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Potential breakout Bills WR named prime fantasy football sleeper

DraftKings thinks you should target this Buffalo Bills pass-catcher in your fantasy football drafts.

McKenna Middlebrook

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir (10) looks for yards after a catch. He caught 7 passes and had a touchdown.
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir (10) looks for yards after a catch. He caught 7 passes and had a touchdown. / Jamie Germano/Rochester Democrat and
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The fine folks over Merriam-Webster define a sleeper as “someone or something unpromising or unnoticed that suddenly attains prominence or value.” And the even finer folks at DraftKings Network believe that Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir will be a sleeper for fantasy football owners in the upcoming 2024 season. 

Chet Gresham of DraftKings believes Shakir’s value (or lack thereof) comes from the fact that tight end Dalton Kincaid will be taking targets away from Shakir, writing "If you look at the Bills biggest rival and impediment in the playoffs, you’ll come face-to-face with the Kansas City Chiefs and their multiple Super Bowl wins with a tight end as their No. 1 target. Kincaid isn’t a sleeper by any means, but everything is set up extremely well for him this year."

It's Buffalo's uncertain pass-catcher situation behind Kincaid and Shakir -- and the wide receiver's demonstrated chemistry with Josh Allen -- that gives Gresham hope for the third-year wideout, however. Allen was finding Shakir wherever he was lined-up down the stretch last season whether it was on the outside, inside, or even coming out of the backfield on specific occasions. 

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"We have Shakir tied to one of the best quarterbacks in the league in Josh Allen and in a spot he could easily lead the wide receivers in targets," Greshamn wrote. "[He caught] 39-of-45 targets for 611 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 10 receptions for 75 yards and two touchdowns in two playoff games. He finished the season with a PFF receiving grade of 75.2, second to just Diggs on the team."

Shakir is the only receiver currently on Buffalo's roster who we know for sure has a rapport with Allen, so where should fantasy owners be drafting him, according to Gresham? He thinks you should target him in the eighth or ninth round. That is a big risk for some, but as the number one receiver and number two target for the Bills, catching passes from one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, it could pay massive dividends. 

If you're going to pin your hopes to one Buffalo wide receiver this fantasy football season, Shakir may be your safest bet.

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McKenna Middlebrook
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