Buffalo Bills 2024 Schedule by the Numbers: Wide Receivers

Last week we looked at which quarterbacks the Buffalo Bills will face in their 2024 schedule. Next, we look at a quarterback’s favorite position to throw the ball, wide receiver.

This is an important position group to revisit as the Bills are set to deploy two new starting safeties in the secondary following the departure of Jordan Poyer and with Micah Hyde still unsure if he will play at football this season. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the type of receivers the secondary will be lining up against this season.

Eleven: The number of 1,000-yard receivers from last season that the Bills will face this season. It’s definitely a challenge for secondary school. They will also face three teams with multiple 1,000-yard receivers on the same team. The Miami Dolphins’ division rivals have Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. The Tennessee Titans added Calvin Ridley to pair with DeAndre Hopkins, and the Houston Texans of course added Stefon Diggs to pair with Nico Collins. It’s often difficult to manage one talented receiver, let alone two, at any given time.

Five: Of the 11 receivers who totaled over 1,000 yards on the season, five of them also had over 100 catches. Tyreek Hill has 119 catches, which ties him for second in the NFL. Tied with Hill was Detroit Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown who had a career season in 2023 that earned him a new contract. Michael Pittman of the Indianapolis Colts had 109 receptions last season and Buffalo will see Los Angeles Rams receiver Puka Nacua for the first time after a 105 reception season. The other receiver with over a hundred catches who will face Buffalo is of course Stefon Diggs.

Eight: An average of 15 yards per catch is pretty impressive in the NFL because it shows a wide receiver’s big-play ability. Well, Buffalo will face eight receivers this season who averaged that number or more last season. Three of these players are in the top five. San Francisco 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk finished second in the NFL, averaging 17.9 yards per reception, just 0.2 yards behind the leader (George Pickens). Noah Brown of the Texans was fourth in the NFL with 17.2 yards per reception, and Seattle Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf averaged 16.9 yards per reception.

Honorable mention goes to the player who had the sixth-most receiving yards – someone Bills Mafia also knows very well. That would be Gabe Davis, who now plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars – a team that will play in Buffalo this season.