Buffalo Bills RB Ray Davis spent five years in college with three different schools, but he did well for himself last season at Kentucky. Now, he joins a Bills offense that elected for an overhaul this offseason.
James Cook looked good last season and securely sits atop Buffalo’s depth chart, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for a second RB, especially given the limitations on certain aspects of Cook’s profile.
As a no-cost option, is Davis the type of player you leave your fantasy football draft with as a stash, or should you wait to see flashes of a role before spending FAAB on him during the season?
Should You Select Ray Davis at His Current ADP?
ADP: 221st Overall (RB60)
I’m making a point of stashing Davis wherever I can. I’m not positive he carves out standalone value, but he doesn’t need to in order to be valuable.
If Davis ends up being more of a thumper with touchdown equity in a high-scoring offense, that’s enough to justify Flexing him when bye weeks leave you without a handful of starters.
That feels more like his worst-case scenario. The best case would be him earning 30% of the running back carries and maybe being what we’ve wanted AJ Dillon to be for the Green Bay Packers.
There are several RB fliers to take late in fantasy drafts, but it’s Davis and Tyrone Tracy Jr. that top my list over options like Dillion, Roschon Johnson, and Bucky Irving.
Davis’ Fantasy Profile for the 2024 NFL Season
If you had told me 12 months ago that the Bills added a running back, I would have had no interest. They were a pass-centric offense with a running back I trust in Cook and a pseudo fullback under center — why would I waste my time with a secondary RB on an offense structured like that?
However, that’s not the situation we find ourselves in now. Joe Brady took over this offense for the second half of last season and introduced a much more balanced attack. Whether that game plan sticks when given an entire offseason would normally be a coin toss, but everything this franchise did during the offseason suggests that they’re fully leaning into this new style of play.
Ray Davis is my favorite sleeper RB
– Great size
– TD machine
– Receiving upside
– Production profileHe’s got natural feel as a pure runner and plays with great balance, elusiveness, and power. pic.twitter.com/WKgEsqy4FA
— Snoog’s Dynasty Society (@FFSnoog)
Gone is Stefon Diggs and his 100+ catches per season. Gone is Gabe Davis and his field-stretching abilities.
Buffalo spent five draft picks on the offensive side of the ball, including three on the offensive line. The Bills have let Brady do the grocery shopping, and they’re expecting one hell of a meal to be served in 2024 as they look to get over the playoff hump.
Cook ranked 10th in touches at the RB position but 24th in red-zone touches, a ranking that is even more mind-blowing when you realize that the Bills ranked fifth in drives that landed inside the opponents’ 20-yard line.
This is where things could change. Brady was rushed into duties last season and defaulted to a pretty safe option: pound Josh Allen. In the short term, that’s a successful plan, and it helped earn him job stability — not to mention the Bills a strong spot in the playoffs.
But with time to build an offense, Davis might well be involved in those spots. It’s clear that they don’t love Cook there and prolonging Allen’s career is possible if they can offload some of those touches.
What does Davis bring to the table? The great Derek Tate wrote this about Davis when it came to the pre-draft scouting report.
- Plays with elite leverage and quality leg drive. Shoulder pads always seem to get lower than oncoming defenders at the point of attack.
- Surprises defenders in 1-on-1 scenarios with more hitch in his giddy-up than expected.
- Can stick his foot in the ground and generate the required force to accelerate to the edge or change directions with violent feet near contact.
- He regularly showcases patience and play-design discipline while navigating through traffic on the first level. Late in the rep, he shows some deception by pressing the hole.
- Exceptional contact balance. Low center of gravity and strong legs allow Davis to maintain a strong base when attempting to dismiss undisciplined tacklers and immediately burst upfield.
- Strong finisher as a ball carrier. Wakes up in the morning and chooses violence when he decides to take the fight to the oncoming defender.
- Long speed won’t always be a threat in the NFL, but a long touchdown run against Florida in 2023 suggests he isn’t just a three-yard grinder at the next level.
There’s a lot to like in Davis’ profile, and there could be a role for him to assume — and maybe even expand — when his rookie season kicks off.