As we fast approach the kickoff to the 2020 NFL Regular season, you likely have already setup your roster via your fantasy draft and are looking to refine your team.
One sleeper pick that seemed to go in the middle-to-late rounds of fantasy drafts was Zack Moss of the Buffalo Bills, as many project him to take carries from starter Devin Singletary.
In fact, Moss was proclaimed a potential steal from notable outlets such as Sports Illustrated, who noted that despite him projected to split time, the Bills may have planned him to be the primary back when they selected him in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
“Correct me if I’m wrong but I think [Moss] had zero fumbles [in his college career]. You like the ball security. … There were a couple guys in this draft that had some really good plays but were issues, we had concerns with the ball security,” Bills general manager Brandon Beane said, per the article. “I love his physicality. I like that he takes care of the ball. So, you know I think more of the goal line and things like that as we did with Frank last year, you’ll see Zack do.”
While it sounds all rosey for Moss, keep in mind that a general manager isn’t likely to throw shade on his third round pick ahead of his rookie season.
However, Moss’ receiving ability and ability to pass block makes him a three-down back, in theory. But, it’s hard imagining a scenario where Moss completely takes over the majority of carries, keeping Singletary in a reserve roll, at least in his first year.
“Zack, I think he’s a very good complement to Devin. Devin has that shiftiness. Zack’s gonna be more of that banging in there. Not that he can’t dodge, but he’s going to lower that shoulder and try to, a little bit like Frank did at an older age for us,” said Beane. “He’s going to be more of the physical [type]. He’s not necessarily going to try to avoid contact. He can but I think his best thing is, in the end, [physicality].”
Moss’ name has been spoken highly in terms of fantasy and continues to be a topic of conversation as the season approaches.
Here is the assessment from Yahoo Sports’ Andy Behrens:
“Moss is really the one guy on this sleeper list I need to land in a draft, or it feels like failure. He’s a second-day pick stepping into what might very well be a substantial (and fantasy-friendly) role in Buffalo’s backfield. Last season, Frank Gore handled 18 carries inside the 10-yard line for the Bills, while Devin Singletary saw only three. Moss is an obvious candidate to see high-value carries in goal-to-go situations in 2020. He was an unsolvable problem near the end-zone at the collegiate level.”
However, despite the praise and promise, Moss has not separated himself from Singletary in camp, which raises a concern regarding his potential high draft slot, and lofty fantasy projections.
According to The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia, it still isn’t clear how the workload will be split between Singletary and Moss, and that should add some hesitation when you consider using a valuable early or mid round pick on Moss, or Singletary.
It all sounds as though that the Bills will be running a committee backfield until something drastically changes, which will drive down the value and cap production for both backs in fantasy leagues.
Now, that makes Moss and Singletary both solid stash picks, so we can see how the season shakes out, but that is assuming both would be available to do so.
My advice? As Andy told Jim about Karen in ‘The Office’ — “steer clear, Big Tuna…head for open waters”
