Khalil Shakir Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

The Bills are signing WR Curtis Samuel to a three-year, $24 million deal, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The contract can be worth up to $30 million and includes $15 million in guarantees. It almost certainly locks Samuel in as the No. 2 WR alongside Stefon Diggs. It's worth noting, however, that he's getting significantly smaller annual averages than Gabe Davis (Jaguars) and Darnell Mooney (Falcons). Each of those free-agent WRs got deals with $13 million annual averages and more guaranteed money. For now, Samuel looks poised to battle TE Dalton Kincaid for the No. 2 spot in targets. Though we'll see whether Buffalo adds a WR early in the draft. Samuel presents intrigue in that his short-range game differs from the skill sets of Diggs and Davis, who spent the past four years in Buffalo. Samuel also played under Bills OC Joe Brady in Carolina in 2020, when he trailed Robbie Chosen and D.J. Moore by more than 20 targets apiece. Samuel did garner a career-high 41 carries that season, but the Panthers only got three games of RB Christian McCaffrey. For fantasy, Samuel looks interesting and obviously lands with an upside QB. But it's tough to like him as more than a high-WR4 to low-WR3. Samuel's short-range game makes him more attractive for lineup-setting leagues than best ball drafts. His arrival is also bad news for WR Khalil Shakir, who has spent 72% of his snaps in the slot over two seasons in Buffalo. Shakir can play outside as well. But you shouldn't consider him before the end of best ball drafts.

Bills HC Sean McDermott said Friday that WR Gabe Davis (knee) won't play Sunday against the Chiefs. That should mean a continued role increase for WR Khalil Shakir. But WR Trent Sherfield got an even bigger bump the past two games. He has played his two largest snap shares of the season -- 71% at Miami, 63% vs. Steelers -- in the game Davis left and then the playoff opener he missed. Sherfield didn't see a target against Pittsburgh, so he's only in range as a DFS flyer and for deeper fantasy formats. Shakir racked up 6-105 receiving in the regular-season finale but then drew just 3 targets against the Steelers. He presents intriguing upside but is also no lock for opportunities. The Bills will also go without CB Christian Benford and S Taylor Rapp.

The Steelers-Bills game originally scheduled for 1 pm ET on Sunday has been moved to 4:30 pm ET on Monday. Buffalo is expecting heavy snow and wind gusts up to 60 mph on Sunday. The forecast for Monday calls for light snow, sustained winds around 15 mph, and gusts up to 30 mph. That's still tough weather for the passing and kicking games -- but significantly better than it would have been on Sunday. We're adjusting our projections for this game.

Bills TE Dawson Knox (wrist) has been activated to the 53-man roster. That puts him in line to play vs. the Chiefs on Sunday for the first time since Week 7. Knox would be a desperation fantasy start, but his return dings TE Dalton Kincaid's target projection. It also takes WR Khalil Shakir out of the picture even in deep fantasy leagues.

The Athletic's Joe Buscaglia believes WR Khalil Shakir is currently fifth on the Bills' depth chart. He played fewer snaps with QB Josh Allen in the team's second preseason game than both WRs Trent Sherfield and Deonte Harty. Shakir is not worth a roster spot in redraft leagues at this point. We're tentatively expecting the Bills' primary 3-WR set to open the season to be Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis out wide, with Harty in the slot.

Bills WR Trent Sherfield has been working in with the first-team offense throughout training camp, along with WRs Khalil Shakir and Deonte Harty, according to The Athletic's Joe Buscaglia. Those three are battling for the No. 3 WR job, behind Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis. And "among the three, Sherfield has had the strongest training camp," Buscaglia writes. Preseason performance might ultimately decide who opens the season as Buffalo's No 3. We'll keep a close eye on the situation.

Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic isn’t confident a full-time WR3 will emerge in Buffalo. WRs Khalil Shakir, Deonte Harty, and Trent Sherfield — plus TE Dalton Kincaid — are competing for snaps. “Don’t be surprised if this battle continues into the regular season and the team uses a hot-hand approach with all of them,” Buscaglia concludes. A Round 1 pick, Kincaid brings the most intrigue. The issue? Fantasy drafters are treating him as a fringe starter with a TE13 ADP (FFPC). Shakir made a few big plays last year, then watched the Bills sink $5.2 million guaranteed into Harty. Even Sherfield generated some buzz in OTAs. We’re ultimately talking about deep league fliers, although training camp could push one name into your best ball strategy.

Bills WR Khalil Shakir has had a strong offseason so far and "is going to push hard for prime snaps in the Bills’ three-receiver set," The Buffalo News' Mark Gaughan writes. Shakir played limited snaps as a rookie last year but flashed with 16.1 yards per catch on his 10 grabs. With Isaiah McKenzie gone, we consider Shakir the favorite for the No. 3 WR job heading into training camp, with Deonte Harty providing the primary competition.

Bills GM Brandon Beane said that the team envisions WR Deonte Harty filling the “four role." Harty got a surprisingly lucrative two-year, $9.5 million deal from Buffalo, but it doesn't sound like he's slated for an every-down job on offense. (Not surprising considering he's just 5'6 and 170 lbs.) With WR Isaiah McKenzie likely on the outs, Stefon Diggs, Gabriel Davis, and Khalil Shakir currently project as the Bills' top three WRs. We'll see if they add another WR in the draft.

The Bills are expected to sign WR Deonte Harty to a two-year deal, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The contract will reportedly include $9.5 million total, with $5 million of that fully guaranteed. Incentives could push it to a $13.5 million max value. Those numbers don't guarantee a significant offensive role for Harty, who has done his best work as a return man. Harty collected 64 total receptions and 15 rushing attempts across four years with the Saints, compared with 152 total returns. He figures to push RB Nyheim Hines out of the primary return role. We'll see if Buffalo plans to let Harty compete with Isaiah McKenzie and Khalil Shakir for more on offense. If it does, Harty's speed would make him an intriguing late-round flier. You can consider him near the end of best ball drafts now for that reason.

Bills WR Isaiah McKenzie (hamstring) is inactive for today's Wild Card game vs. the Dolphins. That leaves WRs Cole Beasley, Khalil Shakir and John Brown behind Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis. Beasley is the most natural fill-in for McKenzie's slot role.

Bills WR Isaiah McKenzie (hamstring) didn't practice again on Friday and is officially listed as questionable for Sunday's Wild Card game vs. the Dolphins. Should McKenzie miss this contest, WRs Cole Beasley and Khalil Shakir could see a bump in opportunity running slot routes. The Dolphins' primary slot CB Kader Kohou has allowed 50+ yards to opposing WRs in 3 of the team's last 5 contests. Something to consider for fantasy managers participating in playoff contests/formats.

Bills WR Isaiah McKenzie (hamstring) was downgraded to missing practice on Thursday after logging limited participation the day before. It'll be interesting to see if McKenzie can ramp up activity Friday or else he may be in danger of missing Sunday's Wild Card game vs. the Dolphins. Should he sit, WRs Khalil Shakir and Cole Beasley could see a boost in responsibility running out of the slot. We'll keep everyone posted as more information becomes available.

Bills WR Isaiah McKenzie (concussion) put in a full week of practice and isn’t listed on the final injury report. He’ll return for Sunday’s showdown with the Chiefs. We’ll see if McKenzie loses some slot snaps to WR Khalil Shakir, but McKenzie definitely has upside in this matchup.

Bills WR Isaiah McKenzie has cleared concussion protocol, HC Sean McDermott said Wednesday. So, barring a setback, McKenzie will return for this weekend's showdown vs. the Chiefs. We're projecting him to take back over as Buffalo's primary slot receiver, but WR Khalil Shakir could steal some snaps after a strong showing in McKenzie's place last week.

Bills WR Isaiah McKenzie (concussion) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Steelers. That leaves rookie Khalil Shakir as Buffalo’s #3 WR – and a nice cheap flier in DFS lineups.

Bills WR Isaiah McKenzie (concussion) is listed as questionable for this weekend's game vs. the Steelers. He got in limited practices on Thursday and Friday but still has work to do to clear protocol. We should get another update on McKenzie by Sunday morning. With WR Jamison Crowder and Jake Kumerow out with their ankle injuries, McKenzie's absence would leave rookie Khalil Shakir as Buffalo's #3 WR.

Bills WR Isaiah McKenzie (concussion) did not practice on Wednesday. He has a ways to go in order to be cleared in time for Sunday's game vs. the Steelers. With WRs Jamison Crowder (ankle) out and WR Jake Kumerow (ankle) likely out, Buffalo might be down to rookie Khalil Shakir as its #3 WR.