Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor will miss Week 6 with a knee injury. The injury, a sprained MCL, was reported early in the week, but it wasn't until the weekend that the team was sure Taylor would miss the game. EJ Manuel will start in his place as the Bills host the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday with gametime scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
Tyrod Taylor will miss Week 6; Bills, fantasy owners turn to EJ Manuel
The Buffalo quarterback has had a strong start to the season, but will miss Sunday. We break down the fantasy implications.
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Taylor has 98 fantasy points (in standard scoring) through five games this year, averaging just under 20 points a game. He has nine passing touchdowns (to four interceptions), two scores on the ground and 187 rushing yards. Manuel started the first four games for the Bills a year ago, throwing for 838 yards and five touchdowns against three interceptions before being benched for Kyle Orton.
Fantasy impact: First things first: There's a reason Manuel got benched by the Bills in the first place and a reason Taylor beat him out for the job in training camp. Manuel was a woefully inaccurate passer a year ago, and it seems unlikely that will have improved during his year away from the starting job. If you had Taylor as your starting fantasy quarterback, look elsewhere for Week 6. The Buffalo wide receivers -- primarily Sammy Watkins and Percy Harvin -- get downgraded a fair amount as well, while tight end Charles Clay takes a smaller hit. The Bengals' defense, meanwhile, suddenly gets a very appealing matchup.
As for Taylor, we’ll see how long his absence is. It was initially reported he’d miss multiple weeks -- and that’s the M.O. of this sort of injury -- but the fact that Taylor looked possible for Week 6 seems to indicate it won’t be as long an absence as some.
