Fantasy Impact: Damien Harris Signs With Bills

After taking a backseat to Rhamondre Stevenson in New England, Harris will be the lead back in Buffalo.

The Buffalo Bills have signed Damien Harris to a one-year contract. He’ll replace Devin Singletary, who inked a one-year deal of his own with the Houston Texans. The move is a positive one for Harris, who will be the team’s projected starter.

Harris is coming off a disappointing fantasy season that saw him miss six games due to injuries and finish with just 90.9 points. That’s 119 fewer points than he had scored in his breakout 2021 campaign, when he rushed for 15 touchdowns. That decline came due to injuries and, more to the point, the emergence of second-year runner Rhamondre Stevenson as the lead option in New England’s backfield.

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• Fantasy Impact: Adam Thielen | Brandin Cooks | Mike Gesicki | Jamaal Williams | Miles Sanders | JuJu Smith-Schuster | Baker Mayfield | David Montgomery | Allen Lazard | Rashaad Penny | Darren Waller | Jakobi Meyers | Jimmy Garoppolo | Derek Carr | Dalton Schultz | Devin Singletary

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In Buffalo, Harris will be the early-down and goal-line back in an explosive offense that should give him ample chances in the red zone. He won’t be a true featured back though, as Harris will be a non-factor in the passing game with James Cook and Nyheim Hines in the mix. Still, moving to Buffalo should improve his value.

Instead of being stuck behind Stevenson in New England, Harris will likely be atop the depth chart for the Bills. If he can avoid injuries, which has been an issue, Harris could bring back RB3/flex starter totals albeit on an inconsistent basis. Cook is now an RB3/RB4 in PPR formats, and a breakout season is no longer in the cards.

With Harris out of the mix, the Patriots will continue to roll with Stevenson as their top back, while newly signed James Robinson will play the “Harris” role in 2023.

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Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on Sports Illustrated and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Click here to read all his articles here on SI Fantasy. You can follow Michael on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram for your late-breaking fantasy news and the best analysis in the business to help you win a fantasy championship!