Hi everyone! Welcome to my defense analysis series. In this series, I will go over each team’s additions and losses on the defensive side of the ball, their strength of schedule, and finally, I’ll tie in their fantasy value. I hope you enjoy! Today is all about the Buffalo Bills’ D/ST!

Kicking off this series is the Buffalo Bills. After many years of finishing towards the bottom of the AFC East, the Bills made the playoffs last season. Much of last season’s success, is due to an outstanding defensive performance. After a great 2019-20 season defensively, the main question is can Buffalo’s D/ST replicate last season’s excellent performance?

Key Additions:

Mario Addison, DE
Quinton Jefferson, DT
A.J. Epenesa, DE (Second Round Draft Pick)
Josh Norman, CB
A.J. Klein, LB
Vernon Butler, DT
E.J. Gaines, CB

Key Losses:

Lorenzo Alexander, LB
Jordan Phillips, DT
Shaq Lawson, DE

Strength of Schedule:

AFC East:

The Bills have a very mixed schedule in terms of difficulty. The Patriots and Jets, who the Bills face two times each, have pretty weak offenses. Unlike the past 19 years, the Pats are without an experienced QB, and the Jets are still a question mark on offense. New York did bring in Breshad Perriman who showed flashes of dominance when given the opportunity last season. However, I’m not confident that Perriman is a WR1. The Bills also face the Dolphins twice. Miami has revamped their offense as they brought in Jordan Howard, Matt Breida, and drafted Tua. Wheather Fitzpatrick or Tua starts week one is still up in the air, but whoever it is, has solid receivers to throw to.

Rest of NFL:

Moving outside the AFC East, the Bills face some top offenses in the Chiefs, Cardinals, Broncos, and Seahawks. The Chiefs offense is the best in the league, and it seems near impossible to stop. The Cardinals added DeAndre Hopkins in the offseason, and with Murray, Drake, Hopkins, and Kirk, it’s going to be very difficult to hold Arizona under 20 points this season. Denver looks like they are putting together a promising offense. The Broncos have loads of talent on the offensive side of the ball. Drew Lock looks like a promising QB, and Denver only bolstered their offense in the offseason by acquiring Melvin Gordon and drafting Jerry Jeudy. When Russel Wilson is your QB, you’re most likely going to have a solid offense, and the Seahawks have just that. Lockett, Metcalf, and Olsen give Wilson enough dangerous targets to be highly effective.

The Bills don’t face an “easy” opponent. The Rams, Raiders, 49ers, Chargers, Titans, and Steelers are the other teams the Bills face in 2020, and they all have decent to good offenses. The only matchup which heavily favors Buffalo’s defense is their two games vs. the Patriots. The Bills’ have a rather difficult schedule when it comes to their defense, and there are a few games you should be especially cautious of, if you are an owner of Buffalo’s D/ST.

Fantasy Value:

Buffalo has retained many defensive players from last season, which means the chemistry and familiarity with the system is there. The Bills have a good defensive line, and one of the best CBs in the NFL in Tre’Davious White, which hopefully means lots of sacks and turnovers. Additionally, the Bills have brought in some more pass rushers, which will only improve their defensive line, therefore improving their fantasy value. Andre Roberts, who is Buffalo’s Kick and Punt returner, does have TD capabilities, but last season he was blanked in that category. I think Buffalo will put up solid fantasy numbers this season, however, their schedule may lead to lower numbers than last season.

Stay on the lookout for my D/ST analysis on the Miami Dolphins!

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