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On January 23rd, the NFL world saw a game for the ages, and a breakout performance to match. The Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs traded scores in a divisional-round matchup that became an instant classic. While Buffalo ultimately fell in overtime, a new star for the team emerged throughout the game.
Gabriel Davis, a 2020 fourth-round pick out of UCF, went off at Arrowhead Stadium. He hauled in eight passes for 201 yards and four touchdowns, an NFL playoff record. By comparison, Davis had six touchdowns in the entire regular season.
Davis' record-setting performance left the Bills with high expectations heading into 2022. He will have a much greater role going forward and teammates and coaches have been singing his praise all offseason.
“It's a big season this year, I know how important it is to everybody in the room,” Davis said. “And I want to be able to have those guys trust me. I know I have to be confident and to get my confidence up, I have to be able to train at my best.”
Fantasy football players have expectations for Davis this season as well. But will he continue his outstanding finish, or will he be a one-hit wonder? Let's take a look at Davis' fantasy football outlook and try to answer that question.
Gabriel Davis 2022 Fantasy Football Outlook
Davis' increased workload this season is easily his most attractive quality from a fantasy football perspective. During the offseason, the Bills parted ways with Cole Beasley and Emmanuel Sanders, who were both ahead of Davis on the depth chart. With both of them now departed, Davis will comfortably be the Bills' second receiver.
The one side effect is that he will be competing with Stefon Diggs for catches even more now. Diggs has been one of the best fantasy wide receivers since arriving in Buffalo two years ago. The former Minnesota Vikings star quickly became Josh Allen's favorite target, posting 230 receptions in two seasons with the Bills.
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However, Diggs and Davis at least fulfill slightly different roles for the team. Diggs is more of a workhorse wide receiver, with his high amount of catches and 11.9 average yards per reception. On the other hand, Davis is more of a deep threat with an average of 15.7 yards per catch.
Another positive for fantasy owners is Davis' durability. Between his college and pro careers, Davis has missed just two games and neither were because of injury. Durability is the best quality any fantasy player can have, and Davis is as durable as they come.
Even with his increased workload this season, some may still have concerns about Davis stepping into a new role. He started last season very slowly, with just 10 catches in his first seven games. A start like that may scare off some fantasy owners who were considering him.
However, Davis proved in college that he can thrive as a top target. He put up outstanding numbers as UCF's top receiver in 2019 with 72 catches for 1,241 yards and 12 scores. He should be able to step in as Buffalo's No. 2 receiver role just fine.
Even after his breakout performance in the playoffs, Davis remains more of a sleeper pick in fantasy. His average draft position on NFL.com is 108.25, placing him in the 11th round of an average draft. Other receivers with comparable positions include Courtland Sutton and JuJu Smith-Schuster.
With that draft position, Gabriel Davis is a great pick based on value. At worst, he posts average production and can occasionally be used as a flex. At best, he can build off his playoff performance and become a consistent WR2 for most teams.
