Ty

Johnson

Johnson mainly serves as a third-down specialist, so his absence is not hugely consequential. The Bills promoted RB Frank Fore Jr. from the practice squad. He and RB Ray Davis will back up starting RB James Cook tonight.

Bills RB James Cook totaled 57 yards on just 13 rushing attempts last week, adding three catches for 12 yards. Per Fowler, the Bills plan to use him a lot more in primetime this evening. Cook can be treated as a locked-in RB1 in what should be a fantasy-friendly game environment on Thursday Night Football. The Bills notably elevated RB Frank Gore Jr. from the practice squad, which could indicate that RB Ty Johnson (hamstring) will be inactive tonight.

Johnson was limited in practice throughout the week after missing the Bills’ opener versus Houston. James Cook’s receiving role didn’t change much with Johnson out. Instead, Ray Davis and Frank Gore Jr. picked up a few extra routes each. Neither player has much fantasy appeal, even if Johnson remains out.

Johnson, the only offensive player on the Bills injury report ahead of Thursday’s clash with the Lions, could be trending in the right direction for Week 2. If he does return, he’ll take passing-game work off Frank Gore Jr.'s plate.

We’ll have a better idea of if Johnson can go for Week 2 on Tuesday — when the Bills will run an actual practice. Johnson didn’t return to practice until the Friday ahead of Week 1 as he’s nursed this hamstring injury throughout most of training camp. If he does go, he’ll step in as Buffalo’s third-down back. The Bills mostly used Frank Gore Jr. there in the second half during Week 1’s win.

He came on to the practice field for the first time since suffering the injury in training camp on Friday, but it was too little, too late. Ray Davis will likely pick up extra snaps and James Cook will be more involved in the passing game in Week 1 in a tough matchup. Also inactive for the Bills are: WR Skyler Bell, OT Jude Bowry, G Ar’maj Reed-Adams, DL T.J. Sanders, OLB Mike Danna and S Jalon Kilgore.

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.

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.

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.