Trade for Khalil Shakir As Soon As Possible

With the Buffalo Bills‘ receiving core looking much different coming into this season than it did last year, there were a lot of questions regarding their WR1 this season. The Bills had a lot of solid players at the position, but it had originally seemed as if they were going for quantity over quality, with a lack of star talent at the spot.

Buffalo took a committee-approach in their Week 1 win over the Arizona Cardinals, but if anyone seemed to grab the WR1 role, it was Keon Coleman. Coleman led the team in receptions and receiving yards, including a couple of important grabs late in the game.

However, with an excellent showing in Buffalo’s Week 2 win against the Miami Dolphins from Khalil Shakir, he might have gone ahead and grabbed that role for himself. With that in mind, he could be a sneaky-good addition to your NFL Fantasy Football team as well.

Shakir’s Role in the Bills’ Offense

Shakir is the only Bills’ receiver to have experience with Allen, and it’s shown through two games

Despite losing Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis this offseason, Buffalo still managed to come into the 2024 season with some qualified receivers on the roster. There’s Shakir, obviously, who was the only guy on the depth chart to have any experience with Buffalo’s QB, Josh Allen, before the season began.

The Bills also drafted Coleman in April, who seemed to be the main threat to Shakir’s efforts to grab the WR1 spot. Then, three veterans, including Mack Hollins, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Curtis Samuel fill out the rest of the depth chart at the position.

Coleman did lead the team in yards after the first week of the season, but it appears decently clear now that Shakir is Allen’s most trusted target. He’s put together two solid performances now, while Coleman was blanked in Week 2.

Aside from those two, there hasn’t been much production from the position at all. The Bills’ next best pass-catching options seem like their tight ends, Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox, while RB James Cook has emerged as a very competent pass-catcher as well. Cook was the star of the show in Buffalo’s win against Miami, contributing as a rusher and receiver.

Shakir’s Performance in Week 2

Shakir has shown a lot of progress during the short 2024 campaign

If you’re going to have any Bills receiver on your fantasy team, it should be Shakir.

He’s clearly developed the most rapport with Allen. Shakir had a quiet rookie season, but in 2023, he managed to put together a very solid year, despite being the third receiving option on the team. That year, Shakir had 611 receiving yards, and he proved his big-play ability with 15.7 yards per reception.

Now that he’s been given a chance to become the clear first-option at the position, Shakir seems to have stepped up even more. Shakir has been targeted eight times, and he’s caught all eight passes. However, the most important thing regarding his fantasy value is that his role in the offense has changed as well.

Shakir had success last year, but with Diggs and Davis being able to catch contested passes, he found himself in more of a gadget role as a smaller receiver. With Coleman making several fantastic contested catches during his collegiate career, most thought he would serve that catch-in-traffic role for Buffalo. He has made a key play or two like that, but Shakir has interestingly managed to make some catches in traffic himself as well, like this one:

Now, Shakir isn’t going to go up and ‘moss’ too many cornerbacks. Still, the fact that he’s being targeted in traffic shows that his game has developed, and the Bills are trusting him with more opportunities.

Shakir won’t win you a fantasy football championship. Yet, he’d be an excellent player to stash on your bench. You never know when you’ll need depth, especially as the season goes on. Shakir is a low-risk, high-reward player to add.

All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference and all fantasy data courtesy of FantasyPros unless stated otherwise.