Leap To Elite: Gabriel Davis' Path To Opportunity is Finally Clear

If you are looking for a WR who can go from impossible to trust in 2021 to must start in 2022, look no further than Buffalo’s Gabriel Davis. He’s only averaged 2.2 receptions per game in each of his first two seasons, but there are lots of reasons to be confident in him as a contributor in his third year.

First, Davis has a nose for the end zone. Davis has only drawn 125 career targets, and yet he’s produced 13 touchdowns in two seasons. He’s incredibly efficient, averaging 17.1 and 15.7 yards per reception, and putting up 599 and 549 yards in his first two seasons while only catching 35 passes in both seasons. Davis has proven he can do big damage with limited opportunity, and his opportunity is about to grow. The Bills did not add any receivers of note to threaten Davis’ role on the outside despite letting Emmanuel Sanders and Cole Beasley walk. Sanders and Beasley’s departures have freed up 184 targets, and he’ll soak up a lot of them along with free agent acquisition Jamison Crowder, who will step right into Beasley’s role. Sanders had 72 targets in 2021, and it’s no stretch to envision the majority of those going to Davis. There’s evidence from last season; from Weeks 13-17 Davis played in four of five games and played over 80% of the snaps in all of them. In that stretch Davis averaged eight targets per game rather than the 3.9 he averaged over the full season.

That kind of increase with a talent like Josh Allen getting him the ball is tantalizing. Davis led the Bills in yards per target (8.7) and ranked as PFF’s No. 10 receiver (81.5), who ranked slightly ahead of his all-world teammate Stefon Diggs. Davis is in an offense that threw the ball the fifth-most times in the NFL last season, and PFF’s No. 3 rated QB will be a sight to behold. Davis’ current ADP on Fantasy Pros is No. 86 overall, and No. 30 among WRs. That is value, because Davis is about to detonate without veterans blocking his opportunity.