offseason addition of WR DJ Moore.

Connor McGovern

C

McGovern has been sidelined for the last few weeks by a right leg injury that he sustained in early August. He was cleared to return to practice Tuesday, an indication that he'll be available for the Bills' regular-season opener against the Texans on Sunday, Sept. 13.

Dalton Kincaid

TE

Kincaid's absence was simply for rest and injury-avoidance purposes, as Buffalo sat out all of its key regular-season starters. Kincaid ended up playing in just one preseason contest, logging nine snaps without seeing any targets. He's slated to be a key target for Josh Allen in the passing game this season and will next take the field in Week 1 versus Houston on Sunday, Sept. 13.

DJ Moore

WR

Buffalo elected to rest the bulk of its projected regular-season starters, including Moore, for the team's final preseason game. The veteran wideout saw action in one exhibition contest, catching three of four targets for 61 yards. Moore left that game early due to an ankle injury but has since returned to practice, so he should be good to go as the Bills' top wideout Week 1 of the regular season versus a tough Texans defense.

James Cook III

RB

The Bills rested most of their projected regular-season starters, so Cook's absence was expected. The star running back finished the preseason slate having appeared in one game, logging 21 yards on five carries. Cook now will look ahead to Week 1, when he's slated to lead Buffalo's backfield against a tough Texans defense on Sunday, Sept. 13. Ray Davis is expected to work as his top backup.

Ray Davis

RB

His muffed punt return at the Buffalo 12-yard line in the first quarter led directly to Pittsburgh's first TD of the game on the very next play. It was a tough way for Davis to end his preseason, but the third-year RB has never returned a punt in his NFL career. Davis' spot as the No. 2 back behind James Cook seems fairly secure however, after he averaged 4.7 yards on 58 carries over 17 regular-season games last year.

Skyler Bell

WR

The rookie fourth-rounder out of UConn led the Bills in both receiving and rushing on the night. He had missed both of Buffalo's first two preseason games due to a lower-body injury but returned to practice last week and was ready to go for the preseason finale. Bell is battling with Mecole Hardman, Trent Sherfield and Dante Pettis for the last spot or two on the final roster, but given Bell has more upside than those three teammates, there's a solid chance he'll be wearing a jersey in Week 1 against the Texans.

Alec Anderson

OT

Anderson beat out Austin Corbett for the starting role after being more impressive throughout training camp. Anderson has appeared in 34 games and made six starts across the last two seasons with Buffalo.

Dawson Knox

TE

The Bills rested most of their key skill players in the contest, a trend that could continue in Thursday's preseason finale against the Steelers. Looking ahead, Knox -- who agreed to a new three-year deal with the team in March -- is once again set to work in tandem with fellow TE Dalton Kincaid, an arrangement that resulted in Knox posting a 36/417/4 receiving line on 49 targets in 17 regular-season games in 2025, while Kincaid turned in a 39/571/5 line in 12 regular-season contests. From a fantasy perspective, Kincaid brings more pass-catching upside to the table, but Knox should still earn enough targets in 2026 to merit roster consideration in deeper formats.

Jackson Hawes

TE

"Everyone thinks of Jackson as the blocking tight end," Allen said. "He has some nuance to his receiving game. His hands are better than people give him credit for. He stays quiet, makes plays." Across 17 regular-season appearances last season, Hawes played 487 offensive snaps and was asked to block on 384 of those. On 103 routes, Hawes caught 16 of his 19 targets for 187 yards and three touchdowns. While Allen credited Hawes for his receiving acumen, the tight end isn't expected to be a featured player in the Buffalo passing game this season.

Phidarian Mathis

DT

reserve-sus

Chase Lundt

OT