Buffalo Bills 2026 Preview

August 21 Update and best ball outlook::

(By: Mike Johnson)

• Josh Allen is still the fantasy king at QB until further notice. He is going in the third round of most Best Ball drafts, which is fair, but the fact that you can get Lamar Jackson 2+ rounds later in most drafts makes him someone I have not been clicking.
• The Buffalo backfield is in the same spot we saw it end 2025 in. James Cook is the clear primary back, Ty Johnson has a very specific passing down role, and Ray Davis is Cook’s direct backup — with one of the highest contingent upsides of any RB being taken after pick 100.
• DJ Moore absolutely balled out in the first preseason and appears to be a perfect fit for Josh Allen. Moore’s after catch ability and ad-lib style seem to match Allen’s approach to the position and Moore could be in store for a monster season. I have been smashing the button for him in the 4th round almost every time he is available to me over the last week or so.
• Dalton Kincaid could be an elite post-hype sleeper as a talented and versatile tight end. He may not ever be a truly elite player at his position due to how Buffalo plays, but he undoubtedly has a weekly and season long ceiling far above what he has shown thus far in his career.
• Khalil Shakir’s ADP is comfortably in the double digit rounds at this point due to the presence of Moore. Shakir’s weekly ceiling is a bit capped and if he wasn’t going to be dominant with last season’s receiving corps, it’s probably not ever going to happen. He is a fine pick, but there are a lot of receivers being drafted in the same range with much higher contingent upside.

WRITTEN BY: HILOW

Coaching/Philosophy/Scheme Changes ::

• Offense: Joe Brady moves from offensive coordinator to head coach, while the team hired former Broncos senior offensive assistant Pete Carmichael Jr as its new OC. Brady has already confirmed he will continue to call offensive plays moving forward.
• Defense: Hired former Broncos assistant head coach and defensive pass game coordinator Jim Leonhard to be the new defensive coordinator.

Personnel Changes ::

• Traded for WR D.J. Moore, sending a second-round pick to the Bears.
• Signed veteran DE Bradley Chubb, S C.J. Gardner-Johnson, S Geno Stone, CB Dee Alford, and C Lloyd Cushenberry in free agency.
• Focused heavily on defensive depth and offensive line depth through the draft, also taking WR Skyler Bell in the fourth.
• Traded CB Taron Johnson to the Raiders.
• Lost OG David Edwards, FB Reggie Gilliam, DB Cam Lewis, S Darnell Savage, OT Ryan Van Demark, and QB Mitchell Trubisky via free agency.
• Released WR Curtis Samuel, S Taylor Rapp, and CB Dane Jackson ahead of free agency.

Schedule ::

• Divisional Games (6):
• Dolphins x 2, Patriots x 2, Jets x 2
• AFC West (4):
• Chargers, Chiefs, @Broncos, @Raiders
• NFC North (4):
• Lions, Bears, @Packers, @Vikings
• Ravens, @Rams, @Texans

Bull Case ::

The bull and bear case for the Bills are going to be fairly abridged because most of the interesting discussions to be had involve how we interpret what we’ve seen from this team and apply it moving forward, which will be done in the final section.

The Bills have one of the top offensive lines in the league, when healthy, one of the top quarterbacks in the league, one of the top pure rushers in the league in James Cook, and play calling continuity with the promotion of former quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator Joe Brady to head coach. There are legitimate reasons to be excited about an offense that has finished third or higher in scoring in five of the previous six seasons, finishing a “disappointing” sixth in the lone outlier in that sample. Mike Clay currently has the Bills projected for 26 passing scores and 26 rushing scores, marks that I can get behind considering what this team has accomplished in recent seasons.