Three Key Players Expected to Go for the Bills in Week 7

Three Key Players Expected to Go for the Bills in Week 7

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott provided a positive update on running back James Cook and defensive tackle Ed Oliver, saying that he thinks “they’ve got a chance” to start in Buffalo’s week seven matchup with the Tennesee Titans.

“We’ll see. Like we normally do, we’ll bring them along slowly through the week, and they’ll get a little bit more practice toward the end of the week there,” McDermott said. “My hope is that both are ready to go. We’ll just take it one day at a time, though.”

Cook has been dealing with a toe injury while Oliver was forced to miss the last two games due to a hamstring injury he suffered in practice.

Newly acquired wide receiver Amari Cooper is also expected to be available for the game this weekend, albeit in a limited capacity, according to sources who spoke to Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz. Previously, Sean McDermott said that he had not yet made a decision regarding Cooper’s availability in week seven.

Is Buffalo making the right decision?

It only makes sense that Buffalo should start Cooper, even if he hasn’t had a full week of practice yet with the Bills. Buffalo needs some explosiveness on the offensive side of the ball because the team is 25th in receiving yards and 26th in receiving yards per game. Since Cooper isn’t dealing with any injuries, letting him learn the offense on the fly seems worth it. Buffalo will need Cooper’s added production against a surprisingly good Titans defense that leads the NFL in receiving defense (151.2 yards per game allowed).

Even if he isn’t 100%, it would also be wise for Buffalo to start James Cook so that the offense has multiple ball-carrying options in the backfield. Buffalo will need additional rushing firepower if they want to find success against a Tennessee defense that is seventh in rushing yards allowed and tenth in rushing yards allowed per game. With that in mind, Cook may benefit from a limited snap count as he still tries to get his toe fully healthy.

Buffalo shouldn’t feel any pressure to rush back Ed Oliver. Simply put, the Titans offense is hot garbage. Tennessee is last in quarterback rating, 31st in total yards per game and 22nd in points per game. The only reason Tennssee’s scoring offense is ranked 22nd is because they put up 31 points against a Tua Tagovailoa-less Miami Dolphins team in week four. Outside of that one good game, the Titans average 16.25 points per game. Buffalo doesn’t need to risk Ed Oliver’s long-term health to beat the Titans. They should be able to limit Tennessee’s offense while allowing Oliver to get one more week of rest before traveling to Seattle.

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