Bills vs. Lions Fantasy Football: Start or Sit Advice for Thursday Night

The Thursday night game this week is loaded with fantasy football talent. There are no less than four must-start players and a handful of others who are worth considering. We don't need to waste a lot of time with some of those decisions, but there are a few tougher ones to make early in the week before getting a few days to decide on Sunday/Monday players.

Let's run through each position in this game and look at the players who need to be in your lineup and those who might be better left on the bench this week. Most stats are from NFL.com, and fantasy points and rankings are from FantasyPros.

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Quarterback

• Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
• Jared Goff, Detroit Lions

There's no reason to discuss Allen: he's a must-start player every week and has the highest ceiling of any quarterback in fantasy football. Never sit Allen if you chose to take him early or pay up for him in an auction draft.

Goff is a tougher call, as he has weeks when he plays like a top-five fantasy QB and others when he should be left on fantasy benches. This is a tougher matchup, as the Bills allowed the fourth-fewest yards per pass attempt and the fifth-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks last season. In Week 1, they gave up 274 passing yards and two touchdowns to C.J. Stroud, but that came on a very average 7.2 yards per pass attempt.

I'm not too keen on testing Buffalo's defense, but it's very possible that they aren't as good as they were last season. Goff ends up somewhere in the middle this week and is worthy of consideration, especially if you're in a deeper league or don't have another reasonable option. In Week 2 with most players healthy and no one on bye, though, you might have a better option than Goff; this one depends on your roster.

Running Back

• James Cook, Buffalo Bills
• Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions

We don't need to spend any time here at all. Both Cook and Gibbs belong in your lineup every week, Gibbs as maybe the best RB in fantasy football and Cook as a low RB1/high RB2 who just has to worry about Allen stealing rushing production. Put both guys into your lineup and don't look back.

None of the backups on either team are worth consideration, as they will only get minimal carries behind the two stars.

Wide Receiver

• Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
• D.J. Moore, Buffalo Bills
• Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions
• Khalil Shakir, Buffalo Bills

St. Brown is another superstar who is a must-start player. This has really been easy so far, hasn't it?

Things get a little tougher down the line, as the others listed here are in that middle ground that depends on matchups and your roster as to whether they belong in your lineup. Let's start with Williams. We talked above about how Buffalo had a good pass defense last season, and they were similarly tough against receivers in fantasy.

Nico Collins did most of the damage from the WR position in Week 1 against the Bills, and I don't think we can blame any team losing track of Collins from time to time. Williams is in that WR3/4/flex range that is heavily populated each week, and he might be worth a spot because of his explosiveness. Your roster will dictate whether he should be in your lineup, but this is a high risk, high reward play.

Detroit's pass defense in 2025 was subpar, as they allowed the ninth-most yards per pass attempt and the second-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers. Chris Olave and Devaughn Vele combined for 17 receptions and 251 yards in Week 1, and while that did require an entire overtime period and 56 pass attempts from Tyler Shough, it showed that the Lions can be beaten through the air.

Moore is the bigger name and went for 100 yards and a score on five receptions last week; I'd say he's a safe bet in your lineup unless you are stacked at receiver. Shakir is more questionable as a boom/bust option. He had four catches and 50 yards against the Texans and is always a threat to break a big play, especially when Allen gets moving. Shakir is another guy in that WR3/4/flex range, though I'd probably rate him just slightly behind Williams.

Tight End

• Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills
• Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions

The Lions were in the middle against tight ends last season. Juwan Johnson had three catches for 54 yards and a touchdown in Week 1 against Detroit, and Noah Fant had four, 33, and a score of his own, but again, that came on 56 pass attempts, so those numbers are watered down a bit.

Kincaid had a strong first week with five receptions and 130 yards, and given preseason reports that he looked the best he ever has in training camp, there is real hope that this is finally his breakout season after slight disappointments the last two years. Unless you have a stud on your roster, Kincaid belongs in your lineup this week with another nice ceiling.

LaPorta was a star as a rookie and has been a little lower the past two seasons, though he missed nearly half of 2025 with a back injury. He's still a guy who can have a big game on any given Sunday and is generally worth consideration, if not an outright starting spot every week. He had five catches for 48 yards last week.

Buffalo had a staunch defense against tight ends last year, allowing the second-fewest fantasy points to the position. While Houston doesn't have great tight ends, the Bills held Dalton Schultz to 35 yards on four receptions, so there's worry in trusting a TE against Buffalo. LaPorta will be in a lot of lineups, but if you have another guy who is either a strong player or has a good matchup, it's worth thinking about leaving the Detroit tight end on the bench this week, though some won't have that luxury. LaPorta is a solid player either way, maybe just with a lower ceiling.