In this week's roundtable, we bring in Victoria of Football Guys (@ffb_victoria), the brilliant Ben Gretch (@yardspergretch), and Scott Rinear of Roto Baller (@MunderDifflinFF)

Let’s get into it: 

Josh Allen has made some undeniably hottttt plays this season. But tell it to me straight: 

Q: Do the Bills actually have what it takes to go all the way this year? 

Fantasy-wise, which Bills players (Besides Josh Allen and James Cook) can I trust moving forward… if any?

Scott: Khalil Shakir (in PPR)

He’s likely not going to win you any weeks but he has remained the Bills’ WR1 by pretty much any metric well into the Amari Cooper era in Buffalo. Shakir has actually become more involved since Cooper arrived.

Cooper joined the Bills a few days before their Week 7 game against the Titans. Before that, from Weeks 1-7, Shakir averaged 4.2 targets per game, and never exceeded six targets in a game and reached a 20% target share only once.

Since Cooper’s arrival, Shakir has earned at least seven targets in every game, and hit at least a 25% target share in four games, including a 30%+ in each of the last two. And he has favorable WR matchups versus the Rams, Lions, and Patriots in Weeks 14-16. In a crucial Week 14 with 500 teams on bye, Shakir is a solid WR2/3 start.

Victoria: Listen to Scott. Shakir is the only reliable flex play you can semi-trust going forward. But I need to preface that statement with the fact that Shakir is just outside the top-36 in points per game through 13 weeks, which doesn’t bode well for the ceiling plays we all look for with the fantasy playoffs approaching. I’d love to see Amari Cooper, Dalton Kincaid, and Keon Coleman more heavily involved down the stretch, but the way Josh Allen allocates targets all over the field simply doesn’t translate to consistent fantasy points for any player outside of James Cook.

However, if the Buffalo Bills DST is somehow still sitting on your waiver wire, scoop them immediately. Sure, they face the Lions in Round 1 of your fantasy playoffs, but then they get some beautiful fantasy matchups in the New England Patriots (twice) and the New York* (*Jersey) Jets. It doesn’t get better than that, folks.

Ben: We need to tell ourselves these small-sample stories based on three or four years of playoff results, but the real truth is more teams have what it takes to go all the way than it feels like, because there’s a lot of variance in one-game samples, and injuries and weird schematic quirks can dictate odd results. So the Bills clearly have what it takes, which they have every year for quite some time, but this is a particularly good opportunity for them, perhaps their best since they were in my opinion the favorites in the “13 seconds” season (Rams over Bengals year). 

Trusting Bills for fantasy is a different question, and if you’re in the playoff hunt, hopefully that’s not a question you have to worry too much about. If you’re in a league with deeper starting lineups, any of Khalil Shakir, Amari Cooper, or possibly Dalton Kincaid could be usable. I’d need to see more before trusting either Cooper (involvement) or Kincaid (health). But I’d be hoping to upgrade all those lineup spots where possible in a decentralized offense. 

By now, I’m sure we’ve all heard about Jahmyr Gibbs accidentally posting the Lions’ plays on social media. 

I’m sure they’re scrambling to come up with some different code words now that it’s out. So let’s give Dan Campbell a few ideas. 

Q: What are some new plays that Detroit should implement moving forward?

Cooterdoodle: Call: ELF ON THE SHELF! 

Description: You try to move the ball downfield without any kids noticing. 

MunderDifflinFF: Call: MUUUUSSTTAAAAAAARRRDDDD!

Description: Defense becomes intimidated as they now know the beat that’s ’bout to drop will make them lose their minds.

Victoria: Call: JAHMYR GIBBS!

Description: Jared Goff yells out what the play is going to be before it happens.

Ben: They already did an end around to an offensive lineman (Penei Sewell) on Thanksgiving, which is a play I can’t say I’d ever seen before. I mean, linemen will sometimes catch passes or even take runs straight up the middle, but an end around? And it appeared to have a pass option? This is the team we’re giving suggestions to? 

I don’t think I can come up with something crazy enough. A lineman kicking? Jared Goff at center? Have Gibbs do the Tecmo Super Bowl thing of running all the way back to his own end zone, zig zagging past defenders, and then go 100 yards again the other way for the score, just to up the difficulty?

Playoff eliminations have begun! (Sorry, Giants). The blind hope that we had for everyone in the offseason is finally wearing off. So it’s time to officially come to terms with your sh*tty team’s sh*tty future. And lucky for you, there’s always time to jump ship! 

Q: What are your thoughts on bandwagon fans? And which team should we jump on this week?

Cooterdoodle: Being a bandwagon fan gets a bad reputation, but it’s not easy pouring your heart and soul into a franchise one week, only to pour your heart and soul into a completely different franchise the next.

As Fantasy Life’s very own bandwagon aficionado, it’s time that I use my voice and my platform for good. So I’m here to remove the stigma. Bandwagoning should not be taboo! 

So, hide no more! Remove your crappy home team jerseys off of the wall and replace them with a mildly-affordable NFL t-shirt (You’ll be purchasing more in the coming weeks if this next team starts to suck. So, save your funds). 

Be not afraid, my bandwagon bros! Say it with me: “IN THIS EXACT MOMENT, RIGHT NOW, I LOVE THE DETROIT LIONS!!” 

Scott: Honestly, I have no issue with bandwagon fans — except of course for bandwagon Yankees or Red Sox fans. But in general, there is nothing wrong with choosing to root for a team while they are winning. 

I viewed it differently when I was younger and said things like “I bleed blue and green” as a die hard Seahawks fan. At one time my stance was such that a fan must experience 100% of both the highs and the lows to be eligible or allowed to truly experience the good times.

But as I’ve gotten older my tune has changed. Sports are supposed to be fun and when the team you are rooting for wins, it’s fun. There is enough “not fun” in this world that if someone chooses to root for a team just because that team is winning, therefore infusing their life with a little extra fun, that’s okay by me. 

Except for the Yankees and Red Sox.

Victoria: I have been a die-hard Buffalo Bills fan my entire life. I know it seems like a long time ago now, but the Bills used to be bad. Real bad. I suffered through the 17-year long playoff drought until Sean McDermott and Josh Allen came to rescue the fans from the depths of despair. Before that, the inevitable sadness that came with every Sunday afternoon propelled me to play fantasy football for the first time. It felt incredible to know I didn’t have to sulk in sadness and instead could root for other players on teams that were actually good (except for the Patriots, of course).

During the playoff drought, the only time you would see someone in Bills gear is if they lived in Buffalo or were born and raised there. I have to admit, it’s been pretty cool to see more and more fans in Bills jerseys on game day at backers bars - even way out here in Texas! I am all for bandwagon fans - the more the merrier. 

And also, aren’t we all bandwagon fans of the team that plays the Kansas City Chiefs every week?

Ben: I grew up with a weird mix of fandom that spanned some truly disastrous franchises, so I’m fandom positive. Sports are an outlet. Cheer for what you want to cheer for. Find joy wherever you can in this life. There’s enough existential dread to go around. 

Frankly, your desire to control your team is a little unhealthy anyway. Your owner just wants to value jersey sales over winning in peace. What happened to, “If you truly love something, let it go?” I understand you’ve given a lot to this relationship, but you can’t change them. Maybe seek therapy, and then if they do start to make positive moves you can consider welcoming them back into your world. 

For now, root for fun teams, and fun players. I’m probably most specifically a Lions bandwagoner right now. Detroiters deserve some joy, and Dan Campbell, and Ben Johnson, and the Jared Goff redemption arc, and the trick plays, and the explosiveness of Jahmyr Gibbs and Jameson Williams, and Amon-Ra St. Brown’s smoothness, and biting kneecaps — what’s not to love?

 Ian Hartitz brings up a good point: “It doesn't really make sense that quarterbacks get 4 fantasy points for passing touchdowns but 2 points for a completed 2-point conversion.”

This is a safe space, everyone. We listen and we don’t judge… 

Q: Which fantasy or NFL rule would you change across the board if you could implement it as the new “gold standard”? Remember, we listen and we don’t judge… 

Scott: Fantasy rule #1: In leagues that still include the DST position, receiving two points for a fourth down stop should be part of standard scoring. It’s considered a turnover, and the other two types of turnovers (interception, fumble) are worth two points. In this new era of inclusivity, not inviting fourth down stops to the party is kinda not cool.

Fantasy rule #2: Make all points per reception (PPR) formats “tapered,” where the value of the reception is based on the depth of the target. Set the minimum at zero points for receptions at or behind the line of scrimmage, and the maximum at one point for 10+ yards. 

Either that or completely switch “point per reception” to “point per first down.” 

Real NFL: The five-yard penalties on the defensive side of the ball that are also automatic first downs should not be automatic first downs. 

Victoria: Has anyone seen tweets about the fantasy league that awards 100 points to a quarterback if they make a tackle in a game?! How can a rule be so wild, so terrible, and so amazing at the same time? Imagine you are absolutely crushing your opponent by 60+ points. You think it’s going to be a lovely afternoon slate where you can sit back, crack a cold one, and not look at your matchup until tomorrow. You turn on Red Zone to see Sam Darnold throw an interception. “Oh no… aren’t I playing against Sam Darnold?” You start to sweat. He’s racing down the field. You’re screaming at your television praying he isn’t fast enough to ultimately tackle the guy who just cashed in on his mistake. Diabolical rule!!

For fantasy rules, I do think receivers should score yardage points for drawing a Defense Pass Interference call when they are not able to catch the ball. Standardizing points per first down could help to even the playing field a bit more in PPR leagues. Kicker points should equal the exact yards they kicked (over 30 yards to account for the 3 points they score).

The NFL rules don’t need an overhaul necessarily, but the most frustrating part of the game continues to be the refereeing discrepancies. From game to game and from team to team they NEED to be more consistent. What is a catch?! The Adam Thielen touchdown taken off the board this past week was absurd. I’d love for the NFL to bring back the option of a coach’s challenge on flags, giving them 2 per game to go back and review. Whether that is on a flag called or a flag NOT called.

Ben: Probably my favorite is making QB turnovers more punitive, and also giving a half point for completions and a negative full point for incompletions, which works against the cheat code of mobility because so many scrambles replace short dump-off completions (mobile QBs often have a higher average depth of pass attempt, and thus lower completion percentages, specifically tied to scramble rates). 

Another thing I believe should be standard is deeper starting lineups (e.g. three WRs and two flex spots), and then my quirky rule is two “backup” spots you set like your starting lineup, but whose scores don’t count, essentially operating as best ball options. That last one is mostly due to the increase of concussion and player safety awareness with longer seasons, because the worst thing in fantasy is when a guy in your lineup leaves the game early and you had a good option on the bench. (You should be rewarded for building depth, not punished with impossible start/sit decisions!)

My NFL rules list is also long, but we need to rethink offensive line penalties like ineligible downfield and illegal formation (let the tackles get deeper at the snap, who cares?). I also love the suggestions that a QB fake sliding or faking going out of bounds but trying to pick up more yards should be a personal foul, 15 yards on the offense, for simulation. Defenders can’t be doing what Azeez Al-Shaair did under any circumstances, but we can also make things clearer. Maybe QBs can wave a literal white flag, or something. 

We also need to rethink onside kicks (I love the 4th-and-15 suggestions, or similar), and then make a lot more penalties reviewable. I’d start with all player safety penalties, so we aren’t creating reasons to dislike those rules, followed by any rule that’s an automatic first down or negates a first down play by the offense, because too many game-changing plays are dictated by bang-bang penalty calls where the ref only has one angle in real time. Huge plays deserve our discretion.