The Buffalo Bills will have a new look at the wide receiver position, following the departures of Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis. Will these changes elevate third-year receiver Khalil Shakir to become quarterback Josh Allen’s go-to guy among the wide receivers?
Here’s the fantasy outlook for Shakir entering the 2024 season.
Khalil Shakir’s Fantasy Profile for the 2024 NFL Season
In his second NFL season, Shakir saw almost all of his numbers go up from his rookie campaign. He more than doubled his targets in 2023 to 45 after being targeted just 20 times in 14 games as a rookie in 2022.
The result was a season that saw Shakir finish with 39 receptions for 611 receiving yards and two touchdowns. While these numbers were hardly Pro Bowl-worthy, there were some that should catch the eye of fantasy football managers.
For one, Shakir averaged 15.7 yards per reception. While that was down slightly from his rookie season (16.1), Shakir still ranked 10th among wide receivers in yards per reception, with a minimum of 35 receptions.
The other notable statistic was Shakir’s catch percentage. While he was only targeted less than three times a game last season (2.6), Shakir proved he could catch just about anything thrown his way.
In fact, among 74 wide receivers who had at least 35 receptions last season, only one had a catch percentage of 80% or higher.
That player was Shakir (86.7%).
Shakir also came up big at the end of the season, especially in the regular season finale vs. the Miami Dolphins. Shakir finished with six receptions for 105 yards, averaging 17.5 yards a catch.
In the playoffs, Shakir also was productive, catching a touchdown pass against both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs.
Is Khalil Shakir a Good Fantasy Pick?
Despite being the most tenured member of the Bills wide receiving core, Shakir enters the 2024 season ranked as the No. 59 wide receiver in Pro Football Network’s 2024 Fantasy Wide Receiver Rankings.
That ranks third among Bills wide receivers, behind rookie Keon Coleman (No. 44) and veteran Curtis Samuel (No. 49).
While the Bills drafted Coleman in the second round and signed Samuel away from the Commanders, Shakir could easily become the most-trusted receiver for quarterback Josh Allen this season.
Samuel is the veteran of this trio, but he has also had more than 700 receiving yards in a season just once in his seven seasons, and that came back in 2020, when he was with the Carolina Panthers.
When you compare Samuel’s numbers to Shakir last season, there is no reason not to expect Shakir to become the No. 1 receiver in Buffalo.
While Shakir’s yards per reception average was among the best in the NFL last season, Samuel averaged fewer than 10 yards per reception last season (9.9).
Not only did Shakir take a big step in his production from his rookie season to his second season, but the way he finished the season should be ample reason for fantasy football managers to consider Shakir as a mid-round selection.