As fantasy football draft season approaches, one questions is what to expect from the Buffalo Bills running backs behind LeSean McCoy.
The Bills had one of the best one-two punches of fantasy football last season. McCoy ranked third among NFL running backs under ESPN standard scoring, while backup Mike Gillislee ranked 27th after rushing 101 times for 577 yards and eight touchdowns.
Gillislee signed with the New England Patriots as a restricted free agent this offseason, opening a void at No. 2 running back for the Bills. If new offensive coordinator Rick Dennison leans on the running game as much as the Bills did last season, when they had the NFL's second-most rushing attempts (492) and the most yards (2,630), there should be opportunities for fantasy scoring behind McCoy.
Who will get those opportunities? Jonathan Williams, a fifth-round pick in 2016, has been viewed as the most likely to replace Gillislee's workload and production from last season. But at this point, I am not convinced the answer will be that simple for fantasy players.
Since training camp opened July 27, Williams has split first- and second-team carries with Mike Tolbert, a hybrid running back-fullback who played the past five seasons for the Carolina Panthers. First-year Bills coach Sean McDermott, formerly the Panthers' defensive coordinator, and first-year general manager Brandon Beane, formerly the Panthers' assistant general manager, are both well-acquainted with Tolbert.
At the very least, Tolbert projects as the Bills' top option in short-yardage situations. At 5-foot-9 and 250 pounds, he has proven experience in that phase of the game with both the Panthers and the Chargers (2008-11). But despite his stocky build, Tolbert has shown acceleration and respectable speed for his size during training camp, breaking several open-field runs into the second level of the defense.
Tolbert has also gotten practice reps in other areas of the offense, including pass-catching and blitz pickup during hurry-up situations. Williams has seen practice time in those situations, too.
It remains unclear how exactly Dennison will divide regular-season snaps between Williams and Tolbert.
"It's early," McDermott said on July 29. "Roles will be defined as we get closer and closer to the season. Guys kind of naturally settle into some roles, in particular when we get to the 53 [man roster]. That'll work itself out."
The Bills do not appear close to settling on a clear-cut No. 2 running back -- if that is their intention at all. During Friday's run-heavy practice at New Era Field, both Williams and Tolbert received first-team reps as McCoy was largely kept on the sideline. During a goal-line drill, Tolbert took the first carry before Williams took the second carry with the first-team offense.