Bills WR depth chart: Where Keon Coleman, Curtis Samuel and Khalil Shakir rank in Buffalo wide receiver room

08-29-2024
8 min read
(Mark Konezny/USA TODAY NETWORK & Getty Images)

The Bills made a massive decision during the 2024 NFL offseason when they traded Stefon Diggs to the Texans, but that was just the beginning of their receiver room reshuffle.

Gabe Davis left the team to join the Jaguars in free agency. Trent Sherfield and Deonte Harty left to join the Vikings and Ravens respectably, meaning that four of the team's six wide-outs from last year will no longer be with the team.

Buffalo has rebuilt the receiver room on the fly. They added few familiar veterans to the fold, drafted a high-upside rookie and will rely on their lone holdover to make the roster to serve as the team's No. 1 receiver.

Will the Bills' plan to support Josh Allen work, or will receiver be a weak point on Buffalo's roster? Only time will tell, but here's a preseason look at the Bills' wide receiver depth chart for the 2024 NFL season.

DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: 2024 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet

Bills WR depth chart

The Bills kept just five receivers on their initial 53-man roster for the 2024 NFL season. They are as follows:

Rank Player
1 Khalil Shakir
2 Curtis Samuel
3 Mack Hollins
4 Keon Coleman
5 Marquez Valdes-Scantling

2024 PPR RANKINGS
Top 250 Overall | QB | RB | WR | TE | DEF/ST | K

1. Khalil Shakir

Shakir and Samuel posted remarkably similar numbers in 2023. In fact, Shakir had just two fewer receiving yards than his new teammate, showing he can be a nice secondary or tertiary weapon for Allen.

Khalil Shakir   Curtis Samuel
39 Catches 62
611 Yards 613
2 TDs 4
15.7 Yards per catch 9.9

That said, Shakir is a bit more explosive than Samuel at this stage in their respective careers, as the 24-year-old has averaged a solid 15.8 yards per catch. He can work in the slot and as a deep threat, and as the lone holdover receiver from last season, he should have a chance to earn Allen's trust early in the season.

Will Shakir be the Bills' No. 1 receiver? It's possible. Samuel may see more targets than him, but Shakir will probably be given more opportunities to make plays downfield.

As such, it shouldn't surprise anyone to see Shakir be the leading receiver in terms of yardage by the end of the season. He has the skill set needed to make that happen, making him a potential FLEX target in fantasy football.

2. Curtis Samuel

Samuel got off to a slow start after being a second-round pick by the Panthers in 2017, but he has since developed into a solid receiver. Known for his speed, shiftiness and versatility, Samuel developed into a do-it-all weapon for the Panthers and Commanders while serving a quality No. 2 receiver at times during his career.

In Buffalo, Samuel may be asked to do more, pending the development of Shakir and Johnson. He's the team's most experienced receiver and has posted at least 62 catches and 613 receiving yards in three of the last four seasons. He may develop into Josh Allen's security blanket and the Bills will likely try to find ways to get the ball into Samuel's hands.

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Samuel may not have the highest ceiling among the Bills' receivers, but it's hard to beat his floor when evaluating the group. The Bills would probably like him to serve as the team's No. 2 wideout — at least until another young receiver steps up — but for fantasy purposes, owners can look at him as a low-end FLEX option in PPR leagues.

2024 POSITION TIERS & DRAFT STRATEGY
QB | RB | WR | TE  | D/ST 

3. Mack Hollins

Hollins signed with the Falcons in 2023 after a career year with the Raiders in 2023, during which he caught 57 passes for 690 yards and four touchdowns as a deep threat in the Las Vegas offense. He didn't live up to those expectations with the Falcons — catching just 18 passes for 251 yards — before signing with Buffalo.

Hollins, 30, has great size at 6-4, 221 pounds and has field-stretching capabilities as an outside starter. He's also a quality blocker and appears to be Buffalo's first choice to occupy the role left behind by Gabe Davis.

Hollins isn't likely to be a big-time playmaker for the Bills, so he won't carry much fantasy value. His bigger impact may stem from his ability to prevent a well-regarded fantasy asset from seeing the field.

4. Keon Coleman

It's hard to argue that any player on this depth chart has more upside than Coleman. The 6-4, 215-pound receiver was selected 33rd overall in the 2024 NFL Draft after he posted 658 yards and 11 touchdowns on 50 catches during his lone year at Florida State.

Coleman is a contested catch threat who has great speed for his size. His 4.61-second time in the 40-yard dash may not show that, but he logged a top speed of 20.36 mph in the gauntlet drill at the NFL Combine, showing he should be able to cross the field with the best of them.

Eventually, Coleman could develop into the Bills' No. 1 receiver, but he is presently listed behind Hollins on the depth chart. That makes it hard to trust him as anything other than a speculative flier in year-long fantasy leagues.

That said, Coleman has plenty of best ball value and shouldn't take too long to overtake Hollins on Buffalo's depth chart. The Florida State product just needs to show that he can block well and that should give him a chance to earn more snaps.

MORE: Top fantasy football sleepers for all 32 teams in 2024

5. Marquez Valdes-Scantling

Valdes-Scantling is on his third team in four seasons but has long been a solid rotational piece in the NFL. The 6-4, 206-pound receiver has a nice combination of size and speed and has worked with quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes during his time in the NFL.

Valdes-Scantling has never been anything more than an inconsistent deep threat, but he has averaged 17 yards per catch during his career. Allen may be able to use his arm strength to complete some deep balls to MVS, so that could make him a nice DFS value some weeks.

But in terms of regular fantasy value, Valdes-Scantling doesn't provide much. And given his penchant for badly timed drops, he probably won't be able to get any higher than third on the depth chart barring a slew of injuries.