Buffalo

Bills

Johnson returned to practice on Friday after missing the first two sessions of the week with the hamstring issue. One practice might not be enough to get him on the field for Week 1, but it means he shouldn’t miss much more than Buffalo’s opening game. If he is ruled out, James Cook would likely pick up some extra work on passing downs.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Jones will receive $3.5 million in base salary with a chance to earn up to $6 million on his deal. The 34-year-old vet started in all 12 games he appeared in for the Bills last season, totaling 22 tackles, three TFLs, and three sacks while also forcing a fumble. Jones played under head coach Mike Vrabel from 2018 to 2020 and should provide immediate help up front for the Pats’ d-line.

It sure looks like the hamstring strain that Johnson suffered more than a month ago is going to keep him sidelined for the Bills’ season opener against the Texans. Starting RB James Cook was expected to play a larger role in the passing game this year. With Johnson sidelined, Cook could hog passing down snaps.

Johnson went down while running a route on August 9th. He resumed running roughly two weeks ago, but has not yet rejoined his teammates in drills. Although Johnson is not on the fantasy radar himself, he has hogged passing down snaps in recent seasons. Starting RB James Cook has been expected to take on a larger receiving role this season, and Johnson’s potential absence adds credence to that idea.

This is good news. Shakir has been sidelined for multiple weeks, rehabbing an undisclosed injury. His return today puts him on track to play in Week 1 against the Texans’ top-tier defense. Whether Shakir can be a reliable FLEX with WR DJ Moore now in Buffalo and TE Dalton Kincaid reportedly set to take on a larger role remains to be seen. Getting back on the field is the first step, though.

The most efficient tight end in the NFL over the past two seasons, Kincaid ran a pass route on a meager 45 percent of Buffalo’s drop backs over 12 games in 2025, finishing the season with 49 targets while being targeted on a hefty 28 percent of his routes. Finally healthy, Kincaid has been talked up by Bills coaches over the past few months. Bills players and beat writers have even complimented Kincaid’s blocking, a point of concern for the fourth-year tight end. Buscaglia said if Kincaid can “be just competent enough in blocking to preserve the threat of play action when he’s on the field and continue to crush receiving efficiency metrics, he’ll become one of the most important pieces to the roster.” Kincaid is a high upside swing late in drafts for those who fade the game’s top tight ends.

Buscaglia called Moore, who was acquired from the Bears this spring, the “crown jewel of the offseason” for the Bills front office. “Moore’s contributions to the offense within training camp were immediate and obvious,” Buscaglia said. “Allen routinely pushed the ball downfield to Moore, making a concerted effort all summer to build on-field chemistry with the Bills’ new No. 1 receiver. ... The days of ‘everybody eats’ seem to be in the rearview mirror.” It’s a bullish report — one that could mean Moore is among the best values in redraft leagues this season even after being among the NFL’s most inefficient wideouts in 2025. Moore should be in all 12-team lineups for Week 1 against the Texans.

Flannigan-Fowles, 30, could end up contributing to a special teams unit elsewhere in the NFL.

Shakir has been held out of practice for multiple weeks with an undisclosed injury. He has gotten some work off to the side, though it’s becoming more concerning with each day he fails to work in with the team. According to Zenitz, the team is simply being cautious with Shakir. We’ll learn more about his ailment when the first official injury report comes out next week. Like the Bills, fantasy managers should take a cautious approach with Shakir in the final week of drafts.

Neither did Ty Johnson (knee), with both players still having plenty of time to get back before next Sunday’s Week 1 game against the Texans. It’s hard to tell how seriously to take these because Joe Brady has been a brick wall on injury questions, but we’ll get a better indication next week when injury reports start to hit.