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Is Dalton Kincaid out for the season? When is Dalton Kincaid coming back? The latest Dalton Kincaid injury update and fantasy football outlook heading into Week 18.
Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid (knee) is unfortunately in the midst of another injury-riddled season in his third year in the NFL. He's looked quite promising in the games he's been able to string together, especially this season.
But he played in 16 games in his rookie season, just 13 games last year, and has played in 11 contests so far this season, including many where his snaps were restricted, likely to manage his injuries. He's played over 50 percent of the Bills' offensive snaps just three times this season.
While part of that has to do with the tight end rotation Buffalo employs, he had much higher snap rates in Year 1 and Year 2. Since then, he's simply been on the field less, and he wasn't able to play at all in Week 17 due to his latest injury. So is he out for the 2025 season? Let's dive in.
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Is Dalton Kincaid Out For The 2025 Season?
While it's unclear whether he'll take the field in the playoffs, he's highly unlikely to play in Week 18. His current knee issue didn't put him on injured reserve, but projections have him as likely out for the final game of the 2025 regular season.
He already had four missed game stints due to injuries this season before this latest issue. He's been highly injury-prone, and given his importance to the offense, they'll probably let him rest up. The New England Patriots claimed the AFC East title in Week 17, too, so Buffalo has no chance of taking their spot.
Josh Allen to Dalton Kincaid for 6! 🦬
📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/LCKvaWK8Xn
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 7, 2025
Kincaid has been a key weapon for his team, so his lingering ailments haven't been good for the playoff prospects. Risking him getting re-injured in a mostly-meaningless Week 18 game makes little sense. There's a possibility that Buffalo could finish as high as the fifth seed in the AFC.
The Bills, Los Angeles Chargers, and Houston Texans all have an 11-5 record right now. The fifth seed is obviously preferable, as it would lead to the Bills facing either the Baltimore Ravens or the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card Round. But if it came at the cost of another Kincaid injury, it might be pointless.
Fantasy managers who have games in Week 18 should expect Kincaid to not be available for their teams.
Dalton Kincaid 2025 Fantasy Football Outlook
It's hard to project him having huge games in the NFL playoffs, even if you're looking to add him in DFS. His name value will probably lead to him being expensive in cash games, and with so much uncertainty about his overall health, it would be a risk to buy in.
Bills tight end Dawson Knox has been serviceable in his starts, and is essentially filling in for Kincaid's role and his own. He caught five passes for 30 yards in Week 17, and had three catches for 37 yards and a touchdown in Week 15, as well as six for 93 yards in Week 14, which actually outproduced Kincaid.
JOSH ALLEN TO DAWSON KNOX. BILLS TAKE THE LEAD.
BUFvsNE on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/dwXYqQsO7D
— NFL (@NFL) December 14, 2025
Kincaid obviously has a role when fully healthy, and he's the better TE than Knox, who's made several key mishaps in recent weeks, like falling short of the goal line on a potential touchdown and dropping key passes. Still, his higher usage helping to preserve Kincaid for the playoffs is of key importance.
Kincaid should see work when he's back to 100 percent, but given how this season has gone for him, it seems unlikely that he'll be at full health at any point this season, making him a risky buy-in in DFS games for the rest of the playoffs. That's if he's able to take the field, of course.
It's hard to know whether he'll play in the Wild Card Round, but we shouldn't rule out the possibility of an eventual return just yet.
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 18 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Jauan Jennings, Rico Dowdle, Michael Carter, Courtland Sutton, Tony Pollard, Jordan Addison. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 18. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 18 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Week 18 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Jauan Jennings, Rico Dowdle, Michael Carter, Courtland Sutton, Tony Pollard, Jordan Addison. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 18.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool, but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, player news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 18 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 18 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 18 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 18 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Jauan Jennings, Rico Dowdle, Michael Carter, Courtland Sutton, Tony Pollard, Jordan Addison compared to others:
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