Bills @ Jets Week 1 Game Preview
Jonathan previews the Week 1 matchup between the Bills and Jets, with player expectations and storylines to follow.
Game Analysis
The Bills will travel downstate (OK, technically, it is to New Jersey) to clash with the Jets on Monday Night Football.
This will be the second primetime game of Week 1 that will feature a New York football team, something that was unthinkable just a season or two ago.
The excitement is certainly there for this Jets team which has spent the offseason basking in the Aaron Rodgers glow and winning over the hearts of America on HBO’s Hard Knocks series. Thankfully we are about to find out whether they are just “winning the offseason,” as a certain NFL coach said, or if they are going to back up the hype with their on-field performance.
Of course, Rodgers isn’t the only new face in town as he brought some of his favorite pass-catchers from years past in WRs Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb. The Jets also recently signed free agent RB Dalvin Cook to give them depth and versatility alongside Breece Hall who looked like a superstar before suffering a knee injury last season.
It’s unclear exactly what the early season split will look like between these two backs, as they both just recently returned to practice. This will be one of the more interesting snap-and-carry breakdowns to analyze coming out of Week 1 as we look for clear usage signals, particularly in the passing game and at the goal line.
You may not be able to sit them due to their cost in fantasy drafts, but if possible, I would love to wait a week and get more information on how the Jets plan to use their backfield.
East Rutherford, NJ August 26, 2023 -- Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers after his TD pass to Garrett Wilson of the Jets in the first half. The NY Jets against the NY Giants on August 26, 2023 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, as the rivals play their final preseason game before the start of the NFL season.
The guy who should be locked into your starting lineup is Garrett Wilson. He’s already been drawing comparisons to the special chemistry Rodgers had with Davante Adams in Green Bay. But the magic may not last past Week 1.
The Jets' schedule appears to be brutal, and they will need to be on their game right from the jump as they face a Buffalo Bills team that is in Super Bowl or bust mode. After exiting in the Divisional Round of last year’s playoffs, the Bills have pushed all their chips in for 2023.
Buffalo made moves to improve their offensive line and then drafted pass-catching TE Dalton Kincaid in the first round with plans to make him a big part of the offense right away.
The rest of the offense looks similar to last year but with a few guys stepping into bigger roles. Most notably, James Cook appears to be in line for featured back usage and was one of the biggest risers in drafts throughout the summer.
Behind him, the team also has Damien Harris and Latavius Murray competing for carries, and the big question for fantasy managers is whether either player will steal goal-line work from Cook.
Both Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs are every-week fantasy starters, while the wild card for this offense remains Gabe Davis, who profiles as a boom-or-bust flex option most weeks.
If you’re looking to get action down on this game, I currently like the Bills moneyline, but I have my eye on the game total as well.
If that creeps up as we get closer to game day (it’s currently 46.5), the under could offer nice value as both the Bills and Jets have really strong defenses and could take some time for their offenses to gel early in the season.