Contract Notes
Khalil Shakir signed a 4-year extension to stay with the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday. The contract, worth up to $60.2M rewards the 4th-year wide receiver who has shown steady progress throughout his young career. 2024 displayed the prototypical 3rd-year breakout, setting career highs in targets, reception, yards, and touchdowns. As one of the most reliable wide receivers in the NFL, boasting a 75.8% career catch rate, Shakir has earned the trust of quarterback Josh Allen.
Fantasy Impact
Shakir’s extension will have a fantasy impact beyond his own value. Shakir operated as Buffalo’s primary slot receiver, running 73.1% of his routes from that alignment. That role should stay static, leading to consistency from Shakir over the next few years. Josh Allen will now have a solid set of weapons in the short and intermediate areas of the field between Shakir, James Cook, and Dalton Kincaid.
The extension also clarifies the future for fellow WR Keon Coleman. Coleman spent his rookie campaign almost entirely outside, running over 88% of his routes from out wide. Coleman ran quite a few vertical routes, which provided a solid average Depth of Target (aDOT) of 15.3. Unfortunately, Coleman was unable to consistently win deep and outside the numbers, posting only a 51.8% catch rate. Coleman’s role will remain as the Split End earning more deep targets than his fellow receivers. It will cap his fantasy upside until he can prove he has the ability to win contested catches down the field and along the boundary.
Fantasy managers should consider this extension positive news for Shakir’s fantasy value, but a downgrade for Keon Coleman, as the top end of his range of outcomes becomes less likely. Look to acquire Shakir at a WR3 price tag (currently WR42 on KeepTradeCut) as this is likely his floor outcome assuming health. Keon Coleman checks in right behind at WR43, which feels like a fair price for a young wide receiver with solid draft capital and an already established role on the Bills’ high-powered offense.
