Kincaid ‘trending toward an enhanced role in 2026'

Earlier this offseason, doctors reportedly advised against surgically repairing the PCL tear Kincaid suffered back in 2024. Instead, Kincaid was told to focus on “setting a good foundation for strength around the knee to support it.” Kincaid believes his failure to properly prepare his body for NFL rigors, and his uneasy feelings about the knee, led to compensatory hamstring issues in 2025, but Kincaid’s new preparations have drawn compliments from Bills coach Joe Brady and QB Josh Allen. Regarding potential load management in-season, Kincaid thinks he and the team can see how his participation this spring and summer goes, rather than preemptively assuming he needs a snap count. Kincaid warrants fringe TE1 treatment if the team keeps him in a limited role. If he can prove his health has turned a corner this summer, he could inch his way up into the mid-TE1 tier.

Kincaid has declined to have a torn PCL surgically repaired since 2024. “There’s a lot of things that he is pushing through that you guys might not see, and I think some of it is just learning how to play with certain elements of some movements that might not feel great, and he’s had to push through that,” Brady said. Both GM Brandon Beane and Brady alluded to having to manage Kincaid’s practice time in 2026 to keep him fresh for games and deal with pain tolerance issues. We’re not doctors, nor will we play one on Rotoworld dot com, but it sounds like we can expect to be doing a lot of blurbs about Kincaid on practice days again this year. It’s never a great sign for a player’s fantasy value when we start talking about them being limited in April, but Kincaid has a big enough role in Buffalo’s offense to be in the fringe TE1 discussion.

This move was expected all along, but speaking at the league meetings in Arizona, GM Brandon Beane confirmed that Kincaid’s option has been picked up. The former No. 25 overall pick caught 39 passes for 571 yards and five touchdowns last season while appearing in 12 games, and has appeared in just 25 regular season games over the last two seasons due to a myriad of injuries. He will now be under contract through the 2027 season, but could be in line for an extension if he’s able to stay healthy in turn out a career-year this upcoming season. Kincaid has turned in eight top-12 fantasy finishes since 2024, and will enter this season as a boom-or-bust fantasy option at the position.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero confirmed the picks involved. Given that many believed Chicago would cut Moore this offseason, landing a second-round pick is a massive win for the Bears. With the additions of Rome Odunze, Colston Loveland, and Luther Burden, Moore had been slowly phased out of the Chicago passing game over the past two years. He caught just 50 passes for 682 yards during the regular season. Both marks were career-lows for the eight-year veteran. Moore’s effort and attitude were also pain points for the Bears, which new head coach Ben Johnson hinted at last offseason. Despite his declining numbers, Moore likely still has something left in the tank. The hope for Buffalo is that a change of scenery will revive Moore after a pair of down years. He is now the favorite to lead Buffalo in targets this year, with Khalil Shakir and Dalton Kincaid both working as secondary options.

Specifically, Beane said he does not “see any reason why we wouldn’t pick that up,” adding that the Bills’ mission is to help Kincaid stay healthy. We expect them to follow through, but this falls short of a firm commitment. Kincaid has been plagued by injuries during his three years in the NFL and told reporters earlier today that he does not plan to undergo surgery to correct the PCL tear in his knee, instead opting for more rehab. He initially suffered the injury in 2024 and “continued to tweak it in different situations” this season.

Kincaid confirmed that he played through the 2025 season with a torn PCL, which he initially injured in 2024. Per Kincaid, he “continued to tweak it in different situations” this season. The fact that he plans to avoid surgery is somewhat surprising after spending a year rehabbing the torn ligament unsuccessfully. Hopefully things work out better this time.

Bills beat writer Ryan Talbot notes that “a source close to Kincaid confirmed what Knox said” on the podcast. This certainly comes as a bit of a surprise. Kincaid, who popped up on multiple injury reports this season due to a knee injury, apparently played through the entire season with a PCL injury he suffered in 2024, which caused him to miss some time. We would assume that surgery will be in Kincaid’s future to correct the issue after he was limited to just 253 routes run this season on a career-low 368 offensive snaps, but we’ve yet to see anything from the team to suggest that. Kincaid averaged an impressive 2.70 yards per route run in his limited action, but the Bills offense will be better off in 2026 if they can have him on the field for a full assortment of snaps.

Kincaid was the Bills’ most impactful receiver in this game and during the year as well. The team was far more efficient offensively when he was out there. Unfortunately, he battled injuries yet again and played in just 12 games. He had 39 catches for 571 yards and a career-high five touchdowns. The advanced metrics loved his game as well, highlighting tremendous separation scores and yards per attempt. Kincaid has all the talent to be a clear TE1 in fantasy football and the top receiving option in Buffalo, but the injuries have made it hard to rely on getting that production from him.

Kincaid got in three limited sessions this week, a slight downgrade from the one full and two limiteds he saw ahead of the Wild Card round. He’s simultaneously so banged up that it’s hard to expect much and also one of the few players in the Bills passing game that Josh Allen can trust. He’s a hard player to square on this week’s DFS slate, though he obviously is a worthwhile play.

Kincaid was spotted in a walking boot after the Bills’ Wild Card Round win over the Jags. He has been banged up all year, and things won’t be any different in the Divisional Round. He is, however, likely to suit up after getting in a pair of limited practices so far this week. Expect another part-time role for him versus Denver. Just like last week, Kincaid will be a touchdown-or-bust fantasy bet for the Divisional Round.