- James Cook III manages over 100 yards against the Minnesota Vikings defense: The Buffalo Bills slowly but surely got Cook to 100 yards by giving him 30 carries for the second time in his career.
- Both teams deal with injuries at wide receiver: Joshua Palmer was placed on injured reserve earlier today, while Jauan Jennings was inactive.
- The Vikings continue their three-man running back rotation: DeeJay Dallas was signed to the 53-man roster. He remained Minnesota's passing-down back, limiting the playing time for both Aaron Jones Sr. and Jordan Mason.
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Buffalo Bills @ Minnesota Vikings
Bills adjust to wide receiver injuries: The Bills have dealt with wide receiver injuries all season, and now they won’t have Joshua Palmer for the rest of November with a hamstring injury.
The Bills began the year with a clear top-four wide receivers on the depth chart, with DJ Moore, Keon Coleman and Palmer as their three outside receivers and Khalil Shakir as their slot receiver. Moore has not been a full participant in practice since Week 2 due to a shoulder injury, which caused him to miss two games. Coleman appeared on the injury report for four weeks with an ankle injury, and this week, he was limited in practice with a shoulder injury. Palmer also missed time with a shoulder injury, and now it’s a hamstring injury that led him to land on injured reserve earlier today.
The Bills have two other wide receivers on the active roster in Skyler Bell and Greg Dortch. They view Dortch mostly as a special teams player. Buffalo opted to activate veteran Trent Sherfield from the practice squad and make Bell inactive, which isn’t a great sign for the rookie's future.
Buffalo spent the game with Moore and Shakir consistently playing in 11 personnel, with Coleman leading a rotation with Sherfield. In 12 personnel, all four wide receivers saw significant playing time. Coleman was the primary receiver in 13 personnel, prompting all three to see similar snap rates and route participation marks.
The injuries to the outside receivers have made Shakir more fantasy-viable. He’s played half of the 12 personnel snaps since Week 3 after rarely playing there last season. That’s led him to play over two-thirds of the offensive snaps, compared to 60% last year. He led the Bills in receiving with four receptions for 58 yards. He’s gained at least 55 yards in four of his last five games.
Minnesota adjusts without Jauan Jennings: The Vikings slot receiver was limited in practice on Thursday with a calf injury, didn't practice on Friday and Saturday and was ruled out.
When everyone is healthy, the Vikings have a straightforward wide receiver rotation with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison playing every down and Jennings playing in 11 personnel. Unfortunately, it’s been rare that all three have been available. Jennings missed Week 2 due to personal reasons; Jefferson left Week 3 early, leading him to miss Week 4 with an ankle injury; and Addison was out for Week 5 with a hamstring injury. The Vikings had their bye, and then had two weeks at full strength.
Whenever one of the Vikings’ outside receivers was inactive, Tai Felton took over, and when Jennings was out in Week 2, it was Myles Price who replaced him. It was reasonable to expect the same for this game, with one wrinkle. The Vikings signed wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. from their own practice squad on Monday. Beckham began the season as a backup for the New York Giants, and this was his first game on the Vikings' roster after spending a few weeks on the practice squad.
Price was the third wide receiver for Minnesota, with Felton and Beckham only playing a few snaps each. It would be difficult for a third wide receiver in this offense to have fantasy value even if they were playing well, and it’s impossible with how the Vikings played in this game.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Minnesota quarterback Kyler Murray didn't practice all week with a hamstring injury and was ruled out on Saturday. Carson Wentz took over as the starting quarterback, while Max Brosmer was active as the backup.
- The Vikings signed running back DeeJay Dallas from their own practice squad on Wednesday. He had either been on the active roster or was a practice squad call-up most of the season to be their passing-down back. Minnesota continued its three-man backfield at running back, making it difficult to trust any of the three backs for fantasy purposes.
- Minnesota running back Demond Claiborne was limited in practice on Thursday with a knee injury and didn't practice on Friday and Saturday. The Vikings placed him on injured reserve on Monday.
- Buffalo wide receiver Tyrell Shavers was a full participant all week with a knee injury and was questionable, but remains on the physically unable to perform list.
Defense Notes
- Buffalo cornerback Dee Alford returned after missing two of the last three games with an ankle injury. He was back to his usual role as the slot cornerback in nickel and dime defense. Anthony Kendall held the slot role in Week 5, while Te’Cory Couch had it in Week 8.
- Bills safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was reinstated from suspension on Monday, and the Bills released him on Tuesday. Gardner-Johnson had been a full-time starter before spitting at a Raiders player, leading to his suspension. Damar Hamlin has taken over as the starting safety next to Cole Bishop, and appears set to hold that role over the rest of the season. The Bills activated safety Geno Stone from the practice squad on Monday to be their third safety in dime looks for a second straight week.
- The Vikings made first-round rookie defensive lineman Caleb Banks a healthy inactive for this game. He played 107 snaps as their fifth interior defender over the first eight weeks, but he held a 30.5 overall defensive grade. 2025 undrafted rookie Elijah Williams took his spot after Williams was a healthy inactive the last seven weeks.
- Defensive tackle Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins left in the middle of the third quarter with an ankle injury and didn’t return. If that injury ends up being serious, it’s possible Banks will be active again next week.
- Vikings safety Theo Jackson was inactive due to a quad injury. Minnesota has used Josh Metellus as its main safety, with Jackson rotating with Harrison Smith at the other safety spot. Jackson had played more in run situations and Smith more on passes. Undrafted rookie Jacob Thomas took Jackson’s spot as the early-down safety in the first half, but after a few poor plays, Smith ended up being more of a full-time safety in the second half.
- Bills cornerback Christian Benford (wrist), safety Damar Hamlin (cramping), and Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman (unknown) were all reported or spotted with injuries, but all were able to return to play briefly after their respective absences.
Table Notes
- Snaps include plays called back due to penalties, such as offensive holding or defensive pass interference. The other three stats exclude these plays.
- Targets may differ from official NFL sources. The most likely discrepancy is a clear thrown-away pass, where the NFL may credit the target to the nearest receiver, while this data will not.
- Carries are only on designed plays. Quarterback scrambles won’t count for the total number of carries in the game.
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