The New York Giants opened the preseason with a 34-25 win at Buffalo, the Bills’ first exhibition of 2025. With Josh Allen watching from the sideline, Buffalo leaned on a quarterback trio—Mitchell Trubisky, Mike White, and Shane Buechele—who split reps, though Trubisky logged the full first half. He connected for an 11-yard TD to Dawson Knox and delivered a 58-yard pass that set up Buffalo’s second-quarter field goal from their new kicker after Bass’s injury.

Buffalo’s signing of Caden Davis a day earlier and a playful post-TD moment from Ray Davis underscored a kickers competition as the Bills seek a stable option early in camp. The teams meet again in Chicago for a joint practice before the second preseason game. For fantasy, the storylines to watch include the backup QB pecking order, Knox as a target in the backup-heavy attack, and the evolving kicking situation in Buffalo.

Buffalo Bills kicker Tyler Bass is sidelined by a pelvic injury, prompting a one-year signing for Caden Davis. In the preseason, Davis lined up as kicker and delivered a clean 33-yard PAT before adding a 24-yard field goal in the late first half, showing he can function as an emergency option in game situations. Ray Davis, the RB2 who doubles as an emergency kicker, also took a kicking turn, underscoring Buffalo’s willingness to experiment with non-traditional roles in the kicking game. The afternoon featured a notable red-zone sequence: a Mitch Trubisky-to-Dawson Knox TD and a 58-yard connection to Tyrell Shavers, with Davis promptly testing the 24-yard boot to keep the Bills within striking distance. Davis’ backstory includes Ole Miss records for 50-plus-yard field goals and a circuit that took him Temple -> Vanderbilt -> Kentucky before a stint with the Jets and an undrafted college career.

NFL narrative lines up with the Bills’ depth chart: occasional non-kick specialists flashing place-kicking ability across the league, as Philly’s Braden Mann swapped roles with Jake Elliott for a PAT in another preseason game, and Ochocinco Johnson’s 2009 quip is recalled as a peculiar footnote. Buffalo’s experiment is a reminder that kick-game depth and situational play-calling can tilt in small samples, creating speculative upside for fantasy managers if Bass remains limited or out longer than anticipated. The Bills’ Week 1 posture leans toward adaptability and a potential surprise contributor emerge from the kicking front, alongside the usual pass-catchers and Trubisky-to Knox chemistry that flashed on Saturday.

Buffalo’s tight end duo continues to shape the Bills’ early-season path. Dawson Knox remains a steady starter who even scored the team’s opening TD, while Dalton Kincaid logged limited first-team work on two early drives. That two-man rotation, with Knox on early downs and Kincaid on late downs, suggests Knox can anchor Week 1 while Kincaid’s role may grow as the season progresses. Wan’Dale Robinson in New York signals a broader usage plan for the Giants, starting outside and shifting into the slot, potentially widening his target upside beyond the traditional slot role. With Slayton, Nabers and Hyatt sidelined, Robinson’s diversification stands out as Giants-wide receiver development ahead of Week 1. The mix of depth at WR for Buffalo—Keon Coleman, Joshua Palmer and Elijah Moore in the mix as Shakir recovers from a high ankle sprain and Samuel approaches return from hamstring issues—creates a layered but still tight fantasy picture in the early going.

From a fantasy lens, Knox’s floor remains solid as a Week 1 starter, while Kincaid is an intriguing late-round flier with high ceiling if his route share and catch rate rise. Robinson’s expanded usage in New York adds a speculative but meaningful upside, particularly in PPR leagues if he remains a true multi-route contributor. Slayton’s absence from the field and the unsettled depth behind him have fantasy managers eyeing the next-man-up options, with Nabers and Hyatt as potential upside bets if their injury situations were to shift. The recap emphasizes how early-season rotations and injury news can tilt projections quickly, so rostering two tight ends or keeping a sharp eye on Bills depth can pay off in the opening weeks of 2025.