Latest news with #KhalilShakir
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Khalil Shakir injury update: Bills WR has high ankle sprain
Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir injured his ankle during the team's Blue and Red practice in Orchard Park Friday. That injury is one of many on the lengthy list of players held out of training camp Sunday at St. John Fisher, but may be the most concerning. Shakir was the Bills' leading receiver in 2024 with 76 catches for 821 yards and four TDs, and that was in 15 games. He is Josh Allen's most trusted target, a tough player to replace, so the only good news here is that it's early August, more than a month from opening day, and Shakir should be able to get back in time to face the Baltimore Ravens. Khalil Shakir injury update In the practice session, in front of nearly 40,000 fans, the wide receiver - one of the most important players on offense - suffered a high ankle sprain and he's going to miss at least several weeks. What Bills coach said about Khalil Shakir's injury update 'He's dealt with one before,' coach Sean McDermott said Sunday before the Bills' return to the practice fields at St. John Fisher University. 'He's extremely tough, a big part of our offense. It's gonna take some time, high ankles normally do. So it's an opportunity for, again, somebody else to show us what they've got. And we'll see how that goes.' Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for four decades including 35 years as the full-time beat writer for the D&C, he has written numerous books about the history of the team, and he is also co-host of the BLEAV in Bills podcast/YouTube show. He can be reached at maiorana@ and you can follow him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @ This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Khalil Shakir injury update: Bills wide receiver has high ankle sprain
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bills stock watch after preseason opener: Laviska Shenault, Tyrell Shavers rising
The Buffalo Bills lost their preseason opener 34-25 to the New York Giants, but the scoreboard mattered less than the spotlight. Buffalo's biggest stars didn't see any action. Josh Allen and James Cook suited up but didn't play. The quarterback got the day off and the running back is protesting his contract. Khalil Shakir was out while recovering from a high ankle sprain. The Bills played most of their starters in the first quarter and there was still plenty of intrigue to assess how the Bills will round out their roster. Here's a stock watch after the first game. Quick stock breakdown Stock up: WR Laviska Shenault: Strong kick returns, 2-point conversion WR Tyrell Shavers: 58-yard catch, lead team in receiving LB Keonta Jenkins: Led team in tackles DT Deone Walker: Batted pass, stout at the line DE Joey Bosa: Flashed disruption in limited reps Stock down: TE Zach Davidson: Drops and missed deep ball TE Jackson Hawes: Missed chance to separate in TE battle OL Mike Edwards: Gave up a quick sack DE Landon Jackson: Offside wiped out INT WR Curtis Samuel – Still sidelined; other wide receivers stepping up Stock up: Laviska Shenault If Shenault makes the team it'll be because of his versatility. Buffalo doesn't have a clear-cut return specialist and four different players returned kicks or punts against the Giants. Shenault had the best return average on both, averaging 31 yards on two kickoff returns and taking one punt for 7 yards. He also had one catch for 17 yards and added a 2-point conversion reception from Mike White to give Buffalo a 25-24 lead in the fourth quarter. The sixth-year wide receiver is a former second-round pick and had at least 600 yards receiving in his first two seasons in the league with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Stock up: WR Tyrell Shavers Shavers makes plays whenever he's on the field. Instead of running out the clock with 15 seconds left in the first half, Buffalo took a shot downfield. Shavers sped past cornerback O'Donnell Fortune and caught a 58-yard pass from Mitchell Trubisky to the Giants' 6-yard line. Shavers would've scored if Trubisky didn't slightly underthrow him. Buffalo kicked a field goal before halftime. Shavers finished with two catches for a team-high 70 yards. Trubisky and Shavers have an established connection. Shavers took a screen pass 69 yards for a touchdown on his first career target in a Week 17 rout over the New York Jets last season. Based on production alone, Shavers should make the Bills' roster. The Bills have some decisions to make behind Khalil Shakir, Joshua Palmer and Keon Coleman. Stock up: LB Keonta Jenkins The undrafted rookie shook off a hand laceration to lead the Bills with six tackles and a quarterback hit. Jenkins should get a lot of reps in the preseason. Starter Terrel Bernard, Dorian Williams and Shaq Thompson all missed the preseason game, and Buffalo released Baylon Spector last week. Jenkins outplayed second-year linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio, the Bills' 2024 fifth-round pick who had six tackles in four games last year. Jenkins played five seasons at Virginia Tech and was used as a defensive back and linebacker. He Jenkins recorded 182 tackles, three interceptions, 2.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, nine passes defensed and 21.5 tackles for loss in 57 games with 34 starts. Stock up: DT Deone Walker Walker is enormous, and while the rookie fourth-round pick didn't register a tackle, he won the battle at the line of scrimmage and batted down a pass. Stock up: DE Joey Bosa Bosa showed how he can be a major disruptor when healthy. He got pressure on multiple snaps in limited action, including when he and Ed Oliver collapsed the pocket and Oliver batted down a pass on the first possession of the game. Stock down: TE Zach Davidson The 6-foot-7 tight end had a rough day on offense. Davidson tied for the team-lead with four targets but had one reception for 5 yards. In the second quarter, quarterback Mitchell Trubisky threw deep for Davidson, who beat Giants safety Raheem Layne. Davidson outran the throw and the ball bounced off his hands. In the third quarter, Davidson couldn't handle a short pass over the middle from Mike White. Two plays later, Davidson shook off the miscue with a hustle play, sprinting downfield on punt coverage and barreling though returner Dee Williams for a tackle at the Giants' 10-yard line. Davidson, 27, is in his fourth season with the Bills, mostly on the practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster for three games in 2024. He's known more for his pass-catching skills than blocking, so cannot have letdowns in the receiving game if he hopes to fend off youngster Jackson Hawes. Stock down: TE Jackson Hawes Hawes didn't take advantage of the opportunity in the tight end competition with Davidson struggling. The rookie dropped a pass from Mike White early in the third quarter. Hawes, a 2025 fifth-round pick, is known as a bruiser in the blocking game and Bills coaches love his tenacity on the line of scrimmage. The third tight end behind Dawson Knox and Dalton Kincaid likely comes down to Davidson's receiving ability versus Hawes' youth and blocking skills, with the other joining the practice squad. Reserve tight ends Keleki Latu and Matt Sokol each caught their only target. Bills coaches have lauded Latu, a 6-foot-7 and 244-pound undrafted rookie who had 40 catches last year at the University of Washington, for his work ethic and tenacity. Sokol, 29, has shown sure hands all training camp. Stock down: OL Mike Edwards Edwards had a glaringly bad rep while giving up a sack three plays into the third quarter. The second-year offensive lineman barely got a hand on Giants nose tackle D.J. Davidson. who blew by him and tossed quarterback Mike White for an 8-yard sack. Stock down: DE Landon Jackson The rookie third-round pick was flagged for offsides in the third quarter, negating an interception by rookie defensive back Jordan Hancock against Giants quarterback Jameis Winston. Buffalo led 17-16 with 4:44 left in the third quarter and would've forced its first turnover of the game. Instead, Winston went on to covert a third-and-8 and led a touchdown drive along with a 2-point conversion to give put New York up 24-17. Stock down: WR Curtis Samuel Samuel hasn't participated in team drills for most of training camp and continues working off to the side with trainers. If not for his $12.1 million dead cap hit in 2025, his status would be far more uncertain. In the meantime, young receivers like Tyrell Shavers, KJ Hamler, Kristian Wilkerson and Deon Cain are stacking good days. This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Buffalo Bills preseason: Stock up, stock down after loss to NY Giants
Reuters
5 days ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Bills WR Khalil Shakir (ankle) on track for Week 1 return
August 7 - Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir should return from an ankle injury in time for the season opener, coach Sean McDermott said Thursday. Shakir, 25, has been considered day-to-day since sustaining a right high-ankle sprain in practice last Friday. He is likely to miss all three preseason games. Shakir posted career highs in receptions (76), targets (100), receiving yards (821) and touchdown catches (four) in 15 games last season. He has 125 catches for 1,593 yards and seven TDs in 46 games (21 starts) since the Bills drafted him in the fifth round in 2022 out of Boise State. Buffalo opens the preseason Saturday against the visiting New York Giants. The regular season kicks off on Sept. 7 at home against the Baltimore Ravens. --Field Level Media
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fantasy football WR sleepers: Khalil Shakir headlines list
Shhh... quiet! If you're too loud about these sleeper wide receiver picks, the general public won't be sleeping on them anymore. To prepare for fantasy football season, USA TODAY Sports has compiled a list of some of the top wide receivers with real sleeper potential in the later rounds of fantasy drafts. If these receivers get the opportunities and/or improved quarterback play we expect, they could prove to be absolute steals once the season is in full swing. Here are five of the top fantasy football wide receiver sleeper picks, featuring veterans and one rookie: Fantasy football WR sleepers for 2025 The wide receiver position could have some sneaky good players to choose from in later rounds. Here are a few WR sleeper candidates for 2025: Note: ADP is from FantasyPros and in half-PPR league formats. Khalil Shakir, Buffalo Bills ADP: WR43 | 2024 fantasy points: 144.5 Shakir didn't quite have the breakout 2024 season some expected after the Bills traded Stefon Diggs to the Texans and let Gabe Davis walk in free agency. However, there were promising signs that the best is yet to come for Shakir. For one, despite the "share the love" mentality the Bills had with their passing game last year, Shakir led the team in almost every significant pass-catching statistic. His 100 targets led the Bills' passing offense, so much so that he had more catches (76) than the second-most targeted Bill, tight end Dalton Kincaid, had targets (75). Shakir's 821 receiving yards also led the team by a wide margin – Kincaid was second with 556 receiving yards. Furthermore, the Bills demonstrated their faith in Shakir by signing him to a four-year extension. After a third season in which he set career-high marks across the board – targets, receptions, yards and touchdowns – Buffalo wasted no time in locking up their leading receiver. Though the Bills made moves to improve their receiver group at the margins – free agents Joshua Palmer and Elijah Moore, plus seventh-round pick Kaden Prather – none are projected to challenge Shakir for the top spot. The Bills' wideout is in a good spot for a true breakout as the team's definitive leading receiver in 2025. Even with a high ankle sprain at training camp, Shakir should be ready to go as his team's WR1 by Week 1. Ricky Pearsall, San Francisco 49ers ADP: WR45 | 2024 fantasy points: 78 Pearsall is poised to become a much more important part of the 49ers' offense in 2025. The second-year receiver missed the first six games of his pro career while recovering from a gunshot wound he suffered during an attempted robbery late last August. In the 11 games remaining, Pearsall showed a few flashes of being the difference-maker the 49ers hoped he'd be when they drafted him. That was especially true in the final two games of the regular season, when he tallied 14 catches, 210 yards and two touchdowns to close out his rookie year. Now that Deebo Samuel is gone – traded to the Washington Commanders in the offseason – Pearsall looks set to step right into the No. 2 receiver gap behind Jauan Jennings, at least until Brandon Aiyuk is back from his ACL tear recovery. Even after the 49ers (theoretically) get fully healthy at receiver when Aiyuk returns, there is a spot for Pearsall's skill set in the passing game. If his Weeks 17 and 18 performances were any indication of what's to come, the second-year player could be gearing up for a true breakout in 2025. Rashid Shaheed, New Orleans Saints ADP: WR62 | 2024 fantasy points: 69.8 Shaheed was on pace for a monster season in 2024 until a torn meniscus ended it early. Extrapolating Shaheed's stats in six games over a full, 17-game season gives him projections of 57 catches for 989 receiving yards and eight or nine touchdowns. That would have put him in range of WR20 last year, right around the Tyreek Hill, Nico Collins and Jordan Addison group. This year, Shaheed will be back healthy and may have a better situation at quarterback to work with, depending on how rookie Tyler Shough looks in his first season. If all else fails, his offensive play-caller will be head coach Kellen Moore, who just helped orchestrate the Philadelphia Eagles' Super Bowl win as their offensive coordinator. Shaheed may not reach up into WR1 territory, but there's clear WR2 upside in his game entering the 2025 season. And for a guy projected to be picked after 61 other wide receivers, that's some good value. Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts ADP: WR50 | 2024 fantasy points: 131.3 Pittman was failed by poor quarterback performance in 2024. After three straight seasons of catching at least 68% of his targets, that number plummeted to 62.2% last year. It wasn't because of drops, as Pro Football Focus's metrics show that Pittman had the lowest drop percentage of his career (4.2%) and just three total all year. Pittman's poor catch percentage last year reflects far more on quarterback Anthony Richardson, whose throw accuracy was inconsistent at best and downright abysmal at worst. Despite the handful of highlight reel-worthy throws, Richardson's completion rate last year was 47.7%. In 2025, the Colts have brought in competition for Richardson in the form of Giants cast-off Daniel Jones, hoping the fire of competition will bring out the best in both quarterbacks. If Pittman could get just even a bit more help from improved quarterback play, he should be able to return to the wideout who recorded at least 85 catches, 900 yards and four touchdowns in each of his three seasons before 2024. Tre' Harris, Los Angeles Chargers ADP: WR54 | 2024 fantasy points: N/A A product of Ole Miss, the rookie Harris could be lined up for a big fantasy breakout in 2025 thanks to the quarterback he'll be paired with in the NFL. Harris was a deep-ball monster in his two years at Ole Miss. The good news for him is that his new quarterback is Justin Herbert, a guy more than capable of throwing the deep ball. Harris's main problem in fantasy terms is that he'll be competing with last year's rookie breakout, Ladd McConkey, for targets. The counterpoint to that is the Chargers don't have much else in the way of competition for him in the passing game, especially if Quentin Johnston continues to drop 8.3% of his targets like he did last year, per PFF. So while McConkey has all but secured the lead spot in the Los Angeles passing offense, Harris is lined up to be a potentially explosive second option, perhaps akin to the player Jameson Williams has become in Detroit. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Top fantasy football WR sleepers for 2025
Hindustan Times
7 days ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Khalil Shakir injury update: Here's when Buffalo Bills WR could return; coach addresses concerns
The Buffalo Bills have temporarily lost a wide receiver to injury- a development that is sure to affect their depth chart. Following Friday's practice at the Bills' training camp, Khalil Shakir, top of the wide receiver order, suffered an injury that has now put him out for a few weeks. Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir (10) catches a pass during practice(AP) Khalil Shakir's injury and return Following the Bills' Blue and Red practice last Friday, Shakir could be seen walking off the field with trainers, as reported by the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. The wide receiver had his right leg looked at on the bench before trainers accompanied him up the tunnel. Shakir did not return to practice after this. Since Saturday was an off day, Coach Sean McDermott told reporters on Sunday that the player would be out on a 'week-to-week basis' due to a high-ankle sprain. Although no concrete timeline for his expected return was provided by the team, Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports evaluates 4-5 weeks of Shakir remaining missing in action. How will this impact the Buffalo Bills? Shakir was Buffalo's top receiver during the 2024 NFL season, leading the team in targets (100), catches (76), and receiving yards (821). He tied for second on the team with four touchdown receptions, built a strong rapport with Josh Allen, and is expected to be a key weapon for the reigning NFL MVP. Since he plays primarily in the slot (498 of his 735 snaps (67.8%) last season came at the position), either free-agent signee Elijah Moore or Curtis Samuel could fill his place. Samuel played in the slot on 43.1% of his snaps with the Bills last season while Moore did so on 54.6% of his snaps with the Cleveland Browns, as reported by USA Today. The team currently has 14 receivers on its roster, five of whom carried on to their 53-man roster last season. Shakir tops the list, followed by Keon Coleman, Joshua Palmer, Moore, and Samuel. Kelly Akharaiyi, Deon Cain, Stephen Gosnell, KJ Hamler, Kaden Prather, Tyrell Shavers, Laviska Shenault Jr., Jalen Virgil, and Kristian Wilkerson are the other receivers waiting for a spot on the list. The Bills' season opener against the Baltimore Ravens is scheduled to happen on Sunday, September 7. Posted by Stuti Gupta
