Buffalo Bills wide receiver Sammy Watkins returned to practice on Monday. He remains on track to make his NFL debut against the Chicago Bears in Week 1.
Sammy Watkins returns to practice, risky fantasy play in Buffalo offense
The star rookie is back at practice and should be ready for Week 1 after getting his ribs banged up in preseason. We break down the fantasy implications.
Justin K. Aller
Watkins struggled with a rib injury throughout August. He missed Buffalo's third preseason game, then aggravated the injury after being drilled in the midsection by Detroit Lions linebacker Ashlee Palmer. The No. 4 overall pick in May's draft, Watkins drew high praise in training camp but had just three catches for 21 yards in three preseason games.
Fantasy impact: In most normal situations, Watkins would be a tantalizing fantasy play against Chicago's thin secondary. However, the situation in Buffalo is anything but normal, and will probably end up hurting Watkins' 2014 fantasy ceiling. Buffalo is a run-heavy offense with Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller, and EJ Manuel is looking like one of the worst quarterbacks in the league. Watkins has enough talent to be worth stashing in every league, but for now he's too risky to start right away.
