The Bills made a difficult decision on Friday as they placed Sammy Watkins on injured reserve, and immediately addressed the loss at receiver signing free agent Justin Hunter.
Watkins has been battling pain in his surgically repaired foot since the season opener at Baltimore. He played just four days after the opener in the Bills Thursday night game against the Jets on Sept. 15th, but has not been on the practice field since.
The team's decision to shut Watkins down was anything but surprising. Head coach Rex Ryan said on Friday that he had "major concerns" that Watkins foot problem could be a long term issue.
Related players: Robert Woods, Greg Salas, Marquise Goodwin, Justin Hunter
Watkins can potentially return in Week 12, so he's droppable in most formats without an injured reserve slot. He's worth a stash in leagues with big benches, but the chances of Watkins coming back in Week 12 or Week 13 and being a big fantasy asset seem pretty slim. It's not out of the realm of possibility, however. In the meantime, Robert Woods seems to be the best bet for weekly PPR production in the Buffalo receiving corps. He caught six passes for 51 yards on eight targets last week, but historically hasn't shown much of a rapport with Tyrod Taylor. The loss of Watkins is a big blow to Taylor's 2016 fantasy stock, though he'll occasionally put up a big game given his explosive running ability and propensity to throw the deep ball. We wouldn't get too excited about Justin Hunter, though the change of scenery might be good for him. Once Salas gets healthy, he could be a PPR option, a la Cole Beasley.
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