Gabe

Davis

It’s absolutely brutal timing for Davis, who will have his rehab stretch far into the 2026 season as a free agent. His age-27 season will likely hinge on when he can come back from injury, just as his age-26 season did after injuring his knee as a Jaguar. The Bills will go forward with Khalil Shakir, Brandin Cooks, Tyrell Shavers and Keon Coleman as their wideouts against Denver on Saturday.

Davis was crushed by multiple defenders while trying to bring down a pass from Josh Allen over the middle of the field. He was unable to put weight on his left and needed to be helped off by trainers before being carted to the locker room. It was the same knee that shut him down last season when he was with the Jaguars and impacted his free-agent market when he was released. With Josh Palmer on IR, the Bills are dangerously thin at receiver.

Davis led the Bills in targets and receptions on a day where Khalil Shakir and Brandin Cooks never saw the field, and tight ends Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox were pulled early. Davis’ touchdown was his first of the season and was a really nice grab where he jumped up and over the defensive back to haul in the tough catch. With the Bills having gotten so little from their wide receivers this season, don’t be surprised if Josh Allen trusts Davis in big moments during this postseason, beginning in the Wild Card round against the Jaguars.

Kincaid was listed as questionable with a knee injury, and he will not be able to play, which is a significant blow to the Bills’ offense. It’s also a big blow to Kincaid’s future status in Buffalo. Early on this season, he looked to be headed towards a breakout season, but this is now the second year in a row he’s been hard to rely on because of injuries. That may cause Buffalo not to pick up his fifth-year option this offseason. Dawson Knox (knee) will be active and could take on a big role in a rain-soaked game, and Gabe Davis will be active, with Keon Coleman a healthy inactive yet again.

Davis didn’t play an offensive snap in Week 15 and has caught just seven passes for 88 yards this season. There’s no reason to continue stashing Davis in any format during the final three weeks of the season.

Palmer had missed the last few weeks with an ankle injury, but was able to get in a few limited practices this week and appears good to go. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he is not quite at 100%, but the Bills need his athleticism and downfield capability in their receiving corps. Surprisingly, Gabe Davis was made in inactive for this game, which might signal a more pass heavy approach for the Bills since Davis is arguably their best run blocking wide receiver.

That modest sum actually led all Bills’ wide receivers in receiving yards. That’s because their tight ends combined for almost 140 receiving yards. Davis is not a huge part of this passing game because the Bills seem to rotate all of their wide receivers regularly, but he did play the most snaps and run the most routes of any Bills receiver today. He also has Josh Allen’s trust and caught an important goal-line slant that saw him get tackled at the two-yard line in the first quarter. Still, he shouldn’t be rostered outside of the deepest formats.

We’re coming home again. Samuel has been active for just six games this year and has not crossed 30 yards or three targets. This signing will go down as a mini-debacle for Bills GM Brandon Beane. Brandin Cooks will take his place in the Bills wideout room, and Gabe Davis was signed to the active roster.

Davis’ first and only reception on the day came on a 22-yard strike from Josh Allen late in the first quarter. The veteran receiver nearly turned in a game-winning touchdown catch late in the fourth quarter, however, but was unable to keep both feet in-bounds on his way down after leaping to make the catch. Davis has been active for each of the last two weeks with Keon Coleman being a healthy scratch, but has just four catches for 64 yards to show for his efforts. He isn’t on the Week 12 fantasy radar for next week’s game against the Steelers.

This will be Coleman’s fourth occasion missing game time due to disciplinary reasons in less than two years in the NFL. Kincaid (hamstring) and Samuel (elbow/neck) are both out due to injury. With Coleman out last week, the Bills relied on a wide receiver rotation including Khalil Shakir, Tyrell Shavers, Gabe Davis, Mecole Hardman, Joshua Palmer and Samuel. Hardman has since been placed on injured reserve. A heavy rotation is still expected against the Texans’ elite pass defense.