The 2022 season opener was slated to be a special one for Buffalo Bills wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie.
In a way right in front of our faces it got even better.
A tie game, 10-10, at halftime, Buffalo started to pull away from the Los Angeles Rams thanks to McKenzie. His seven-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Josh Allen put the Bills up 17-10 at the 7:59 mark of the third quarter.
Onlookers might have thought McKenzie celebrated by yelling into the television camera thanks to his adrenaline.
On the surface it looked that way, but that was not the case.
Slowing it down and turning up the volume, it’s clear he had a specific message.
“It’s a boy!” is what he yelled.
McKenzie, mid-NFL game, did a gender reveal for his sister.
The Bills went on to share it after the game as well for all to see. Check it out below:
It probably just seemed like another casual touchdown thrown by Josh Allen. This wound up giving the Bills a permanent lead in a game that became a complete drubbing by the end.
After a while, you probably weren’t even thinking of McKenzie’s touchdown anymore. You almost certainly didn’t notice the…strange moment that came directly after it.
McKenzie scores. He starts celebrating with his teammates. Then he starts looking for a camera. He finds one. And he yells in it “it’s a boy.” He does it twice.
Take a look.
Touchdown from the face of the franchise to the face of the franchise.
If you did notice this, you probably thought it was some sort of inside joke the Bills had going on.
But actually, as it turns out, McKenzie just gave us the greatest gender reveal of all time. After scoring his touchdown, he announced the gender of her baby.
Here the family is watching the game getting absolutely hype.
This is awesome. But, also, I have so many questions. How did they set this up? Did they call this play knowing that the revelation of a beautiful baby boy happened to be hanging in the balance? If that is the case the Bills have to be the greatest teammates ever.
Also, did they have a backup plan just in case he never scored? I guess we’ll never know. One thing is certain, though. Well, two things really. First, Isaiah McKenzie has to be a top 5 brother ever in the history of brothers.
Second â and most importantly â it’s a boy. Fans loved this.
Former Georgia football receiver Isaiah McKenzie shouted a gender reveal for his sister after scoring a touchdown
Former Georgia Bulldogs star Isaiah McKenzie scored a touchdown for the Buffalo Bills in the NFL’s opening game of the 2022 regular season. McKenzie, who finished with two catches for 19 yards and a touchdown, had a very memorable game thanks to the way he celebrated his touchdown.
McKenzie shouted a gender reveal for his sister after scoring a third quarter touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams. The Bills shared the reaction of McKenzie’s family:
Isn’t that awesome! Things like that are what makes football special.
McKenzie regained the trust of the Bills after bobbling a first quarter pass (in McKenzie’s defense, Terrell Lewis made a great play) that a Los Angeles Rams linebacker intercepted. As a result, McKenzie lost some snaps and targets to Bills veteran wide receiver Jamison Crowder, but McKenzie made up for it with his touchdown.
Former Georgia Bulldogs did not get off to a great start to open the 2022 NFL season. Buffalo Bills rookie James Cook fumbled on his first NFL carry. The former Georgia star will be important for the Bills moving forward thanks to his pass catching ability, but that ended up being his lone carry of the night.
Los Angeles Rams quarterback and former Georgia star Matthew Stafford threw one touchdown and three interceptions in the Rams’ disappointing season opener. Stafford will improve as the season goes on, but it was not the start that Los Angeles was hoping for.
However, there will be plenty of time for these former Georgia players to make up for their mistakes. They will all have plenty of chances to for these former Bulldogs to earn redemption.
Here are nine sleepers to consider starting in your fantasy football lineups for Week 1.
Dread it. Run from it. Destiny arrives all the same.
While Thanos (probably) wasn’t referring to fantasy football when he said that line, Week 1 is officially here. That means fantasy managers will begin their trek of controlling their own destiny and aspirations of winning a league title.
The draft season has come and gone in a blur. Now, it’s time to set the lineups and dominate your league-mates. Part of that process is finding the right sleepers week in and week out.
It’s the ultimate plan that every fantasy manager searches for. Fortunately, we’re here to help with this weekly sleepers article.
We will be using The Huddle’s weekly projections and rankings as a reference. In order to qualify as a sleeper, we are taking a look at quarterbacks ranked outside the top 12, running backs and wide receivers ranked outside the top 24, and tight ends ranked outside the top 10.
Even after your fantasy football drafts, here are 10 waiver wire targets going in Week 1.
The fantasy football season is officially here as managers will finally get to tilt, stress, and possibly even celebrate their teams for the first time during the 2022 season.
Even though the draft weekend resulted in all of us walking away with the strongest rosters in our respective leagues, it’s still wise to keep an eye on the waiver wire. Even moves need to be made in Week 1.
We’ll be taking a look at the top available players rostered in ESPN leagues, using the 75% mark as the threshold. If you have any questions about prioritizing a certain player over another, don’t be afraid to hit me up on Twitter (@KevinHickey11). Your questions, comments, and roasts are always welcome!
Without further ado, here are 10 players on the waiver wire to target in Week 1:
32 fantasy football sleepers, one from every NFL team:
The NFL fantasy football is upon us, which means it’s time to start assembling your roster in hopes of winning your league.
There’s a lot that goes into winning a fantasy football championship, including team managers finding some hidden gems in the later rounds of the draft. There are some players who are being slept on that have the potential to develop into weekly starters on your fantasy team, which could mean the difference between going far in the playoffs and a quick exit.
We’ve rounded up our NFL Wires editors to find one sleeper from each NFL team that could help you win your league at a bargain price.
Every NFL team’s most impressive player in training camp:
The unofficial start to the NFL season kicked off with training camp last month, where all 32 teams returned to action in preparation for the 2022 season.
It’s been an eventful few weeks, filled with competitive position battles, brutal injuries and noteworthy performances.
Whether it’s rookies making an immediate impact or veterans dominating, training camp has brought out some standout performances around the league. While it’s important to temper expectations at this point of the year, it’s hard to ignore the impact some players have had this summer.
Our NFL Wire editors identified the most impressive player from each of the 32 NFL teams during training camp:
Ahead of the Buffalo Bills’ preseason game against the Denver Broncos, Isaiah McKenzie and a young fan faced off in a backflip contest.
Preseason football is back, which means we finally get the return touchdowns, interceptions, and backflip competitions.
Backflip competitions?
That’s right. Before the start of the Buffalo Bills game against the Denver Broncos on Saturday, Bills wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie was challenged by a young fan in a Josh Allen jersey. Whose backflips are better?
After McKenzie easily matched the kid’s first backflip, the fan went for something a little more complex: He cartwheeled into a flip. He couldn’t quite stick the landing, but it was a brave attempt nonetheless in front of not only an NFL player but lots of fans in the bleachers watching the two go at it.
McKenzie landed his flip and gave the kid a high-five.
The kid will have to keep working on his skill — hopefully he’ll get another chance to land these flips alongside a pro athlete soon. Getting up in front of the crowd was impressive as-is.
Interactions like there are among the most fun parts of preseason football. There are some on-field plays that can help coaches and audiences glean insight to the newer players on their teams, but without the pressures of the true NFL season, players and fans are able to have more normal, fun interactions that don’t risk interrupting the competition of the league. And it’s a memory to which this kid can hold on. Especially because the Bills won 42-15.
PFF has named two former UGA football stars as NFL training camp risers and two former Dawgs as fallers.
Pro Football Focus has named two former Georgia football stars as NFL training camp risers and two former Dawgs as fallers. What Georgia Bulldogs are being named as risers and fallers?
Riser: Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens
George Pickens has turned a lot of heads in training camp. He continues to make plays day after day. The rookie second-round pick is looking like one of the steals of the 2022 NFL draft.
PFF noted the George Pickens hype train is getting pretty extreme.
Weâre at the point in Pickensâ ascent that a former player told Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that the rookie wideout reminds him of Randy Moss.
Pickens has already made numerous outstanding highlight catches in training camp:
— YinzerCrazy.com â«ïžđĄ (@yinzercrazyshow) August 8, 2022
Faller: Los Angeles Chargers safety Mark Webb
Second-year safety Mark Webb recorded three tackles in limited action last season. Webb is hoping to have a larger role in 2022, but has been hampered by a knee injury.
PFF see Webb as a faller because he has missed important time and is a young player.
Webb, a seventh-round pick last year, looked like heâd find a role in sub packages with the Chargers but has been injured for the second straight training camp.
AP Photo/Kyusung Gong
Hopefully, Webb can return to practice and get reps before the NFL regular season starts.
The Buffalo Bills are expected to be one of the top teams in the NFL this season. McKenzie might be Buffalo’s top target to replace slot receiver Cole Beasley.
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
PFF thinks that McKenzie is the top candidate to take some of Beasley’s 112 targets from last season.
McKenzie looks primed for a much bigger role in 2022 and is atop the Billsâ depth chart at slot wide receiver.
Isaiah McKenzie caught 20 passes for 178 yards and one touchdown last year.
Faller: Baltimore Ravens guard Ben Cleveland
Baltimore Ravens offensive guard Ben Cleveland played in 12 games and started four contests as a rookie last year. Cleveland has not gotten off to a great start in training camp per PFF.
Cleveland began training camp on the non-football injury list after failing to pass his conditioning test. Heâs since struggled in camp.
Ben Cleveland still has a chance to start for Baltimore. He will need to be as close to fully healthy as possible to earn that starting role.
ESPN: Slot WR is #Bills’ biggest training camp battle:
Training camp competitions are ramping up in the NFL. Now that teams have been battling on the field for a few weeks of training camp, some positional clashes are developing.
ESPN examined the camp battles that are heating up for ever team. For the Bills, the selection was the battle on the inside at slot wide receiver.
Here’s how ESPN broke down things there:
After wide receiver Cole Beasley was released this offseason, Isaiah McKenzie has emerged as the leading candidate to take his spot at slot receiver. Free agent addition Jamison Crowder missed a significant portion of camp with a lower-extremity issue, which leaves him behind in the battle. He will have to impress for the rest of camp and the preseason to keep up with McKenzie.
McKenzie re-signed with the Bills in March via a two-year deal.
McKenzie saw time in the slot and was a versatile receiver, often found in motion and running jet sweeps. He ended last year with 20 receptions for 178 receiving yards and nine rushes for 47 yards. McKenzie broke out when filling in for Beasley in Week 16 in 2021, catching 11 passes for 125 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Crowder, a seven-year veteran, has been a reliable player in his career. However, Crowder has missed nine games combined over the past two years with the New York Jets and time during this summer’s training camp in Rochester.
Last year, Crowder caught 51 passes for 447 yards, registering a career-low 8.8 yards per catch.
The final X-factor in this competition is fifth-round pick Khalil Shakir. Shakir had a solid senior season for Boise State, grabbing 77 passes for 1,117 yards and seven touchdowns. Shakir added 12 rushes for 130 yards as well. Shakir has had an impressive camp thus far.
In whatever way, the Bills will need to find a way to replace Beasley’s production. The veteran may not have been a massive yards after the catch player, but Beasley’s reliability in the short passing game was vital to the Bills progress last year. Beasley averaged 77 receptions on 108 targets during his three seasons in Western New York.
