Tag: devin singletary

Devin Singletary’s ridiculous first down against the Patriots had NFL fans in awe

How did Devin Singletary do this?

The Buffalo Bills went into New England yesterday and beat the Patriots, 33-21, to take control of the AFC East and get revenge for that loss they suffered against Bill Belichick and Co. in that wind game a few weeks ago.

Buffalo controlled Sunday’s game basically from the opening whistle. Josh Allen was electric all game long and showed everyone why he’s one of the best QBs in the league.

But there was one play early in the game that needs to be talked about more – Buffalo RB Devin Singletary’s ridiculous first down in the first quarter that set the tone for the day.

Why am I bringing up a first down almost 24 hours after the play? Because look at this thing:

Singletary dragged Patriots safety Kyle Dugger with him for a good eight yards and was even to blow up linebacker Dont’a Hightower at the end of the run.

Look at where this play should have come to an end:

Amazing.

Twitter was in awe.

Report card: Bills top Patriots, retake division lead

Report card: #Bills top #Patriots, retake division lead (via @NateMendelson):

The Buffalo Bills retook control of the AFC East and their playoff destiny. The 33-21 defeat of the New England Patriots might be Buffalo’s best win all season.

The Bills (9-6) played a complete game and excelled offensively against some major adversity vs. the Patriots (9-6).

Here’s how Bills Wire graded Buffalo, position-by-position, in the win:

Bills at Patriots: 7 storylines to follow in Week 16

#Bills at #Patriots: 7 storylines to follow in Week 16:

It’s Wednesday, so the Buffalo Bills are now turning their attention to their next opponent. This week, it’s a familiar face for various reasons: the New England Patriots.

After righting the ship after back-to-back losses, the Bills (8-6) won last week. Now their meeting with the Patriots (9-5) means all the more.

With that, here are seven storylines to follow as Week 16 approaches:

Targets, Touches and TDs: Week 16

Making sense of Week 15 results and applying lessons to the rest of 2021.

So you weren’t facing Travis Kelce and survived your first-round playoff matchup.

Or, you could’ve started the likes of Tom Brady, Ja’Marr Chase, Joe Mixon and Dawson Knox — who totaled a combined 27 fantasy points — and lived to tell about it.

Perhaps you were simply above the mess that was Week 15 and were one of the fortunate few top seeds who had an opening-week bye.

And maybe you had ridden a now-injured Leonard Fournette, Chris Godwin or a slumping Dak Prescott or Saquon Barkley this far and now are in need of some bench or waiver-wire plug-in help for this week’s semifinals. Or, unfortunately with the untimely COVID-19 surge, there’s almost certain to be the need for additional roster and lineup alterations on the fly.

You’ve come to the right place.

This week’s TT&T looks at 10 of the surprise fantasy standouts from Week 15 and which of these upstart, Johnny-come-latelys you should — or shouldn’t — trust during the championship chase over the next couple weeks.

Here goes, kicking off with those Week 15 surprises that you should …

Get them into your lineups

Atlanta Falcons WR Russell Gage

Week 15: 11 targets-8 receptions-91 yards-TD for 23.1 total fantasy points (sixth among wide receivers through Monday in point-per-reception scoring).
Looking ahead: Gage has been anything but a one-week wonder. Since Week 12, Gage ranks fourth among wide receivers with 29 receptions and 347 yards, is tied for sixth with 36 targets and trails only Cooper Kupp, Hunter Renfrow and Justin Jefferson with 75.7 total fantasy points during that span. In short — in case you hadn’t noticed during the Falcons’ largely anonymous 6-8 season so far — Gage has stepped in for the departed Julio Jones and the on-leave Calvin Ridley as Matt Ryan’s go-to wideout and is producing WR1 numbers on a consistent basis. The Falcons do face the Buffalo Bills (fantasy’s toughest matchup for opposing fantasy wide receivers) in Week 17, but they do get the two-win Detroit Lions at home this coming weekend.

New Orleans Saints defense

Week 15: Four sacks, one interception and fumble recovery in Sunday night’s shocking shutout win over the hosting Tampa Bay Buccaneers for 8.0 total fantasy points (tied for fifth among team D/STs in Huddle Performance scoring).
Looking ahead: Barring a rash of return scores, we fully realize a fantasy defense most likely isn’t going to be the impetus for a fantasy league title, but the New Orleans D closes the regular season with the second-most favorable Week 16-18 slate (Miami Dolphins, Carolina Panthers, Falcons), with the first two of those three also at home, so definitely look to grab the defense that just blanked Brady and the league’s highest-scoring offense.

Detroit Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown

Week 15: 11 targets-8 receptions-90 yards-1 TD for 23.5 total fantasy points (fifth among wideouts through Monday)
Looking ahead: After averaging 4.7 targets and 3.5 receptions over his first 11 games, this Lions rookie has had at least 11 targets and eight receptions in each of his last three contests. And since Week 13, St. Brown is second only to Jefferson (70.8) with 63.6 total PPR points, reeling in 26-of-35 targets for 249 yards and a pair of scores. Only Godwin and Jefferson have more targets (39), and only Godwin has more receptions (31) at the position during that span. With tight end T.J. Hockenson having missed the last two games and shelved for the season due to thumb surgery, St. Brown is the unquestioned No. 1 target in the Motor City and deserves a spot in fantasy lineups for any team manager uncertain about one’s starting wideouts.

Solid plug-in options

Buffalo Bills WR Gabriel Davis

Week 15: 7 targets-5 receptions-85 yards-2 TDs for 25.5 total fantasy points (third among WRs).
Looking ahead: Davis got his second start of the season Sunday vs. the Carolina Panthers in place of the injured and inactive Emmanuel Sanders and played a season-high 90 percent of the offensive snaps. Among the Bills, only Cole Beasley (8) received more targets than Davis in the game, and the latter’s two touchdown receptions stretched his game streak with a TD to three. He has four total scoring grabs over that span. Sanders could be back any week, and in Week 16 the Bills do face the New England Patriots, the third-toughest fantasy matchup for opposing wide receivers. With the Pats likely to focus on taking away the Bills’ top pass-catching threat in WR Stefon Diggs, Davis should see some extra-favorable matchups again after already accounting for Buffalo’s lone TD in a 14-10 home loss to New England in cold and brutally blustery conditions in Week 13.

Miami Dolphins RB Duke Johnson

Week 15: 22 carries-107 yards-2 TDs; 1 target-1 reception-20 yards-1 TD (first among running backs through Monday with 25.70 fantasy points (PPR scoring)
Looking ahead: Long viewed as a underutilized asset by some, Johnson garnered one of the rare bell-cow workloads of his seven-year tenure Sunday, posting career highs in rushes (22), rushing yards (107), total touches (23) and total yards (127). But keep in mind this was with regular starter Myles Gaskin just coming off the COVID-19 list, and it was against the New York Jets, the most forgivable fantasy defense for opposing running backs in the league. So even if Johnson suddenly is the new lead back in Miami, fate would have it that no less than the top two toughest fantasy RB defenses await the next two weeks in the Saints and Tennessee Titans.

Detroit Lions RB Craig Reynolds

Week 15: 26 rushes-112 yards; 1 target-1 reception-5 yards for a total of 12.7 fantasy points (14th among running backs)
Looking ahead: With D’Andre Swift (shoulder) and Jamaal Williams (COVID-19 list) out the last two weeks, the unheralded Reynolds has not only emerged as the Lions’ lead back but has looked impressive in doing so, rushing for 195 yards on 37 carries and catching all three of his targets for 35 yards. Only league rushing leader Jonathan Taylor (170) has rushed for more yards than Reynolds in Week 15. The Lions’ immediate schedule is tasty as Detroit draws a pair of bottom-eight fantasy RB defenses (the Falcons and Seattle Seahawks) the next two weeks. So as long as Reynolds remains in the mix with Williams now activated and the slim chance Swift returns to a two-won team, he’s a plug-and-play RB2/flex option.

Buffalo Bills RB Devin Singletary

Week 15: 22 rushes-86 yards-1 TD; 1 reception-10 yards for 16.6 total fantasy points (sixth among running backs)
Looking ahead: Amazingly, this marked Singletary’s high in rushing attempts and matched his best outing in terms of total touches in 42 career games. And it came in a contest where fellow RB Zack Moss was a healthy scratch and Matt Breida only logged only one rushing attempt, giving Singletary a 95.8 percent share of the backfield touches. Prior to this contest, no Bills running back had had more than 16 touches in a game, so perhaps this was an indication of the direction Buffalo wants to go as it entered a critical season-ending, four-game stretch with the AFC East title and the AFC’s No. 1 seed still within reach. The remaining itinerary is favorable as well with the Bills set to face the second-easiest Week 16-18 slate of opposing fantasy RB defenses. The key, though, will be the Bills sticking with Singletary as the lead back and getting him 15-plus opportunities.

Simply one-week wonders

New England Patriots TE Hunter Henry

Week 15: 8 targets-6 receptions-77 yards-2 TDs for 25.7 total fantasy points (third among tight ends)
Looking ahead: This was Henry’s best fantasy outing in more than two seasons and marked only his fourth contest with 13-plus PPR points on the season and first since Week 10. The trouble is, Henry remains too reliant on TDs. He led all tight ends with nine receiving scores on the season through Monday’s games but ranked 19th in targets (58), 16th in receptions (41), and 16th in receiving yards (471). To further illustrate the point, New England rookie QB Mac Jones has thrown 18 TD passes on the season, and half of them have been caught by Henry. You may have struck fantasy gold with the Pats tight end in Week 15, but his other numbers indicate that you’re going to miss often more than you hit when streaming Henry.

Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton

Week 15: 38 attempts-18 completions-156 yards-1 TD-1 interception; 15 rushes-71 yards-1 TD for a total of 24.9 fantasy points (fifth among QBs on the week).
Looking ahead: This was Cam’s second-best fantasy day since re-signing with the Panthers prior to Week 10, and his 15 rushing attempts and 71 rushing yards marked season highs. Newton, though, is still only completing 54.9 percent of his passes and hasn’t reached 190 aerial yards in any of his five outings and four starts this season. Carolina’s remaining schedule isn’t formidable from a fantasy standpoint as the Bucs (Week 16 & 18) and Saints (Week 17) both rank among the bottom third in most fantasy points allowed to opposing QBs, but Newton is too over-reliant on his 32-year-old legs to be counted on anything more than an emergency QB1 starter or spot QB2 streamer.

Pittsburgh Steelers defense

Week 15: 4 sacks-3 fumble recoveries-1 interception for 12 total fantasy points (second among team D/STs on the week).
Looking ahead: The Steelers D certainly has brand recognition, especially with Defensive Player of the Year front-runner T.J. Watt headlining the unit. But “Steel City D” is more name than game this season, permitting the fourth-most yards (367.5) and 11th-most points (23.9) per game while ranking in a tie for 19th among fantasy defenses with an average of 5.4 fantasy points per outing. So don’t be fooled by the Steelers’ big game Sunday. It was against the turnover-prone Titans, who trail only the Jets (26) with 25 giveaways on the season. Much tougher matchups await the next two weeks in the fantasy playoffs as Pittsburgh faces the Chiefs, who have turned things around of late after a turnover-laden start, and the Cleveland Browns, who currently rank as the fifth-worst matchup for fantasy D/STs. Look elsewhere for a defensive team streamer.

Tunnel Vision of Week 15

Tunnel Vision – a look back at Sunday for fantasy free agents, injuries and notable performances.

SUNDAY SALUTES
Quarterbacks Pass – Rush TD
 Tyler Huntley 215 – 73 4
 Patrick Mahomes 410 – 32 3
 Cam Newton 156- 71 2
Justin Herbert 236 – 16 3
 Aaron Rodgers 268 – 11 3
Running Backs Yards TD
Duke Johnson 22-107 rush
1-20 catch		 2
Jonathan Taylor 29-170 rush 1
Jeffery Wilson 21-110 rush
2-9 catch		 1
Austin Ekeler 12-59 rush
4-23 catch		 1
James Robinson  18-75 rush
3-13 catch		 1
Wide Receivers Yards TD
Tyreek Hill 12-148 1
Brandin Cooks 7-102 2
Gabriel Davis 5-85 2
Christian Kirk 9-94 1
Amon-Ra St. Brown 8-90 1
Tight Ends Yards TD
Travis Kelce 10-191 2
Mark Andrews 10-136 2
Hunter Henry 6-77 2
Dalton Schultz 8-67 1
George Kittle 6-93 0
Placekickers XP FG
Ka’imi Fairbairn 3 3
Chris Boswell 1 4
Riley Patterson 3 3
Evan McPherson 0 3
Greg Zuerlein 2 3
Defense Sack – TO TD
Cowboys 1 – 4 0
Steelers 4 – 4 0
Jets 1 – 3 0
Colts 1 – 2 1
Texans 1 – 0 1

Bumps, Bruises and Bowouts

QB Teddy Bridgewater – Head
RB Joe Mixon – Ankle
RB Leonard Fournette – Hamstring
WR Chris Godwin – Knee
WR Mike Evans – Hamstring
WR Julio Jones – Hamstring
WR Tajae Sharpe – Foot
WR Sterling Shepard – Torn Achilles
WR Rondale Moore – Ankle
TE Pat Freiermuth – Concussion
PK Zane Gonzalez – Quad

Chasing Ambulances

QB Teddy Bridgewater (DEN) – Was carted from the field and sent to the hospital after suffering a  neck/head injury in the loss to the Bengals. While HC Vic Fangio said that Bridgewater “checked out good,” he remained in the hospital overnight to be observed. Drew Lock replaced him  and will again at the Raiders if Bridgewater doesn’t return.

RB Joe Mixon (CIN) – He entered the win over the Broncos already banged up and then left later when his left leg was rolled up, and  he injured his ankle. HC Zac Taylor did not give a post-game update. His status should be known on Monday and the Bengals need him for their matchup with the Ravens this week. He may have just reaggravated his previous sprain.

WR Julio Jones (TEN) – His first season with the Titans is a bust. Now he let the loss to the Steelers with a hamstring injury before recording a catch.  He just returned from injured reserve last week and hasn’t been a factor since Week 2 anyway.

WR Sterling Shepard (NYG) – Tore his Achilles and is gone for the season. Given the constant stream of injuries to the Giants’ wideouts and the level of quarterbacking, there is no other receiver worth grabbing.

RB Leonard Fournette (TB) – Injured his hamstring and left the matchup with the Saints. Ronald Jones becomes a must-own if Fournette misses any time since the Bucs final three games are against the Panthers (twice) and the Jets.

Buccaneers wideouts – Mike Evans (hamstring) and Chris Godwin (knee) left the matchup with the Saints. Initial speculation is that Godwin has a sprained MCL and will be back.  The severity of Evans’ hamstring strain will be determined.  Antonio Brown has served his most recent suspension and will rejoin the team this week. He’ll be immediately returned to the field if either Evans or Godwin misses any time with their injuries.

Free Agents, Flops and Other Notables

For the first time ever, there are still four games left to play.

TE Hunter Henry (NE) – Henry already scored seven touchdowns on the year but had been quiet in the last three games. Against the Colts in a game when the Pats couldn’t win by rushing and good defense, Henry delivered six receptions for 77 yards and two scores for a season-best.

WR Gabriel Davis (BUF) – The Bills’ wideout just pulled the hat trick. After scoring against the Pats and Buccaneers in the two previous games, he led the Bills with five catches for 85 yards and two scores. Emmanuel Sanders’ absence hasn’t hurt Davis but he was already scoring before Sanders was hurt in Week 14.

RB Devin Singletary (BUF) – The Bills backfield is always among one of the least productive but they’ve settled on Singletary as the primary rusher. He comes off a season-high 22 carries for 86 yards and a score on the Panthers and he added a ten-yard catch. Matt Breida was the only other running back and he ran just once.

RB Chase Edmonds (ARI) – First game back from injured reserve and the “other half” of the Cardinals’ backfield  ran six times for 53 yards against eight rushes for 39 yards by James Conner. That split the backfield that Conner has owned in recent weeks. Conner caught two passes for 31 yards while Edmonds failed to catch his only target. The game did not go as planned, so the ratios are not set in stone. But so far, Edmonds reduced Conner’s fantasy value without creating much of his own.

RB Craig Reynolds (DET) – The undrafted practice-squad call-up surprised in Week 14 when he ran for 83 yards on 11 carries in Denver. He followed that with 26 carries for 112 yards in the improbable win over the Cardinals.  D’Andre Swift takes over whenever he returns, but Reynolds deserves a spot on the bench, not the practice squad after two impressive performances.

WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (DET) – The Lions’ rookie gets better and better. After recording over 70 yards for the last two weeks, St. Brown turned in a season-high 90 yards and a score on eight catches.  Josh Reynolds (6-68, TD) also looks better back with Jared Goff and not many people can say that.

WR Brandin Cooks (HOU) –  The Texans’ only weapon served up a season-high seven catches for 102 yards and two touchdowns in the win over the Jaguars. He caught eight passes for 101 yards last week versus the Seahawks. This coincided with Davis Mills being re-installed as the starting quarterback. Deshaun Watson is gone next year, but do the Texans need  to address quarterback? Lots of needs, Mills seems to be improving.

RB James Robinson (JAC) – The Jaguars’ passing offense remains weak in the Post-Meyer era, but at least Robinson is back to business with 18 rushes for 75 yards and a touchdown in the loss to the Texans.  Robinson added three catches for 13 yards as well.

RB Michael Carter (NYJ) – Returned from injured reserve but a disappointing eight runs for 18 yards in the loss to the Dolphins. Tevin Coleman (8-50) ran better and even Austin Walter had two carries. Carter had just gotten the backfield to use him as a primary back but his return created just another three-man committee.

RB Duke Johnson (MIA) – His first action as a Dolphin was in Week 11 when he rushed for  18 yards on four runs. Myles Gaskin was on the COVID list but returned in time to play the Jets. He gained 54 yards on ten carries versus the worst defense against running backs in the NFL, maybe the entire world. But Johnson ran for 107 yards and two scores on 22 carries in a career-best performance. It was his first-ever 100-yard game. The most important word in all of this is “Jets”, but he’s added to one of the weakest backfields in the NFL. He’ll probably find it tougher this week at the Saints.

RB D’Onta Foreman (TEN) – This is basically Duke Johnson on another team. Foreman ran for 108 yards on 22 carries at the Steelers and added 27 yards on two receptions. Dontrell Hilliard (9-49) and Jeremy McNichols (6-26) also mixed in as well, but Foreman’s been fantasy relevant for the last three games.

RB Jeff Wilson (SF) – Elijah Mitchell missed his fourth game of the season – starting to wonder about the whole “durability” thing – but a healthy Jeff Wilson ran for 110 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries versus the Falcons while Deebo Samuel only ran six times for 29 yards (and a touchdown, of course).  The problem with the 49ers isn’t a lack of talent, it is trying to guess which one goes off when they are all healthy. Fortunately, it’s been rare that all offensive stars are healthy in any given week.

QB Tyler Huntley (BAL) – The Ravens replacement quarterback did himself proud with 215 passing yards and two scores on the Packers, plus ran for 73 yards and two more touchdowns on his 13 runs. He led the Ravens on a comeback that could have tied the game had they not opted for the two-point play in an attempt to win outright. But everyone knew the pass would go to Mark Andrews and it was incomplete. But Huntley took over in Week 14 when Lamar Jackson was injured. He connected with Andrews for 115 yards on 11 catches with a touchdown. And this week as the starter, Andrews ended with ten  receptions for 136 yards and two touchdowns.

Huddle player of the week

TE Travis Kelce (KC)  –  He cost a first-round pick in August Fantasy drafts. For fantasy owners in their playoffs, Kelce delivered everything that was hoped when he caught ten passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns in the win over the Chargers that produced 41 points in a reception-point league. He’ll be a first-rounder again next summer. And he’s a difference-maker in fantasy playoffs.

Salute!

Drama 101 – Somebody has to laugh, somebody has to cry

Comedy Yards TDs Tragedy Yards TDs
QB Tyler Huntley 288 4 QB Tom Brady 214 0
RB Duke Johnson 127 2 RB Najee Harris 26 0
RB Jeffrey Wilson 119 1 RB Joe Mixon 60 0
WR Gabriel Davis 85 2 WR Ja’Marr Chase 3 0
WR Amon-Ra St. Brown 90 1 WR Michael Pittman 7 0
WR M. Valdes-Scantling 98 1 WR Mike Evans 14 0
TE Hunter Henry 77 2 TE Dawson Knox 38 0
PK Chris Boswell  1  XP   4 FG PK Ryan Succop  whiff
Huddle Fantasy Points = 161 Huddle Fantasy Points =  22

Now get back to work…

Report card: Bills pounce Panthers, 31-14

Report card: #Bills pounce #Panthers, 31-14 (via @NateMendolson):

All good ties between the Buffalo Bills and Carolina Panthers came to a halt for four hours on Sunday. The Bills, with a lineup full of former Panthers, defeated the current iteration of the Carolina team, 31-14.

The Bills (8-6) are back in the win column after consecutive losses.

Here’s how Bills Wire graded their performance against the Panthers (5-9):

WATCH: Bills’ Devin Singletary, Stefon Diggs score back-to-back vs. Panthers

WATCH: #Bills’ Devin Singletary, Stefon Diggs score back-to-back vs. #Panthers:

Buffalo Bills running back Devin Singletary got a carry in the first half of his team’s game this week.

Not only that, he got a touchdown as well.

A week after the Bills (7-6) did not run the ball once before halftime, Singletary rushed in for a score against the Carolina Panthers in Week 15.

That carry came from 16 yards out and he broke the plain with an extra effort at the end. Singletary’s rush put his team up 7-0 against Carolina.

Check it out below:

Singletary’s touchdown came just as the clock turned to the second quarter.

On the Panthers’ ensuing drive on offense, they went three-and-out. Bad news for Carolina, because Buffalo ended up putting up back-to-back touchdowns.

As a team that has struggled recently in the red zone, the Bills did anything but early against the Panthers.

Wide receiver Stefon Diggs put up a second-straight score from inside the 20, also with a nice effort at the end of it after catching a quick ball from quarterback Josh Allen. He was 11 yards out.

The cherry on top was former Buffalo first-round pick Stephon Gilmore covering Diggs on the play.

There’s that score  below:

[lawrence-related id=93482,93283,93473]

Stock up, stock down following the Bills’ loss to the Buccaneers

Stock up, stock down following the #Bills’ loss to the #Buccaneers:

Following the Buffalo Bills’ 33-27 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 14, here’s how things shook out in Bills Wire’s latest stock report:

Report card: Bills lose 33-27 to Buccaneers in overtime

Report card: #Bills lose 33-27 to #Buccaneers in overtime:

https://embed.sendtonews.com/oembed/?SC=R7E2wMwgeg-1671520-7498&format=json&offsetx=0&offsety=0&floatwidth=400&floatposition=bottom-right&float=on

So close.

The Buffalo Bills were a few penalty calls away from handing Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady his fourth-career loss to Buffalo in his career.

Bills QB Josh Allen did everything he could but the Bills (7-6) couldn’t fully overcome a 21-point deficit.

Here’s how Bills Wire graded Buffalo’s Week 14 performance: