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Fantasy football start em, sit em lineups advice for the Broncos vs. Bills on Sunday, January 12 for Wild Card Weekend (2025). NFL matchups analysis and starts/sits.
Football and fantasy football fans, the postseason has arrived! Below you can read our matchups analysis article for the Broncos vs. Bills game to help make any fantasy lineup decisions for whatever contest, league, or tournament you are participating in.
The Bills are looking to finally get over the hump and represent the AFC in the Super Bowl this year, but they'll have to get through a gritty Broncos team led by Sean Payton and rookie quarterback Bo Nix. The spread indicates Buffalo could run away with this one, but anything can happen on any given Sunday.
Read our fantasy football breakdowns for this game -- the recommended starts, sits, and matchups we love heading into the Wild Card Weekend. Below, you'll see the fantasy football outlooks for key players like Josh Allen, Bo Nix, James Cook, Courtland Sutton, Khalil Shakir, Amari Cooper, Javonte Williams, and Dalton Kincaid.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
- Running back (RB) fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver (WR) fantasy football rankings
- Tight end (TE) fantasy football rankings
- Quarterback (QB) fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Kicker (K) fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills
Spread: Bills -9
Matchups We Love
Khalil Shakir has been quiet in fantasy in recent weeks. After scoring in double figures in PPR formats in nine of the first 10 games of the season, Shakir has scored under 10 PPR fantasy points in three of his last five full games. However, the young wideout has a great matchup on Sunday against the Broncos. Denver has allowed the second-most fantasy points to slot wideouts since Week 12.
ALLEN TO SHAKIR FOR THE 51-YARD TD!
📺: #BUFvsLAR on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/uOWT3VwXqi— NFL (@NFL) December 8, 2024
Matchups We Hate
WR Amari Cooper
Amari Cooper did not play in last week's loss due to a personal matter. Assuming he plays this weekend, though, Cooper will be a riskier option in fantasy. He has played under 55% of the team's offensive snaps in every game with the Bills and could draw the Patrick Surtain II shadow in this game. Surtain has been the best cornerback this season, so the veteran might not see many opportunities in Sunday's contest.
Other Matchups
QB Bo Nix
Bo Nix will continue to be a solid quarterback option in the first round of the NFL playoffs. Nix has scored over 19 fantasy points in five of the past seven games and has thrown multiple passing touchdowns in four straight weeks. The rookie will now go up against a Bills defense that has allowed over 18 fantasy points to the position in four of the past five games.
17/17
183 yards
3 TDBo Nix is having a DAY 🔥 pic.twitter.com/UxmOg193Ay
— NFL (@NFL) January 5, 2025
QB Josh Allen
Josh Allen finished the regular season as the QB2. He averaged 24.07 fantasy points per game and finished with over 20 fantasy points in 10 of the final 11 weeks of the fantasy season. So, he'll remain a strong quarterback play against the Broncos this weekend. Denver has allowed over 23 fantasy points to the position in three of the past five games, including two QB1 finishes.
Broncos RBs
Even though the Bills have allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season, it's hard to trust any of these backs this weekend. Javonte Williams has seen just 15 carries over the past four games, Audric Estime has scored in double figures in PPR formats just once this year, and Jaleel McLaughlin hasn't scored over 10 PPR fantasy points since Week 8.
McLaughlin is likely the best choice if I had to choose a running back to roll with from this backfield. He has totaled 30 touches over the past two games, including 16 carries in last week's win.
RB James Cook
James Cook has been a touchdown machine for the Bills this season, scoring 18 total touchdowns. That helped him finish as the RB9 in PPR formats. Even though the Broncos allowed only 3.86 yards per carry to opposing running backs this season, Cook will remain a solid running back option this weekend. Denver has allowed at least 17 PPR fantasy points to four different running backs since Week 9.
Let James Cook!
📺: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/27QJrgkypj
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) January 5, 2025
WR Keon Coleman
It has been tough to trust Keon Coleman in fantasy for most of the year, especially as of late. He has caught just seven passes over the past four weeks and hasn't totaled more than 35 receiving yards in three straight games. Nonetheless, Coleman has some potential this weekend. He will likely be matched against Riley Moss on the outside, and Moss ranks 82nd in receiving yards allowed this season.
Courtland Sutton has been Bo Nix's go-to target in the passing game this season, and that shouldn't change in the first round of the NFL playoffs. Sutton has scored over 16 PPR fantasy points in seven of the past 10 games. This is also a solid matchup for the Broncos playmaker against a Bills defense that has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing wideouts over the past month.
Marvin Mims Jr. has seen more usage in the passing game in recent weeks. He has seen at least five targets in three straight games and has scored four touchdowns over the past two contests. So, Mims could be an interesting DFS play this weekend. Although he has played under 50% of the team's offensive snaps in every game this season, his big-play potential makes him a possible option.
Dalton Kincaid was a disappointment in fantasy this year, as he finished as the TE26 in PPR formats. But he has some appeal this weekend against the Broncos. Kincaid has seen at least seven targets in two of his past three games, and Denver allowed Mike Gesicki to total 18.6 PPR fantasy points two weeks ago. Therefore, he'll come in as a middle-of-the-pack tight end play this week.
Notable Fantasy-Relevant Injuries
None
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