Rizzla takes a look at the Buffalo Bills signing of John Brown, and discusses the fantasy context.
The Buffalo Bills have acquired a new number one receiver in former Arizona Cardinal, and Baltimore Raven John ‘Smokey’ Brown. According to NFL.com they signed him to a $27 million dollar deal that spans three years.
The Bills did well to address their wide receiver need in free agency, also locking up Cole Beasley to a four year deal this afternoon. John Brown is an underrated route runner that is capable of operating underneath in addition to being a deep threat extraordinaire. Brown is a great fit for a cannon armed QB like Josh Allen, as he is a leader in average yards of separation on both intermediate and deep routes.
Fantasy Context:
John Brown is currently penciled in as the team’s number one receiver. John Brown sees a slight upgrade at QB over the 2018 version of Lamar Jackson as a passer. He should be used all over the field as Robert Foster can also function as a downfield threat. Brown is more of a flex2 option with WR3 upside than he is someone you will want as a starter in non bye weeks. Brown could explode if Allen takes a step forward, so he should become a popular sleeper candidate this summer. Remember John Brown was on pace for a career high 1172 receiving yards and eight touchdowns over the first half of the season, a period in which Brown was the WR20 with 114.0 fantasy points.
Josh Allen gets a nice upgrade to his wide receiver corps with Brown and Cole Beasley now in town. He may also see another addition come from the draft which could increase his upside further. Allen is a player you would likely prefer as your second QB but is in the QB1 conversation thanks to his legs. A great second option in redraft and superflex, Allen can become a QB1 mainstay with some more help from his wide receiver room.
Robert Foster was a popular 2019 breakout candidate heading into the offseason. While he may have lost some of his upside, it was expected that the Bills would bring in a true number one type this summer. Foster will likely no longer have to deal with the opposing defenses number one corner on the majority of his snaps and can feast in single coverage. Foster led the NFL in average depth of target in 2018 and also led in yards per reception. His other accolades include being second with 12.3 yards per target, fifth with 2.94 yards per pass route, and 12th with a 117.0 passer rating when targeted.
No receiver averaged a depth of target further downfield than Robert Foster last season pic.twitter.com/IuuiYXqv3s
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) March 13, 2019
LeSean McCoy and Frank Gore stand to benefit now that the Bills have an established threat at wide receiver. With two field stretchers in Brown and Foster, teams will no longer be able to simply stack the box to stop the run. McCoy remains an upside RB2, while Gore is a handcuff and best ball target.
