The pieces are in place for the Buffalo Bills offense to have a productive 2014 campaign. E.J. Manuel just needs to pull it all together. Close your eyes and hope for the best, Bills fans and fantasy owners? Photo: Icon SMI

Data as of June 26 | Current Cheatsheets | Current Projections

NR = Not ranked

QB E.J. Manuel

After being taken by the Bills in the 1st round as the first quarterback off the board in the 2013 NFL Draft, Manuel was handed the keys to the team’s offense and he suffered through the typical growing pains a first year quarterback suffers through. While he did a reasonable job of protecting the ball with nine interceptions in 10 games, he was also clearly overmatched in several games, finishing the year with a 4-6 record while throwing for 1,972 yards and 11 touchdowns. His inability to stay healthy was also an issue as knee injuries caused him to miss six games. In 2014, the Bills will feature a revamped group of wide receivers having traded up in the 1st round to acquire Sammy Watkins, trading with Tampa Bay Buccaneers to acquire Mike Williams and jettisoning Stevie Johnson to the San Francisco 49ers. In addition, Bryce Brown was added at running back to team up with C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson. The pieces are in place for the Bills offense to have a productive 2014 campaign. Manuel just needs to pull it all together. Consider him a low end QB2 with upside.

RB C.J. Spiller

If you’re looking for a player whose fantasy value will cause divisive debate this summer, you’ve found your man in C.J. Spiller. The former 1st round pick is coming off a disappointing, injury plagued season during which he produced just 1,130 total yards and a pair of scores one season removed from posting 1,703 total yards and eight touchdowns. He will almost certainly become a free agent at season’s end since he can void the final year of his rookie contract and figures to do so given that it carries a $2.2-million salary for 2014. Given that, will the Bills remain committed to him in 2014? Let’s not over think this one, folks. Spiller is clearly the Bills most explosive running back, capable of taking over games with his playmaking ability. His struggles in 2013 can mostly be attributed to an ankle injury that followed him for most of the season. While it’s true that he failed to live up to what was expected when he was chosen with the 9th pick in the 2010 draft, it’s also true we might have a far different opinion of him if not for the 2013 ankle injury. Keep in mind that this is a player that averaged 6.0 yards per carry on 207 carries and 10.7 yards per reception on 43 receptions during the 2012 season. Consider Spiller a low end RB1 or high end RB2 with upside.

RB Fred Jackson

With C.J. Spiller struggling with a lingering ankle injury last season, Jackson assumed the lead role at running back in the Bills offense and put together a surprisingly solid season. He amassed 890 yards and nine touchdowns on 206 carries while adding 375 yards and another score on 46 receptions. He was also remarkably consistent despite generally splitting the load with Spiller, hitting double digit fantasy points in 10 of 16 games. While FJax excelled in 2013, the truth is that the Bills would dearly love for Spiller to assume more of a workhorse role and repeat his performance from the 2012 season when he topped 1,700 total yards with eight touchdowns. Jackson has proven that he can produce when called upon but don’t go into your draft or auction relying on him to be anything more than a low end flex in leagues that employ that position, particularly with Bryce Brown potentially eating into some of his workload. He is, however, a great handcuff for Spiller owners and his flex value is enhanced given his role inside the five yard line.

RB Bryce Brown

With Fred Jackson having turned 33, the Bills acquired Brown from the Eagles for a conditional 4th round pick in the 2015 draft. While FJax figures to remain in Buffalo this season, the Bills have his replacement on hand for just $660,000 next season should they decide to go with Brown instead. Making Brown even more intriguing for dynasty leaguers is the contract situation of C.J. Spiller, who has a $2.2-million player option for the 2015 season. With a pair of proven running backs ahead of him on the depth chart, the talented Brown is priority waiver wire material in 2014 in the event of injury to either Spiller or Jackson.

WR Sammy Watkins

Having traded up in the 1st round to acquire Clemson’s Sammy Watkins with the 4th overall pick in the NFL Draft, the Bills then shuffled Stevie Johnson out of town, clearing the way for Watkins to quickly become the team’s top wide receiver. No pressure here, folks. Fortunately for Bills fans, Watkins has the mental makeup to go along with the outstanding athleticism required to not only make that transition early in his career but to also eventually establish himself amongst the league’s leading wide receivers. Just don’t go expecting it to happen in 2014. While Watkins dominated in college running a scaled down number of routes, in the pros he will need to learn a few more tricks of the trade to get open. That probably won’t take the talented, driven Watkins long to do but he will need to overcome a number of obstacles to become a solid fantasy contributor as a rookie. First and foremost, quarterback E.J. Manuel needs to step up in his second season under center but there are other issues such as head coach Doug Marrone’s questionable play calling as well as a middling offensive line. Watkins is the leading dynasty prospect from this year’s draft but he rates as a just a WR4 with upside in redraft leagues.

WR Mike Williams

Having worn out his welcome in Tampa Bay, Williams was made an example of by the new Buccaneers regime led by Lovie Smith. The Bills were happy to take Williams off the Bucs hands for a pittance (a 6th round pick) given his previous production and reasonable salary of $2.2-million for the 2014 season. Of course, Williams brings a pile of baggage with him to Buffalo, including misdemeanor charges of trespassing and criminal mischief related to his damaging his girlfriend’s front door. He was also hospitalized during the offseason after being stabbed during an altercation with his brother. Nonetheless, Williams brings something to the Bills offense that is missing and that is size at the wide receiver position. In 42 games, he has 25 touchdown receptions and he has topped 950 receiving yards twice in four seasons. A torn hamstring ended his season in Week 8 but he is expected to be fully healthy to start the 2014 season. While with the Bucs, the team relied heavily on just two wide receivers but that won’t be the case with Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods on the roster. That limits Williams’ upside, making him a WR5 or even waiver wire material.

WR Robert Woods

Woods may have had a less than stellar rookie season hauling in just 40 of his 86 targets for 587 yards and three touchdowns but the Bills remain optimistic their 2013 2nd round pick will turn into a solid playmaker in Doug Marrone’s offense. With Sammy Watkins and Mike Williams expected to line up outside, Woods figures to do most of his work out of the slot and he has the size and shiftiness to be productive in that role. However, with so many mouths to feed in an offense that has yet to establish itself as upper tier, Woods’ upside is likely 850-900 yards with five or six touchdowns. That renders him as a WR5 in most formats.

WR T.J. Graham and WR Marquise Goodwin

Taken in the 3rd round in consecutive drafts, Graham (drafted in 2012) and Goodwin (2013) are essentially carbon copies of each other – speedsters with playmaking ability that lack size. We’re not sold on either player contributing much in 2014 since they haven’t proven to be efficient with their opportunities. Graham caught a dreadful 23 of his 56 targets while Goodwin wasn’t much better, hauling in 17 of his 32 targets. When you’re little and you can’t catch a high percentage of your passes, you don’t generally carve out a role for yourself. Look for one of these guys to be moved in the preseason since they are redundant.

TE Scott Chandler

While Chandler will never rank amongst the league’s elite tight ends, the Bills thought enough of his performance to sign him to a two-year contract in the offseason, cementing his status as the team’s top tight end. And who can blame them? Over the past three years, his reception totals have increased from 38 to 43 to 53 and his yardage totals have increased from 389 to 571 to 655. Unfortunately, his PPG average dropped to 4.8 last season as he caught just two touchdown passes after hauling in six scores in each of the 2011 and 2012 seasons. Looking ahead to 2014, it is difficult to forecast another uptick in Chandler’s production given that the team is looking to groom Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods at wide receiver to go along with Mike Williams. That limits Chandler’s fantasy appeal and makes him a low end TE2 in 2014.