The Buffalo Bills may push Karlos Williams as the lead back on Sunday if LeSean McCoy can't start, as McCoy is dealing with a hamstring injury and was limited in practice. The Bills have Tyrod Taylor starting and fantasy football owners should look at Williams, Percy Harvin, Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods as solid starters against the Patriots.
The Bills opened the season with a surprising win against the Indianapolis Colts and the team is coming into this week with some major confidence. The Bills feel they can make a run and a win against the Patriots would be a huge victory for the team and would bring them to 2-0 to start the season. The team is hoping LeSean McCoy can play in the game, as reports have the running back dealing with a hamstring injury.
According to Mike Rodak at ESPN.com, McCoy was limited in practice with a hamstring issue and he has some tightness that has been lingering since last week. McCoy already missed some time earlier in the summer with a hamstring issue and Rodak reported that Rex Ryan said that he "hopes" McCoy can play on Sunday. If McCoy is out, expect Karlos Williams and Anthony Dixon to get the bulk of the carries. There is a chance McCoy could play on a limited basis if he is not totally 100 percent healthy.
Fantasy owners should be looking to Williams anyway if they are McCoy owners, as he is the better handcuff over Dixon. Ryan likes what Williams brings to the table and he had a solid debut game for the Bills against the Colts. McCoy will get another chance to practice this week and depending on how that goes, the Bills could decide to rule out the running back or make him a game time decision for Sunday.
The Bills are expecting to be a run-heavy team with Ryan coming in and Tyrod Taylor is still working out the kinks as the starting quarterback. Having McCoy changes things quite a bit on offense, but Williams showed some nice potential and he could be effective as a lead back on Sunday. Williams started off with 55 yards and a touchdown against the Colts and he could see more work on Sunday against the Patriots. Williams also averaged over nine yards per carry and that was impressive for Ryan, including his 26-yard scamper for a TD.
Williams looks like he is firmly in as the number two running back ahead of Dixon and that makes him a solid option with McCoy dealing with some injury issues. Taylor is looking for Sammy Watkins to get things going, as he did not have a catch against the Colts in the opening game of the season. Harvin stepped up and he should continue to do well after putting up five catches for 79 yards and one touchdown against the Colts. Taylor did a solid job on Sunday, completing all but five of his passes for 195 yards and one touchdown.
