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The Ringer: The 10 Non-Superstars Who Could Shape the 2022 NFL Season


Gabriel Davis, WR, Bills​

Davis has been the subject of a heated debate in the fantasy football communityover the past month because his average draft position is skyrocketing. Those who support that trend believe his four-touchdown performance against the Chiefs in the playoffs was evidence that he just needed an opportunity after being stuck in a crowded receiver room during his first two NFL seasons. The skeptics seem to think that performance was an aberration, and point to his underwhelming overall production as definitive proof.

The Bills didn’t give Davis a ton of snaps last season, and he’s been targeted just over 120 times in two seasons. He also dropped 15.9 percent of his targets in 2021, per Sports Info Solutions, which was the third-worst mark among receivers with at least 50 targets. That’s bad! But this isn’t: Davis finished 28th in the NFL in expected points added per target (and led the Bills), he finished second in explosive play rate, and he led the league in first-down percentage. So even with all the drops, the 23-year-old’s targets were an efficient source of production for Buffalo.

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Davis’s film also matches with that conclusion. In that Kansas City game, Davis showed some impressive route-running chops for a man of his stature. The first of his two crunch-time touchdowns came after he dropped a Chiefs cornerback with a quick hesitation move:

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On the second, he used his large frame to lean into his defender before cutting in the opposite direction, instantly creating enough separation for Josh Allen to find him for the go-ahead score with 13 seconds left:

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Earlier in the game, Davis deployed his speed and beat Juan Thornhill, who ran a 4.4 at the 2019 combine, in a race downfield. Allen took care of the rest:


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That performance gave Buffalo’s front office enough confidence to move on from Cole Beasley and Emmanuel Sanders this offseason and elevate Davis to the no. 2 spot in the wide receiver pecking order. But there isn’t a whole lot of depth behind him—and that puts even more pressure on the third-year pro to make the leap. Isaiah McKenzie and Jamison Crowder form a nice pair of slot weapons but can’t play outside in two-receiver sets, something the Bills will use more of now that they have a second tight end in O.J. Howard. And the two perimeter options behind Davis are Khalil Shakir, a fifth-round rookie, and Jake Kumerow, who owns just 23 career catches as he enters his age-30 season.

The Bills will go as far as Allen and the passing game takes them. And if Davis has a down year, they might not have enough to get through a loaded AFC.

OT: Rudy G & ShopRite

@dgyn14, is this one of your stores? If you can say. I read this and was like whoa, ShopRite!

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Controversial former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani was assaulted by a ShopRite worker Sunday while campaigning for his son’s gubernatorial bid in the city’s Staten Island borough.

The 78-year-old Giuliani was slammed in the back by an unidentified ShopRite worker, according to the New York Post. The assault reportedly left him shaken, the report said.

“I was stunned,” eyewitness Rita Rugova-Johnson told The Post after the attack at the supermarket. “I was shoulder-to-shoulder with Rudy inside ShopRite,” Rugova-Johnson said. “We’re talking, and all of a sudden an employee came out of nowhere and open-handedly slapped him in the back and said, ‘Hey, what’s up, scumbag?’

***Bounce House Weekend, UCF's mega recruiting event is back - Full Breakdown 🏈

Welcome to Bounce House Weekend!

UCF is kickstarting June recruiting with a mega weekend of visits, which include official and unofficial visitors. The Knights have six commits in their 2023 class, all of whom will be in Orlando and they'll be joined by high-level targets in the 2023 and 2024 classes.

OT: FL Hunters / Phase 1 Quota Awarded This Week

Any FL WMA hunters out there?! If so, where did you apply and what were you awarded?

I am south Florida based and didn’t get anything nearby, but did draw the following:

General gun (10/17-23/2022) - Picayune Strand (yes, this is where the state-record 18’ python was caught)

Archery (11/14-20/2022) - Citrus

Muzzleloader (12/16-18/2022) - Citrus
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OT: Where are my Colorado Knights?

Just about finished loading up the moving truck and gonna hit the road from Boise in a few hours headed to Colorado Springs.

The Denver alumni Facebook group looks pretty big and relatively active so I imagine there have to be a decent amount of folks in the Springs? Do you drive up to Denver for watch parties or get together locally?

Yall ready to do some overlanding??

Oldheads give me UCF Football highlights to watch before GOL

I am hungover AF right now. Baby shower for my niece turned into wiffle ball with the boys, dizzy bat brews, and pool basketball. I have a curious bruise on my hand and my body feels like I got into a fight with Kimbo Slice.

Currently laying down with an ice pack and leftover baked ziti and lemon water. Link me some vids, please.

We will rebuild.

  • Poll
Sorta OT: UCF & other diplomas on your wall

Other than UCF, where did you graduate?

  • UCF bachelors, UCF masters

    Votes: 23 35.4%
  • Other college, UCF masters

    Votes: 6 9.2%
  • PhD and none of your damn business

    Votes: 5 7.7%
  • UCF bachelors, other masters

    Votes: 34 52.3%

For UCF grads, what other university hangs on your wall. I'll start. BSBA from FTU/UCF, MBA from University of Tampa
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